Latest news with #GreaterSpokaneIncorporated
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Survey shows people now feel safer in downtown Spokane, but major hurdles remain
May 24—Spokane residents and visitors from elsewhere in the county report feeling safer downtown today than they did six months ago, though widespread concerns remain, according to a recent survey. This is the second of at least four biannual polls sponsored by Greater Spokane Incorporated, a coalition of prominent businesses, and conducted by California-based firm EMC Research. While some questions address perceptions of the region at large, much of the survey focuses on downtown Spokane. Many of the findings align with the first survey released in October: addressing homelessness and public safety remain the top priorities for respondents. Most feel the region is headed in the wrong direction and do not feel their local elected leaders — whether they live in the city, valley, county or otherwise — have a good plan to address the issues of their community, and do not spend tax dollars responsibly. Notably, these findings largely align with essentially every community EMC Research has surveyed in recent years, whether Spokane, Seattle, San Francisco or Santa Clara — though at least that latter community, which has a median income more than twice that of Spokane's, does appear unusually satisfied with their city's leadership. But while in most cases there has not been a seismic shift in surveyed sentiment, there has been a notable improvement in perceptions of safety in downtown Spokane, though still with plenty of room for improvement. About 70% of those surveyed, whether living in Spokane or elsewhere, stated they feel safe visiting downtown Spokane in the daytime, an improvement of roughly 10% in just six months. Those sentiments drop precipitously during the nighttime, from 37% among Spokane residents to 30% overall, though this is still a 9- to 14-point improvement since October. There has been a noticeably smaller shift, however, in how respondents answered when asked whether they worried about the future of downtown Spokane. Among Spokane residents, 82% still say they worry, down from 86% in October. Overall, 82% of respondents again say they worry for the downtown's future, though this is down from 89% in October. And a majority of respondents, 61% overall, still say they are visiting downtown today less than they were a year ago. Andrew Thibault, Senior Principal for EMC Research, said he noticed the same lag in Seattle, where the chamber of commerce has been funding biannual surveys for longer and there is more of a trend line to examine. "Because voters have been hearing about these challenges for a long time and are hearing that these challenges are being addressed, they're going to be slow to give credit and act on that," Thibault suggested. And without more data over a longer period of time, it can also be hard to gauge how lasting changes are between surveys or to have much of a sense of what is driving those trends, Thibault added. For instance, some respondents may have said they are visiting downtown less because they are working from home more than they were a year ago, but with more data points, it'll be easier to point to a longer-term trend and suggest that changes in policy are responsible. Thibault believes it will be about the fourth survey, due around April 2026, when he will feel more confident that the trends between surveys aren't "blips." It has been reported that the survey found respondents feel safer in their neighborhoods today than they did six months ago by about 17 percentage points, though the actual findings are more complicated. Asked whether they felt their neighborhoods had less crime than two years ago, there was a 17-point positive shift from October, though this went almost entirely to the "feels about the same as two years ago" column, so the survey only suggests fewer people feel like things are not getting worse. Only 8% of Spokanites reported feeling safer than two years ago, up from 7% in October. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown, in an interview, said the uptick in perceptions of safety are positive, but continues to criticize the survey's focus on Spokane and lack of questions regarding other jurisdictions that play a role in public safety and addiction. "I would still like a survey that didn't just talk about the city's policies," Brown said. "You have a regional health district that ought to be at the center of the conversation, or the county that receives behavioral health dollars. I get that for the person on the street out there, they don't sort out who does what, but it is on all of us to work on these issues." John Allen, owner of Vino! A Wine Shop, which is located a few blocks from the troubled intersection of Second and Division, doesn't believe Spokane's struggles with homelessness and addiction are unique or particularly bad for a city of its size. But he also questions whether the better perceptions found in GSI's recent survey have more to do with the weather than policy. "We're coming out of winter. It's been cold." Allen said. "We'll see more people outside in the next six months. This is a very comfortable place to be homeless — there are parks and places to crash and get food. It's just more visible in the summertime." While surveys like the Pulse purport to illustrate