(The Center Square) – Officials from across Spokane announced an upcoming tax proposal on Tuesday that could fund the construction of a new jail after voters rejected another $1.7 billion bid in 2023.
The press conference featured elected officials from across the region, including Mayor Lisa Brown and Sheriff John Nowels, who highlighted the bipartisan initiative. Murmurs of the Safe & Healthy Spokane Task Force began to emerge in May, but that appeared to die out shortly after amid regional conflicts.
Barry Barfield, an administrator of the Spokane Homeless Coalition, told The Center Square last month that the idea “was on life support” even before the city sent the county a $57 million tax bill. However, those talks continued behind the scenes with groups like the Downtown Spokane Partnership, or DSP…