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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mayor Grafos touts Spokane Valley’s efficient, lean government

Spokane Valley Mayor Dean Grafos makes his 2015 state of the city address May 6. (Dan Pelle)

Many Valley residents want their hometown to have “more of a city identity,” and the new city hall will help create that, said Mayor Dean Grafos at the annual state of the city address.

“This city center will be right-sized in keeping with the desire for an efficient and lean government philosophy,” Grafos said in speech about the construction project, and reminded attendees that the lease on the current city hall is up at the same time the new building is expected to be ready. “Because of our excellent bond rating, we can borrow money at very favorable rates, essentially exchanging rent for a mortgage.”

Spokane Valley leaders bought a portion of the former University Mall site last year to build a new city hall. It is expected to open in 2017.

During his speech, Grafos told a crowd of about 100 people, many city staffers and former elected officials, that the city is doing well and that it is, “lean and efficient with just 87 employees to serve almost 100,000 people.”

Grafos praised staff and departments for going beyond the call of duty.

He said a main goal of the city is to be business friendly.

“As mayor, along with City Manager Mike Jackson, we signed a record 1,899 letters welcoming new businesses to Spokane Valley,” Grafos said. That’s up by 17 percent compared to 2013.

Among new businesses, Grafos mentioned CarMax, Grocery Outlet and Numerica Credit Union, and he added that 2015 sales tax revenue is projected to increase by 6 percent.

Among the challenges faced by Spokane Valley, Grafos mentioned the oil trains that run through the city every day and how shrinking federal funding will make it difficult to achieve the long-term goal of bridging the Valley. 

Housing is also a concern.

“We need a framework for a diverse mix of housing types for all ages,” Grafos said. “Affordable housing solutions attract young people and their families along with new companies.”

Grafos also reminded people that Spokane Valley has not raised property taxes in six years.

Grafos presentation was followed by a short question-and-answer session that yielded just one question about the proposed mining moratorium, which the Mayor said he still supports.

Later on the day of the speech, Spokane Valley and Architects West – the contractor that’s building the new city hall – hosted a public meeting at CenterPlace, asking for input on the design of city hall.

Community Development Director John Hohman welcomed about 40 people to the interactive presentation.

Participants were each handed a “public preference survey” on which they could rate 40 photos of design features, including hammocks in a small park, solar panels and public art.

Some were confused that there weren’t votes to accept or reject particular features. The survey was meant to show preferences. Results of the informal survey weren’t shared the evening of the meeting.

More presentations and hearings are planned before construction begins.

For more information on the city hall project, visit www.spokanevalley.org and click on “city hall project.”