Expanding Grand Forks' Industrial Park and cutting property taxes citywide to 2 percent of valuation are among several goals Mayor Mike Brown said he'll discuss in his State of the City address today in the Alerus Center.
The event will begin 11:30 a.m., with a lunch with the speech following shortly after.
It will be the mayor's fifth State of the City address, and he said he'll take time as well to reflect on how far the city has come since his first address in 2003.
Overall, he said, "the state of the city is good."
The city saw strong job growth during 2006, with local manufacturers ramping up employment so much that there were labor shortage concerns. They city also saw substantial progress on the dike system, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says is now functionally complete.
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On the other hand, property taxes remain uncomfortably high for many residents. The situation appears to be true in many parts of the state as well, however, prompting state lawmakers to intervene.
Asked if he's planning to run for another term, Brown said, "I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I think I have to discuss it with my family."
"It's been very rewarding," he said.
Industrial Park
The idea for expansion of the Industrial Park came out of discussion between the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. and the city's Office of Urban Development.
The park is home to such major employers as LM Glasfiber, Cirrus Design, Amazon.com and MnDak Concrete Inc. The Herald's plant is also located there, but the bulk of its employees are downtown. The problem is there's not much land left for new businesses, and there is only one access route to the freeway.
Brown said he wants to make progress on expanding 48th Street, the Industrial Park's equivalent of Main Street, so that it not only connects to DeMers Avenue but also 32nd Avenue. Both corridors have freeway ramps nearby.
Property tax cut?
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The goal of reducing the property tax rate to 2 percent is not new.
The mayor had stated it in his last State of the City address when citywide, homeowners paid 2.18 percent of the value of their homes in taxes.
It's not clear though, if the city will do anything to cut that remaining 0.18 percent this year.
The mayor's position during this legislative session has consistently been to get the state to take on more funding for K-12 education and allowing the school district to cut its property taxes.
He reiterated that position when asked how the city could reach that 2 percent goal: "Once the Legislature funds primary education like they're supposed to, we can do these things."
Other goals for the mayor include making the city even friendlier to young people and getting residents more involved in solving whatever problems the city faces. This year and last year, Grand Forks made it on the list of 100 best communities for the young put out by America's Promise.
Tran reports on City Hall. Reach him at (701) 780-1248 or ttran@gfherald.com or see his blog at www.areavoices.com/gfhcitybeat .
