In his 10th state of the city address, Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown on Wednesday touted what the city had built in the last 10 years and called for greater efficiency in municipal government, better quality of life and improved housing.
"I called for Grand Forks to renew its efforts and become reborn as a destination city," Brown said, looking back to his first address as mayor. His address, delivered at the Alerus Center, argued that he and the city had achieved that goal.
"Together we have renewed the very idea of Grand Forks," he said.
Brown said the city saw improvements to public safety, cost of living, opportunities for young people, cultural offerings and community engagement -- the components of what he calls the Grand Forks Promise.
"In short, we grow without sacrificing our quality of life," he said.
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More efficiency
However, Brown said the city needed to address efficiency and sustainability.
The city will move its Urban Development Department to City Hall downtown from its offices at 1405 First Ave. N. and Brown will ask City Administrator Rick Duquette to restructure other city departments to improve customer service, save money and raise productivity.
Brown also plans to encourage sustainability in city government.
"We define sustainability as the long-term maintenance of well-being which has three distinct components -- fiscal, social and environmental," he said.
He would like to see notes attached to city staff reports explaining how an issue can improve fiscal, social or environmental quality.
Housing concerns
While Brown said the city was growing along its 42nd Street corridor, in its retail sector and in the number of young people moving in or staying and having families, he said that housing availability "may be the No. 1 potential bottleneck for the city."
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The Housing Authority is conducting a survey on the need for all types of housing but Brown said there is a particular need among Air Force base personnel, the elderly and the poor.
"I propose the formation of a blue ribbon commission on housing when we have the results of the housing survey," Brown said. Such a group would include developers, real estate agents, builders and citizens along with public officials.
Brown also called for a deeper partnership with UND, citing a $1 billion state, local and regional impact by the university and $259 million in spending by students.
"Our community is closely tied to the university and we are so much better for it," he said.
Brown also highlighted the city's efforts to be more accessible through social media, public safety efforts, including plans for a new fire south side fire station, and new jobs, including 500 at LM Wind Power and Amazon.com.
One goal from last year's state of the city speech that the mayor could cross off this year was a downtown quiet zone for train whistles. A project that eluded him in the past year was connecting the sewage systems of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, a plan rejected by East Grand Forks.
Reach Bjorke at (701) 780-1117; (800) 477-6572, ext. 117; or send e-mail to cbjorke@gfherald.com .
