Mayor Hodkinson points out the city’s approach to regulation, noting, “We’ve tried to keep our regulations to a minimum. The philosophy here is, ‘What can we do to help?’ We want business. We’re probably the friendliest business community in the area. We get things done. We get them done quickly. We don’t hang you up for six months trying to get a building permit.” By streamlining development meetings and encouraging communication, the city offers an environment where business owners and developers feel supported every step of the way. “We attempt to get as many of our staff members in the room to answer all the questions at once, rather than trying to piecemeal information to these developers,” Cavanaugh remarks.“ I know that’s a big deal for a lot of these guys. They always talk about how helpful it was that the public works director, the building official, the inspector, the fire marshal, the civil engineer, can all be in the same room and get all their information at once.” Bounds emphasizes that Union Gap’s welcoming atmosphere extends internally as well, expressing that the city council has been exceptionally supportive of both constituents and staff. “If you want a strong city, you also have to build it from within, with staff.The investments we make in them really have a payoff to the public,” she asserts. Mayor Hodkinson echoes the sentiment, describing, “We have a family here, and that’s the way our employees, I believe, feel about it. They say hi, they have a smile on their face. You can hear them laughing in City Hall. It’s a friendly, warm place to come to.” FUTURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT When it comes to attracting growth, Cavanaugh admits, “We aren’t necessarily targeting businesses. The Beltway opens up for some larger companies that might have distribution centers, but I think we’ve got a pretty healthy mix of a lot of different industries. We have agriculture, we have manufacturing, we have retail, we have tons of restaurants. We’ve got your small mom and pop shops. We’ve got tons of 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 03 UNION GAP, WA
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx