MRSC FOCUS
› Focus - January 2000
Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.
Focus - January 2000
Inquiry of the Week
May a county or city personnel policy prohibit spouses from being employed by the county or city?
[Previous inquiries of the week]
Municipal Research Council Funding Bills Introduced
House Bill 2477 and Senate Bill 6357 have been introduced to address the loss of MVET funding by the Municipal Research Council (MRC). The MRC is the state agency that contracts with the Municipal Research & Services Center to provide programs and services to local governments. The two bills are identical. The introduction of simultaneous legislation in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate is intended to expedite the legislative process during a short 60-day session. More …New Web Server Has Arrived!
Thursday, January 20. Due to heavy usage of the MRSC Web site, our old Web server was no longer adequate for the demand. We have now installed a more powerful server that should speed up searches in the municipal codes, RCW and WAC. Thank you for your patience while these databases have been unavailable during the transition.2000-2001 Directory of Washington City and Town Officials
We are in the process of preparing the 2000-2001 Directory of Washington City and Town Officials. The directory should be available for distribution in early March. Each city and town within Washington will receive a copy in the mail. Others may purchase a paper copy or database file by contacting us in March (pre-payment required)."Working Draft" of Shoreline Master Program Guidelines Available for Public Comment
The Department of Ecology (DOE) is asking for your comments on a new "working draft" of the Shoreline Master Program Guidelines (proposed Chapter 173-26 WAC). DOE issued the first formal draft of this rule, later withdrawn, in April 1999 and received thousands of public comments. Before conducting another formal public comment process on a new proposed rule, tentatively scheduled to begin in April 2000, DOE would like public input on this draft of the proposed rule by March 1, 2000.Congratulations and Welcome to City Hall!
The final election results are now certified. You've received your certificate of election. Hopefully, it was interesting and fun to be a candidate. You met a lot of new people you didn't know before. You heard them talk about their concerns, hopes, aspirations. Now it's time to get sworn in, roll up your sleeves, and take your place at the legislative table to begin to do what you ran for. More …State Auditor Issues Bulletin on Index-Based Salary Increases for Elected Officials
The State Auditor's Office recently issued Bulletin No. 1999-01 to all political subdivisions stating that "all auditors will examine the salary increases of elected officials in the entities they audit. If audit staff find salary increases have been tied to an index, they will make appropriate recommendations to your organization." The Auditor's Office takes the position that "unless the increase can be foreseen at the beginning of the term, salary increases connected to an index violate the constitutional restriction."The National Marine Fisheries Service Proposes "4(d) rules" for the Protection of Threatened Species
The 4(d) rules are an Endangered Species Act mechanism for protecting threatened as opposed to endangered species. They also propose a means by which the state, tribes, local government entities, developers, private citizens, and others can obtain assurances that certain activities they authorize or conduct are permissible under the ESA. The proposed 4(d) rules, which appear in the Federal Register, address threatened salmonid (1/3/00) and steelhead (12/30/99) species. See the NMFS "4(d) Rules for Pacific Salmon" page for more information.Attorney General Says I-695 is Constitutional …
and I-695's voter approval requirement should not be interpreted as applying to charges for proprietary transactions, such as providing utility services, selling liquor, or leasing state-owned lands. The Attorney General recently addressed the constitutionality and meaning of the initiative in a news release and memorandum.CLE Credits for City and Town Attorneys
For a list of continuing legal education (CLE) credits, including ethics credits, from the Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys conferences for the last three years, see our CLE credits page.AWC Endorses Funding Plan for the Municipal Research & Services Center
On December 17 the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) unanimously adopted a resolution supporting continued funding of the Municipal Research Council (MRC). The plan is to use a small portion of the cities' distribution of profits of the State Liquor Board to fund MRC. This endorsement was a critical step in the process to secure funding to continue MRSC programs and services. More...Cities Providing Annexation Information on the Web
The City of Vancouver is using annexation as a tool to provide needed urban-level services to a rapidly growing, heavily-populated area of Clark County, Washington. The city is recognized statewide as the leader in annexation planning. Vancouver’s Annexation page includes answers to frequently asked questions about annexation.The City of Bellevue's Annexation page is aimed at residents living within the city's potential annexation area and includes area maps and information about the benefits of annexation, procedures and what to expect after annexation.
Spokane’s GIS Crime Mapping
Spokane’s crime mapping page allows citizens to look at monthly crime statistics displayed on a map of city neighborhoods. The Geographical Information System data also aides the Spokane Police Department (SPD) in isolating specific crime types (e.g., burglaries and robberies) in an effort to find crime trends and apprehend offenders before future incidents occur. The maps featured in the SPD Web site divide the city into 1000x1000 foot grid cells (roughly the size of three city blocks). Call Incident information is displayed as a sum of the number of incidents occurring within a grid cell. The cells are then displayed as a range of color values depending on the number of incidents occurring within each cell.Web Sightings - Census 2000
This month's Web Sightings focuses on sites with Census 2000 information:
- U.S. Census Bureau
- The U.S. Census Bureau's Census 2000 home page has news, fact sheets, a
glossary, plans and job opportunities.
- U.S. Census Bureau - Seattle
Regional Office - The Seattle Regional Office is responsible for collecting
Economic and demographic data for the states of Alaska, northern California,
Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
- Puget Sound
Regional Council - PSRC's Census 2000 page is designed to help local jurisdictions
and the general public understand the procedures required to be performed
to provide the most current and accurate data for the preparation of the year
2000 Census.
Top Ten Influences on American Cities Past and Future
The Fannie Mae Foundation has released an interesting survey of the top 10 influences on American cities over the past half century and the future 50 years titled " The American Metropolis at Century’s End: Past and Future Influences." The survey was conducted by Robert Fishman, professor of history at Rutgers University, and was based on 149 responses from leading urban historians, planners and architects.Washington City/County History Quiz
This city was originally incorporated in December 1883. In 1884, the Northern Pacific Railroad established a station four miles west of the city and offered, without charge, to transport all of the city's buildings if the residents would agree to move to the new townsite. The citizens agreed, and in 90 days, during the winter and spring of 1884-85, over 100 buildings -- including a bank, several hotels and stores -- were moved by wagon, skids, and rollers to the city's present location. In January 1886, the city was chartered and named as the county seat. What city is it? And the answer is ~drum roll~ …Selected New MRSC Library Materials
Browse through a selected list of new MRSC Library materials (listed by subject). The list includes new library books, videos, articles, government publications, and more.Get MRSC Web Site Updates by E-mail
You can get a monthly e-mail notifying you of selected updates to MRSC's Web site by subscribing to the mrscweb mailing list (listserv). Simply send an e-mail to Terri Sanders, MRSC Information Services Technician, at tsanders@mrsc.org. Include your first and last name and your e-mail address. You may also have your name removed from the list at any time, again by sending an e-mail to Terri Sanders with your request.Unlike most listservs, mrscweb is not a discussion list to which all subscribers may post messages, but a free subscription to a monthly notice updating you on major changes and additions to the MRSC Web site.