Background

To balance the city’s budget, Mayor Brown has recommended the city for the first time implement the local option to add a tax to parking. Because the tax is limited to locations that charge a fee for parking – except for the city’s on-street meters exempted from the plan – the tax will almost exclusively be applied only in downtown or at the airport. The new parking tax will inflate the cost to park for customers and visitors and as a result, potentially further divert activity away from downtown to neighboring shopping and employment centers. This is the time to prioritize activities that incentivize downtown vitality, not threaten it.

Why oppose the new tax?

• The tax will raise parking costs as much as 12% for your customers and visitors.
• Higher parking fees will make downtown less competitive and could push businesses and activity to other parts of the region.
• Downtown’s recovery from the pandemic remains fragile. The new tax threatens to worsen historically high vacancy rates.
• The tax could be implemented in as little as 88 business days (April 1), leaving little time to adjust budgets, inform parkers and prepare reporting to the city.
• While intended for citywide transportation improvements, there is no information on how or where the tax revenue primarily collected downtown would be used.
• Questions surrounding the legality of the tax means that the city could be tied up with expensive lawsuits just to implement the tax projected to collect $2M annually.

Current status and how you can engage

City Council delayed its vote to Monday, November 24 at 6PM to decide if it will add a new tax on commercial parking after dozens of downtown employers, small businesses, nonprofits and property owners shared opposition to the plan. The plan calls for adding a new 12% tax – on top of sales tax – to commercial parking, with certain exemptions including on-street meters operated by the City. The DSP opposes the parking tax and urges the Council to vote no.

You can tell City Council you oppose increasing the cost to visit, work and live downtown too. Here’s how you can engage:

• Sign up to testify in-person or virtually at the City Council meeting on Monday, November 24, at 6:00pm
  • You must sign up online here by 6PM on November 24 (signups open at 5:00pm on November 21)
  • Select ORD C36801 – Local Option Transportation Tax for Commercial Parking
• Email your comments to CityCouncil2@spokanecity.org and mayor@spokanecity.org. Copy testimony@spokanecity.org.
• Call your Council Member to express your concerns: find phone numbers here

Back to Commercial Parking Tax Opposition