The Spokane City Council has approved new guidelines for union negotiations.
Labor is one of the city's largest expenses. Most city workers are represented by unions, which negotiate contracts with the mayor. Those contracts however must be ratified by the city council.
Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs said the new requirements mean that union negation sessions now must include a city council staff member who can observe. The city also must hold an annual police accountability forum with the police ombudsmen, who investigates police misconduct issues.
“Council was concerned they weren't being allowed to provide feedback so that the agreement that was coming forward was not one they could support,” he said. “There's nothing worse than when council turns down an agreement that's been negotiated and if there'd been feedback, people would know that.”
In 2020 the city council unanimously voted down a police contract over concerns that it weakened oversight and accountability measures.
The Spokane City Council has also approved the purchase of a new lighted, mobile security camera. The camera footage will be accessible only to the police department, and will be deployed in areas where multiple violent crimes have been reported.
City Council member Zack Zappone said there’s a concerning increase in violent crime and the city needs to try to find ways to make people feel safer.
“Whether it’s a perception or a reality, there is an increase in shootings and crime in our neighborhoods and we need to address it,” he said.
Spokane City Councilmember Betsy Wilkerson voted against the pilot, saying she had concerns about racial equity. She said there’s violent crime all over the city, but without clear guidelines, the police department could just deploy the camera in low-income areas, or communities of color.
“It is only one camera, the police have not provided any parameters for how the location will be determined, what that looks like, it'll just show up in a neighborhood, or location,” she said.
The nearly $30,000 camera is a one-year pilot. It will look similar to installations in many grocery store parking lots, a camera mounted on mobile trailer with a large light.
