After emergency crews leave following a disaster, communities face their next true test: recovery.

Spokane city leaders deserve applause for responding swiftly to the Aug. 1 Old Trails Fire with flexibility and a commitment to transparency. 

Rather than having residents navigate an overwhelming number of relief and recovery systems alone, the city's leadership moved rapidly to ease some of the financial strain and eliminate administrative roadblocks. Following the Spokane Complex Fires, the city of Spokane has established multiple resources for everything from housing assistance to household needs grants.

Immediately after the Spokane Complex Fires, Spokane leaders embraced recovery lessons from other communities, such as Los Angeles County and Louisville, Colorado, and began work to create a public damage assessment dashboard to visually map reconstruction milestones.

Released Sept. 15, the Rebuild Spokane dashboard shows the status of all impacted structures. In the coming weeks, the city is planning to add additional functions to the dashboard, including the status of demolition and construction permits and information about which properties have been rebuilt and are ready for occupation.

This tool serves as both a tracking mechanism and a rallying point for community resilience.

Other areas of relief include permanently lowered demolition permit fees, in addition to the deferral of building permit fees until after a replacement home is occupied. Leadership also is actively pursuing Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Commerce grant funds to offset some other rebuilding costs. General Facilities Charges, which are fees to support the city's water and sewer infrastructure, already are waived for those rebuilding.

Alongside financial relief, the Brown administration is proposing two ordinances focused on rebuilding. Together, the ordinances propose "common sense" development code reforms.

Instead of forcing homeowners to build their properties with identical floor plans, the city can relax some nonessential development standards. Now, whether transitioning from a split-level to a single-story layout, these like-for-like residential replacement standards will help planners get families back onto their land.

Another updated policy would allow residents to construct Accessory Dwelling Units before their primary homes are complete, providing an affordable, immediate living space on their property while main reconstruction is planned.

To ensure these policies reach those in need, a temporary recovery office has been established at the Shadle Park Library operating weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. City staff are on-site to offer guidance on permitting and contractor selection, collaborating with the Spokane Homebuilders Association and state regulators to protect vulnerable survivors from predatory actors. The city also sends a dedicated weekly newsletter for fire-affected households and operates a centralized resource portal.

The impact of the city's efforts is already clear: In about seven weeks after the fire, five single-family home permits have been issued. Other reports show 68 demolition permits have been issued — representing about 13% of destroyed properties — alongside 32 roofing permits.

Wildfire recovery is a long journey extending far beyond the initial crisis. By acting as a supportive partner rather than an obstacle, the city of Spokane is demonstrating how government can help neighbors rebuild their lives.