City of Grass Valley


Council Elections
Two Council members will be elected this November 7, 2006. Those interested in running for City Council may pick up a nomination packet at the office of the City Clerk in City Hall at 125 East Main Street, beginning July 17, 2006. Packets must be returned to the City Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 11, 2006. The terms of office are four years and will run from December 2006 to December of 2010. Qualifications for candidacy include the following: You must be a resident and registered voter of the City of Grass Valley on or prior to the date nomination papers are issued. For additional information regarding the office of City Council or the election process please call the City Clerk at 274-4310.

Transportation Improvement Measure on the Ballot

At its May 23, 2006 meeting, City Council unanimously approved placing the following special sales tax measure before City voters at the November 7, 2006 General Election:

“GRASS VALLEY’S TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT MEASURE. To
provide funding to complete the Dorsey Drive Interchange; improve Traffic
Safety and resurface City Streets; develop the Wolf Creek Parkway, a Downtown
Parking Plaza, Bicycle / Pedestrian Paths, Sidewalk and Transit improvements;
shall the sales tax in the City of Grass Valley be increased by one-half of a cent
(0.50%) with proceeds being deposited in a special fund with annual
independent audits?”

To become effective, this measure must be approved by two-thirds (2/3s) of the City’s
voters and would continue for twenty (20) years to allow financing of the Dorsey Drive
Interchange and a Downtown Parking Plaza projects. Further information about this measure
and the proposed expenditure plan is available by contacting the City Clerk at 274-4310 or
on the City’s website at www.cityofgrassvalley.com.

Traffic Safety, Education and Enforcement for Teens

The Grass Valley Police Department is announcing their most recent addition to the Police Department Traffic Management Team. Officer Brian Hooper and the departments 2006 Harley Davidson Road King have become the newest tools in making our roads safer.

The purchase of the motorcycle and a substantial portion of the officer's salary are funded through a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety. The grant focuses on Traffic Safety, Education and Enforcement for Teens. Look for upcoming events regarding traffic safety and paid for by this grant! Let's all work together at reducing accidents!

Community Survey Results

A recent community survey provides helpful insights into the views of City residents. The highly regarded survey research firm of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates provided the following conclusions about the results:

Residents are overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of life in Grass Valley, attributing it mainly to friendly people and the community’s small-town feel.
Traffic, drug use, growth and development and housing costs are among the issues about which
local residents are most concerned.
A majority of residents are satisfied with the overall quality of City services, in particular public
safety and parks.
Residents are divided on the issue of whether the City should maintain its historical growth rate
of 150 housing units per year.
Four in five residents want Grass Valley to remain the economic hub of Western Nevada County.

This telephone survey of 338 City residents was conducted from February 27 to March 9,
2006. These results should be accurate within a margin of sampling error of +/-5/4%. Further
information about this survey is available at www.cityofgrassvalley.com or by contacting City Hall.

Budget Briefs

A budget for fiscal year 2006-07 was adopted by the Grass Valley City Council after a Public Hearing on June 13, 2006. Combined revenues for all funds are estimated at $22.9 million. Some of the budget highlights include; new staffing in Human Resources, Police, Fire and Planning departments, a capital projects budget of $3.8 million for various street, traffic, park, facility and storm drain projects, upgrades to utility lift stations, replacement of Alta Hill Reservoir Floating cover with two (2)-one million gallon steel tanks, various studies and funding for an Affordable Housing Assistance Program. The budget publication is expected to be available at Grass Valley City Hall and the downtown library by mid July. A condensed version of the budget is available here.

Questions? Contact Carol in the Finance Department at 274-4300.