A small city that does democracy in a big way.

Here in Canyon, we have a sizeable faith in the American way of life, including representative democracy. While some municipalities may give lip service to the ideals of voting, Canyon does more than just say we want people to vote—we put our voting places where our words are—that is to say, we put our voting places where our residents are, wherever they are.

Regardless of street addresses, Canyon residents, properly registered, can cast their ballots in any of the city’s multiple voting places. We understand that life and schedules are hectic, so we don’t hem in our residents as they exercise the great American franchise. Voting is a right; Canyon makes it convenient.

That kind of practical, no-nonsense attitude stretches all the way back to the 1880s before Canyon’s incorporation as a city, when resident L.G. Conner turned his home into a one-stop post office, general store and voting place. This isn’t to say Canyon hasn’t changed with the times. Today Canyon’s mayor-commissioner-manager governance is a model of forward-thinking municipal performance and effectiveness.

Moving forward with mayor-commission collaboration.
Elected at large, the five-person commission, including the mayor-commissioner, works closely with the appointed city manager to insure that Canyon residents enjoy the best in city services (like fire service, for example, that’s been rated second best in the entire state).

Canyon’s style of governance is practical, cordial and collaborative, as the commission and the city manager also work closely with a committed group of volunteer boards so that city operations always reflect all the bestinput and expertise Canyon can provide. The people of Canyon work together, and that includes our city-wide support and hospitality for incoming and existing industry.

Back in frontier days, Canyon residents learned value of cooperation between neighbors. Today, as we move into the new frontier of the global economy, Canyon is ready for success with a cooperative and collaborative spirit that will help keep us competitive in the new era of opportunity ahead.