Focus - January 2002

MRSC FOCUS › Focus - January 2002

Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.

Focus - January 2002

Resignation from Public Office

A new court of appeals decision has clarified when an official's resignation from an elective public office is effective. The court in Munroe v. City of Poulsbo held that the vacancy occurs upon the effective date of an elected official's resignation; acceptance of the resignation is not required to create a vacancy. More ...

Cities Offer New Online Business License Renewal Process

The Cities of Federal Way and SeaTac, in conjunction with MRSC and the state of Washington, have developed a pilot online business license renewal site. Businesses in Federal Way and SeaTac will now be able to view a full description of their business, update any outdated information, and pay for their renewal online. (January 1)

Rights of Way in Washington Workshop

The Rainier Communications Commission is sponsoring a free workshop on rights of way in Washington on February 7th from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm at Lakewood (south of Tacoma). The workshop is open to Washington elected officials and staff. Registration information and a copy of the agenda is available on the RCC Web site. (January 14)

Featured Page - Best Practices in Local Government

Our new "Best Practices in Local Government" Web page contains a collection of links to information sources on best practices in local government programs and management. It also contains links to several local government awards programs, which are an excellent source for best practices information. (January 1)

Inquiry of the Week

This week's "Inquiry of the Week":

Request for sample "scope of work" statements for a 2002 comprehensive plan update.

[Previous inquiries of the week]

GASB 34 Training on Infrastructure Reporting

Sponsored by Washington Finance Officers Association, this training will focus on implementing the new infrastructure reporting requirements of GASB 34. The course is structured for both public works and finance directors. Workshop dates and locations:

Monday, January 7 - Vancouver
Friday, January 18 - Marysville
Friday, February 22 - Richland
Wednesday, March 6 - Wenatchee

Get more information on GASB 34 Training on Infrastructure Reporting and the online WFOA class registration form. (January 1)

Minimum Wage Increase

Effective January 1, 2002, the minimum wage in Washington State is $6.90. This is 18 cents an hour more than the previous minimum wage of $6.72. More … (January 1)

Emergency Evacuation Planning for Disabled Workers

In light of recent events, many employers are developing or re-evaluating emergency procedures to ensure the safe evacuation of all employees. A comprehensive emergency evacuation plan should provide for prompt and effective assistance to individuals with disabilities. Federal disability discrimination laws do not prevent employers from obtaining and appropriately using information necessary for an emergency evacuation plan. Get guidance on this issue from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's "Fact Sheet on Obtaining and Using Employee Medical Information as Part of Emergency Evacuation Procedures." (January 1)

E- Mail Addresses for Washington Legislators

The Association of Washington Cities has set up a series of Web pages with e-mail links for the state senators, representatives and committee members. You can e-mail individual legislators or the entire senate, house or a committee membership at once. (January 1)

New Report Offers Guidance on Local Land Use Decisions

A new National League of Cities report, "Building Quality Communities: Making Local Land Use Decisions by Choice and Not by Chance," identifies key issues for municipal officials to consider when making the land use and infrastructure investment decisions. (January 1)

Urban Economic/Community Development and the Internet

A new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project examines how Economic and community development organizations in five cities (Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio, Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C.) are using the Internet to improve performance or broadly benefit the community. View the report online or download (268 Kb) the full report in PDF format. (January 1)

New Web Site Provides Smart Growth Resources

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled a new online resource designed to facilitate and support smart growth. EPA's new Web site provides public resources to help create communities that promote the sustainability of America's environment, Economy, and quality of life. (January 1)

Regional Economic Activity Web Site

EconData.Net provides over 900 links to state and substate socioEconomic data sources, arranged by subject and provider. The site aims to be a convenient, comprehensive first stop for anyone searching among the vast, disparate array of public and private socioEconomic data sources on the Web. EconData.Net is sponsored by the Economic Development Administration as a service to regional data users, and is jointly operated by Impresa, Inc. and Andrew Reamer & Associates, independent Economic development consulting firms. (January 1)

Web Sightings - 2001

In case you missed them, here's a look back at 2001's Web Sightings:

(January 1)

Washington City/County History Quiz

This city began as a cattle-raising center until the late 1880s when large-scale wheat production was introduced. The first European settlers in the area claimed the vast acres of tall bunch grass as grazing land. Because of low rainfall it was not taken seriously as farmland. But influenced by immigrants from Eastern Europe, who were familiar with similar climatic conditions, farmers began cultivating and growing winter wheat. With the development of mechanized farming techniques, the area began producing enormous crops and farms developed into hundreds and even thousands of acres. Wheat is now one of Washington State's largest cash crops. In 1872, when the city was platted, it was named to honor the vice-president of the United States serving with Ulysses S. Grant. What city is it? And the answer is ~drum roll~ ... (January 1)

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.

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