The good news is the city of Maple Valley still has money in the bank, new police officers and it is clearing lingering issues off its plate according to Mayor Noel Gerken who gave his state of the city speech on Friday.

Gerken spoke before the Maple Valley Rotary, explaining what’s been going on in the past year, what is working, what has been challenging and what the city will be tackling in the coming year.

“Our No. 1 priority is public safety,” Gerken said. “To that end, this year we added three new police officers, another detective. We want to say ahead of the curve in terms of public safety and police.”

This is important, the mayor explained, because the city wants to stave off a growing drug problem as well as gangs that are operating on the fringe of its borders.

Another priority, Gerken said, is economic development with an eye toward bringing more retail, more services and living wage jobs. The idea is help Maple Valley evolve from a bedroom community that is home to commuters to a “full service community.”

City manager David Johnston, Gerken noted, has pushed for a reorganization of the city’s economic development committee to bring in a broader range of professionals to help advise the council on how to move Maple Valley forward.

In the area of economic development, the mayor said, Fred Meyer is moving forward with its project at Four Corners with tentative plans for the store to open in late 2012.

It also appears that Kite Development, an Indianapolis-based company which owns Four Corner Square Plaza, is working on a downsized version of its redevelopment plans for the property, Gerken noted.

There have long been plans to build a new Johnson’s Home and Garden Center on neighboring property and redevelop Four Corner Square, something that could bring in additional businesses and jobs, but due to the economy — among other circumstances — the project has been on hold.

“With all these commercial developments that look like they’re coming this year, things are looking up,” Gerken said. “Those are going to help the city’s bottom line as the permitting (fees) come in and sales tax comes in. We’ll have more opportunities in the city for shopping and less of that retail leakage you hear about.”

Something seemingly small, Gerken said, such as the purchase of iPads for the council members is part of a broader effort to make for a more “effective and productive government.”

“So, we come to the (City Council) meeting with just an iPad and not a big pile of paper,” he said. “Another thing I’m proud of… a couple weeks ago we canceled a council meeting because we didn’t have any agenda items. We’re not meeting just to meet. We’re meeting to legislate.”

In addition, there is now more opportunities for people to offer input at council meetings, Gerken said with there being public comment at the start and end of meetings.

“Two years ago, we only had public comment twice a month,” he said. “We’re also trying to engage the community on other levels than just council meetings.”

Gerken touched on the changes that have been made to Lake Wilderness Grill, the food and beverage portion of the city-owned Lake Wilderness Golf Course, which includes closing the restaurant dining area while serving breakfast and lunch to serve golfers. This was done as a cost saving measure.

The city is also planning to put out a request for proposals to find a contractor or possibly two, which can manage the entire operation or separate the golf course from the food and beverage side of things, depending on the proposals that are submitted.

“Last year alone we spent over $200,000 subsidizing the restaurant operation,” Gerken said. “I think that’s probably the way to go, to separate them out.”

As far as YarrowBay, the Kirkland-based developer which was working on buying a King County owned property dubbed Summit Place as well as a pair of master planned developments in Black Diamond, Gerken said the city has seen a pair of wins.

First was the traffic mitigation agreement related to the Black Diamond projects that were negotiated in the fall.

“It was worth potentially millions of dollars to the city,” Gerken said. “That is a great agreement.”

Second was YarrowBay’s decision to not complete its purchase and sale agreement with the county for the Summit Place property.

“I think that’s a win for the city,” the mayor said. “We’re going to move forward with the county. We hope to annex as soon as we can.”

In the meantime, work is wrapping up on the roundabout and street improvements at 248th Street and Witte Road, while the initial steps to partner with the YMCA in Maple Valley have been taken, Gerken explained.

There is much to look forward to, the mayor said, in the coming year.