SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Spokane Valley is set to significantly expand its public safety workforce with the introduction of new Proposition 1 funding. The focus of the recent city meeting was on how to effectively implement this funding and determine which positions to fill.
Mayor Pam Haley shared the city’s timeline for the initiative. “We’ll start collecting the money in January, and then we’ll start with the hiring and training of ten new police officers and one shared officer,” said Haley.
This initiative marks one of the city’s largest public safety expansions in years. Haley emphasized the impact by stating, “Between last year, this year, and next, we’ll have increased our police force by twenty percent. We’re actually seeing people get pulled over for speeding, which is something that we hadn’t seen for a while.”
City staff noted that the decision to hire was based on a staffing analysis known as the Matrix Study, with input from Police Chief Dave Ellis.
Deputy City Manager Erik Lamb explained the staffing plan further. “What we’re looking at are 12 new positions and public safety related positions in 2025 came from the matrix three and then 11 in 2026. So that would give you 23 total positions that were part of the major study analysis out of the 31 that it recommended,” said Lamb.
During the public comment period, residents expressed mixed feelings about the rollout. Some, like Spokane Valley resident Mike Dolan, advocated for a quicker response. “We’ve been discussing this problem for a long time. And every time it comes up, it’s always, we don’t have the money, we don’t have this. Why can’t we hire them now and get them started so they can start on January 1st and being paid?” said Dolan.
Others favored a more gradual approach. Resident Ben Lund urged caution, saying, “You can’t spend money that you don’t have. The money comes in in January. And, Chief Ellis and I know the sheriff had been working very closely on this to make sure that we’re ready to go when the money starts coming in.”
Councilmembers detailed how the city plans to utilize the new funding heading into next year, preparing residents for the changes as new hires are integrated into the community.
