Valley leaders discussing police staffing, economic development and city hall options
Spokane Valley's city leaders are meeting in a daylong workshop today to set goals and priorities for the year ahead and figure out how to run a growing community with tax revenue that has yet to return to 2007 levels.
Among the topics on the agenda is police staffing, potential city hall relocation and economic development. The workshop session can be viewed by webcast on the city's homepage.
Key to the challenges is tax revenue to pay for the growing community's services. The city council is controlled by anti-tax conservatives who contend the best way to rebuild the city's treasury is through fostering greater economic development, which they believe will pay off over time.
The city's discretionary spending account, known as the general fund, is $36.8 million for the current year. It was $37.1 million in 2007, which was before the housing bubble burst and the national economy tanked. It fell to as low as $35.2 million in 2009.