SPOKANE, Wash.- The City of Spokane announced that 29 employees of the city government could be laid off due to several factors, including the outcome of the Community Safety Sales Tax and the final budget.

According to a press release from the City of Spokane, preliminary layoff notices have been issued to 29 employees across various departments. The city said that these are not "official terminations," but serve as advance notification that their positions may be eliminated depending on the outcomes of union negotiations, the proposed Community Safety Sales Tax and the final budget, which is expected to be passed by the City Council toward the end of the year.

"This is a challenging situation and these notices were issued out of an abundance of transparency and fairness to our employees," Mayor Lisa Brown said. "We are working to minimize impacts to City employees and remain hopeful we can get to a place where we can maintain our workforce and city services while avoiding permanent reductions."

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