David Condon, Mayor, No Phone Number Available
Friday, March 6, 2015 at 2:39 p.m.
During my first State of the City address three years ago, we stood before the Spokane community as a new administration with fresh perspectives and a lot of ideas. We asked a lot of questions about why we did something a particular way, what we hoped the outcome would be, or whether it was even necessary.
Many of those discussions evolved from the simple premise: “What would happen if…?”
The goal was to work within the structure of City government to change the way we deliver services. The challenge was to bring those services closer to the people who rely on them, to make them more responsive while keeping them affordable.
Today, having delivered this year's State of the City address, I can tell you that I am encouraged by what we have seen in the past few years and I am excited about what lies ahead. Yes, there have been challenges, but we are working together as a city, as elected officials, as neighborhoods, as a community. We have accomplished a lot and are ready for more.
As a City, we are engaging more people in new and different ways and making Spokane safer, stronger and smarter. Crime is down citywide. Fire and emergency medical response is evolving. Sales tax revenue is increasing. The gap between budget revenue and expenses has been eliminated. Investment in street maintenance has doubled. Integrated streets, utility and park improvements are getting us to a cleaner river faster.
The priorities citizens have identified will keep driving us forward. Public safety, jobs and economic growth, budget, infrastructure, and quality of life will continue to guide the strategic direction of the City of Spokane.
We asked you, “what would happen if…?”, and you showed us what coming together as a community, keeping together and working together can look like. Spokane stepped up, as I expected you would.
I encourage you to keep giving us your feedback. Your input has helped get us to this point as a City, and will carry us successfully into the future.