the views of an entire population, every poll comes with caveats and limitations. Because of the focus on downtown Spokane, it's not necessarily clear if respondents in the Valley, for example, were referring to their own City Council when asked if they trusted their government to spend money wisely, which could somewhat limit the value of the survey for their own elected leaders. And in some cases, the changes between now and October's survey are within the margin of error, which was 5.66 points for Spokane residents and 4.4 for the overall population surveyed. Of the 600 people surveyed, 300 live in Spokane, which was deliberately disproportionately high in order to lower the city's margin of error, Thibault said. Some demographics were also disproportionately surveyed, which could have an impact on the overall results, as those populations often proved to have very different opinions and priorities. Respondents were far more likely to have a college degree, skewed older than the county's actual adult population and were slightly more likely to be white, female or a homeowner. These factors could somewhat skew the data, as younger and non-homeowning respondents were significantly less likely to cite homelessness as a top concern and significantly more likely to prioritize housing affordability, while older voters were far more likely to say that hiring more police officers should be a top priority. Homeowners were 12 percentage points more likely to say they didn't feel safe downtown day or night, notable given the higher proportion of renters living downtown. There remains, however, no more consistent divide in perceptions than people of different political persuasions. Left-leaning voters are 30-40 percentage points more likely to say they feel safe downtown, day or night, than conservative or moderate voters. Both sides of the political spectrum have improved attitudes on safety downtown since October, though liberals expressed a six-point improvement at day compared to 10 points for conservatives, while liberals expressed a 16-point improvement at night compared to 6 points for conservatives. Republicans were 30 points more hostile to growth in their area than Democrats and around 30 points less trusting of the city of Spokane to spend tax dollars responsibly. Two-thirds of Democrats report feeling as safe or safer in their neighborhoods than they did two years ago, while two-thirds of Republicans report feeling less safe. Concerns over personal finances amid broader economic conditions have flipped between the two parties since the last survey in October, which was released ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. In October, 83% of Republicans expressed concern about how the economy might affect their personal finances compared to 65% of Democrats. In May's poll, 70% of Republicans expressed concern compared to 84% of Democrats. Among independents, the rate of concern rose from 72% to 82% in the last six months.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Spokane schools, parks have released their $440 million plan. Now they need to convince voters.
Feb. 22—An ambitious $440 million plan to invest in parks and schools in every corner of the city may require a big lift to convince tax-weary voters. The initiative is called Together Spokane, the result of months of behind-the-scenes collaboration by Spokane Public Schools and the city's Parks and Recreation Department. They now have about nine months to persuade voters to approve it. Just more than a year ago, the Spokane Public Schools bond failed for the first time in 50 years, and voters have signaled in more than one way that they're feeling wary of new taxes. According to a poll released in October by business coalition Greater Spokane Incorporated, 63% of city voters feel their taxes are too high for the level of service the city provides, 78% believe the city has enough money to address its priorities but isn't spending it wisely, and 74% believe their local government isn't spending their tax dollars responsibly. The survey did not address public sentiment specifically about schools or parks. That doesn't necessarily translate directly into an unwillingness to raise taxes, however. After Cheney Public Schools' bond proposal failed at the same time as Spokane's last year, Cheney tried again in November and easily won enough support. And less than a month after Greater Spokane Incorporated's survey was released, more than 57% of voters decided to support higher sales taxes within city limits to pay for public safety investments. Still, even that level of support won't be enough for Spokane Public Schools, because bonds require 60% approval under state law. Last February, the attempt at a school bond failed with around 56% support. Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard and Parks Director Garrett Jones believe voters may be convinced by promises to accomplish more, and for less money, than when the agencies were only pitching their own tax requests. The ballot measures still will be separate, but working collaboratively will lower costs for taxpayers and stretch what is taken in. "Our role, Garrett and I, is to listen to the community — listen to the people that said yes (to the last school bond), and listen to the people that said no, and listen to the collective whole of what they're asking for," Swinyard said. "And what we heard was, we want to see partnerships, we want to see smart government." The initiative has a wide range of high-profile supporters with politics that don't often align, including Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown and state Sen. Marcus Riccelli, both Democrats, and Councilman Michael Cathcart and former Mayor David Condon, both Republicans. But there may still be opposition, or at least skepticism, from some in the community. Councilman Jonathan Bingle, a Republican, expressed full support for the parks levy, and he and Cathcart have praised the plans for major investments in parks in their historically underfunded district. Bingle also showed some appreciation for the partnership's plans to use taxpayer money more efficiently, but he still opposed the merging of initiatives. "I've been pretty openly against the partnership," Bingle said in a Friday interview. "That's not to say I don't see the real collaboration that could happen here," he added. "But people are really upset with schools for a number of reasons. We saw the school bond fail for the first time (last year), so I'm worried it will harm the park levy instead of help it." Bingle pointed to lingering frustration over the decision to locate a stadium downtown instead of replacing the 70-year-old Joe Albi Stadium, disregarding a nonbinding advisory vote that received 64% support from voters. He also noted a general sense of financial burden for families in his district. But Bingle and Condon also pointed to outside investment as evidence of good planning and organizing by government. Ten organizations are partnering with the school district and the city parks department, committing a combined $11 million to projects like turf fields, tennis courts and child care spaces. Partners include Hoopfest, the Spokane Youth Sports Association, the Boys and Girls Club, the United States Tennis Association and more. Condon noted that past partnerships between agencies at the ballot box have been successful, including most recently the 2018 partnership between city libraries and the school district, the last time a school bond succeeded. He also believes that many of the planned projects, including easier access to child care and the potential to bring tournaments to Spokane that families would otherwise travel to, make this initiative a good value proposition for families. "If there are programs that alleviate that (family) spending, that give them opportunities and things that they wouldn't have gotten — I have kids in youth sports, and it's very expensive, even going to Yakima for a day and a half," Condon said. Another possible challenge for the initiative: opposition from the Spokane County GOP, which campaigned against the 2024 school bond. Party Chair Rob Linebarger noted the party's executive board will decide whether to support the initiatives after a committee vets the ballot language. Recalling the 2024 opposition campaign, Linebarger said his party's membership already feels "fleeced" by taxes — even when tax rates aren't being increased, house values have been rising rapidly, often raising tax bills and the budgets of school districts. He also argues that taxpayers aren't getting a good return on their investment from the public school districts, pointing to standardized test scores. "Schools are performing worse than ever," he argued. "The levy dollars keep going up, the performance keeps going down." Still, Linebarger said the party listens to presentations from representatives of initiatives and is willing to be convinced that the bang is worth the buck, pointing to the party's recent support for fire district tax measures. In a Wednesday interview, Swinyard argued that standardized test scores can be a poor metric for student learning, arguing that high school students are rarely motivated to perform well on a test that doesn't affect their grades or future. "I think if we really want to know how kids are performing inside of our school, there's going to have to be some assessment reform on how we measure it and how does it show growth," he said. Swinyard also believes that improved schools and after-school activities can benefit student performance. "A safe and healthy environment is a correlate to work productivity in the workplace, and it's also true in the classroom," Swinyard said. "We know that being active outside the school day is a correlate with academic performance, physical health, emotional health, social health." It's unclear who, if anyone, will attempt to sway the county Republicans. Swinyard acknowledged that neither agency had sat down yet with leadership from either major county party. "I don't think that — that's not our role," he said. "I mean, our role is to listen and respond, and we'll let other people get into the political dynamics of it." Condon noted Thursday that he was not involved in the campaign committee for the initiative; Cathcart was not available for an interview Friday. The Spokane County Democrats will also decide in coming months whether to support the initiative, though Chair Naida Spencer noted the organization often supports education initiatives. "We generally support education, teachers, anything that furthers building up our youth in our community," she said. "Teachers and schools have been penny-pinched and harassed in doing their work lately, and that's definitely something we're not supportive of in any form."
