(The Center Square) – Downtown business leaders are voicing concerns after the Spokane City Council eyed a new 12% parking tax on Monday, with little notice, and a vote already slated for later this month.
Emilie Cameron, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, emailed a letter to the officials and their staff on Monday. It hit their inboxes just a few hours before Jon Snyder, the city’s transportation and sustainability director, presented Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposal amid $13 million general fund gap.
If approved, the tax would generate additional revenue next year, but the mayor can only spend it on transportation projects, so it can’t plug the general fund; however, it can reduce reliance on transfers…