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Welcome to the Department of Government Relations and Outreach home page. This site has been developed to communicate the role and activities of the department. Please take the time to explore the site and be sure to check regularly for updates.

The purpose of the department is to promote the City's interests with local, state, tribal and federal governments. The department pursues legislative priorities of the Mayor and City Council on behalf of the citizens of Spokane through new or amended legislation and/or funding. It also provides advice and counsel to the City’s elected leadership.

To advocate the City's state and federal legislative priorities, the Department of Government Relations and Outreach develops and works to implement two legislative agendas every year. One agenda is presented to the Washington state Legislature and the other is presented to the U.S. Congress. These agendas are composed of the current issues of interest or concern of the City of Spokane and are used to garner support and/or mitigate issues that may be harmful to the City. The agendas are developed with input from the Mayor, City Council City staff and community stakeholders.

The department is a part of the Mayor's Office. Therefore the policies and issues addressed by the department support Mayor Verner's top priorities:

• Public Safety
• Infrastructure
• Sustainable Economic Growth
• Community Quality of Life
• Leadership and Administration

You can also read information on federal stimulus funding in Spokane on our site.