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MRSC FOCUS › Focus - August 2003
 

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

Focus - August 2003

Municipal Criminal Justice Distributions (August 28)
The Washington Office of Community Development has issued forecasts of the distribution of municipal criminal justice funding under SSB 5780. As discussed on pages 7-8 of Budget Suggestions for 2004 (Adobe Acrobat Document388 KB), SSB 5780 has changed the criteria for the distribution of funding for CTED program areas 1 through 3 -- Innovative law enforcement services, programs for at-risk youth, and programs that reduce domestic violence. More...
Now Available in a Few Counties - An Unincorporated Island-Interlocal Method of Annexation under SHB 1755 (August 25)
The 2003 legislature adopted SHB 1755 (Chapter 299, Laws of 2003), creating an "alternative" method of annexing islands of unincorporated territory through use of interlocal agreements. However, this new "island-interlocal" method of annexation is only available to cities and towns located in counties that are subject to the "buildable lands" review and evaluation program under the Growth Management Act (GMA). More from MRSC...
City Council Service: A Full-Time Job (August 19)
Service on a city council has become the equivalent of a full-time job for many council members throughout the country. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.
Sign Code Simplification (August 19)
The July issue of the American Planning Association's Zoning News offers a case study on simplification of a local sign code (Adobe Acrobat Document171 KB) to create more effective regulation.
Cities and Counties in the News
Here are the latest news clippings from around the state highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments:
Web Sightings - Photos, Maps and Images (August 28)
Planners and other local government officials often seek photos and graphics to illustrate planning concepts, and MRSC has developed a new Web page on "Planning Illustrated." Here are a few sites with photos, maps and other images:
Vancouver Proposes Conference Center and Hotel (August 19)
The city of Vancouver is making plans to build a 30,000 square foot conference center with a headquarters hotel in its downtown. More from the city of Vancouver.
Nature Tourism Resource (August 19)
Nature tourism is big business in Washington. A new website launched by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, "A Community Guide to Nature Tourism," offers pointers to civic and business leaders who want to develop nature tourism in their communities.
Seattle Debuts New Consumer Protection Website (August 19)
The city of Seattle recently launched a new consumer protection Web site designed to provide consumers with valuable links to agencies and organizations that can help them with a variety of consumer issues.
Skagit County Launches iMap on County Website (August 19)
Whether citizens need important real estate information or just want to see an aerial view of their neighborhood, Skagit County's new Imap Internet Map Service allows interactive viewing of a variety of the county's geographic information.
Online GIS Paving the Way for Enterprise-Wide E-Government (August 19)
An International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Corporate Partner, HDR, in conjunction with ICMA's Technology Management Institute, recently published a white paper (Adobe Acrobat Document353 KB) discussing online GIS and the trend toward enterprise-wide e-government at the local level.
Restorative Development: The New Growth Strategy for Communities (August 19)
Restoration is the field in which the vast majority of development activity will take place in the 21st century. More from ICMA's PM Magazine.
City Councils Performing Well, Members Say (August 12)
A large majority of council members rate their performance as good or excellent, according to a study commissioned by the National League of Cities. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.
Ten Principles for Successful Development around Transit (August 12)
The Urban Land Institute recently published "Ten Principles for Successful Development around Transit" (Adobe Acrobat Document 4.5 MB) that can serve as a checklist for the development of pedestrian-scale communities that will be suitable for public transportation.
Aging Society Alters Transportation Landscape (August 12)
A recent Research Brief from the Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, "The Mobility Needs of Older Americans: Implications for Transportation Reauthorization," looks at a host of emerging issues and proposes a menu of policies to meet the diverse mobility and access needs of older Americans.
Vancouver's ADA Information Page (August 12)
The city of Vancouver's American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Web page gives citizens convenient access to all of the city's ADA-related policies and procedures governing employment and access to services and facilities.
What to Look for in an E-Learning Vendor (August 12)
A recent Workforce Management article provides a helpful checklist to use in examining potential e-learning vendors, as well as a list of 19 items an RFP should contain. More from Workforce Management.
Smart City - A Look at the Future of Cities (August 12)
A recent Smart City™ radio show, "A Broad Look at the Future of Cities," featured interviews with Michael Lind, the Whitehead Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and Director of its American Strategy Project, and Martha Barletta, president of The TrendSight Group.
Computerizing Government: The Next Generation (August 12)
It wasn't quite love at first byte, but after growing more comfortable with computers, Americans are now using government Web sites to make transactions that once involved writing checks or visiting a municipal building. More From American City & County.
Free Software Tools Help Cities Generate Socioeconomic Profile (August 12)
The Sonoran Institute, a Tucson-based nonprofit that advocates sustainable development, is providing a free Economic Profile System that communities in the West can use to generate a socioeconomic profile of their community that is critical for economic development planning.
Budgeting Publication Available Online (August 6)
Budgeting for Cities and Towns in Washington State (Adobe Acrobat Document195 KB) is now available on the Web. This is the publication that is used in the budget workshop put on every August by the Association of Washington Cities and the Washington Finance Officers Association. MRSC's annual publication, Budget Suggestions, contains material that is mostly specific to a particular year. Budgeting for Cities and Towns is a generic publication covering such topics as functions and types of budgets, performance measurement, budgeting tools, etc.
Smart City - Citizen Decision Makers (August 6)
A recent Smart City™ radio show, "Citizen Decision Makers," features interviews with Susan Woodward, Creative Director of the City of Liverpool, UK, and Bill Lennertz, founder of the National Charette Institute, who have embraced citizen participation in civic decision making with exciting results.
Youth Athletic Facilities Grants from IAC (August 6)
The Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation is pleased to announce that grants will be available this year in the Youth Athletic Facilities (YAF) Program (Adobe Acrobat Document218 KB). If your agency or organization decides to submit a proposal, please do so by September 1, 2003.
ICMA to Provide Free Security Training to Medium-Sized Community Water Systems (August 6)
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) will conduct free vulnerability assessment and emergency response planning training for the nation's medium-size community water systems through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More from ICMA.
Bothell's Favorite Photographs (August 6)
Visitor's to Bothell's Web site can "Get a Better Look at Bothell" by visiting the "Bothell Photo Album," a collection of the city's favorite city, parks, community events, historic and other photographs. This is a great way to show off your community's assets!
FHWA Unveils New Web Site (August 6)
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently launched their new "FHWA Operations Security" Web site to provide state and local agencies simple access to information on improving security in the operation of the surface transportation system.
Practical Guide to State and Local Information Systems (August 6)
A new publication from the Center for Technology in Government, "Tying a Sensible Knot: A Practical Guide to State-Local Information Systems" (Adobe Acrobat Document904 KB), presents both principles and practices, based on documented experience, which can lead to successful state-local information systems.
The Road to Improvement (August 6)
Taking cues from private fleet operations, local governments can improve efficiency and save money by implementing best practices. More from American City & County.
EITC Could Provide New Approach to Affordable Housing (August 6)
The Earned Income Tax Credit may be a better tool for providing affordable housing than underfunded and underutilized federal housing supports, according to a new discussion paper from the Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy.