Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.
Focus - May 1997
MRSC WELCOMES COUNTIES
The Municipal Research & Services Center (MRSC) will begin providing services to Washington's 39 counties starting July 1, 1997. Substitute Senate Bill 5521, passed during the recently concluded legislative session, authorizes the Municipal Research Council to contract for the provision of research services to counties and appropriates $625,000 (from the counties' share of the liquor excise tax) for the 1997-99 biennium to fund the new program.
Legislation to create and fund this program, initially sponsored by Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, has long been supported by the Municipal Research Council, the Washington State Association of Counties, and the Association of Washington Cities. Cities and counties will now share in the costs of MRSC services such as inquiries, publications, library services and maintenance of our Web site.
MRSC remains committed to providing top quality, timely responses to city requests for assistance. Services to cities will not be diminished in any way. Our goal now will be to provide the same high quality services to counties.
We think that the addition of the counties to MRSC's service responsibilities will result in both improved and more cost effective services to cities and towns. Additional staff resources will give us more depth and expertise to serve you, our document collection will become more comprehensive, and our Web site even more information packed. Please join us in welcoming the counties to MRSC.
WELFARE REFORM SIGNED INTO LAW
Governor Locke signed a welfare reform package on April 17. The package consists primarily of two bills, EHB 3901 (size 503K!), the main bill, and ESB 6098 (size 5K), dealing with legal immigrant benefits. Highlights include: (1) a five-year limit on families receiving public assistance; (2) immigrants who arrived prior to the passage of the federal welfare law (August 21, 1996) will continue to receive benefits while new immigrants can receive benefits after one year of residency; (3) legal immigrants who will lose federal food stamps can apply for state food stamps; and (4) immigrants who will lose federal SSI benefits can apply to receive benefits through the state general assistance program.
To help city officials in Washington better anticipate and respond to the impacts of federal and state welfare reform, MRSC has begun a process of collecting and organizing welfare reform information and resources. We invite you to contribute information that your city has developed that will help other city officials and staff in responding to this issue. Please send us your welfare reform information so that we can share it with other cities and towns on this Web site.
For a list of Web sites with information on this subject, take a look at our welfare reform links.
Also, for those of you who are following this issue for your city and who plan on attending AWC's annual conference (June 18-21), there is a conference workshop scheduled on the local impacts of welfare reform. The workshop, "A New Bottom Line: Welfare Reform," (Friday, June 20) will examine impacts on cities, the role that cities will play as partners in the new welfare system and impacts on local employment. Look for it in your AWC conference registration materials.
SUPREME COURT RULES ON ADULT ENTERTAINMENT ORD.
On May 1st the state supreme court issued its long awaited ruling (Ino Ino v. Bellevue, 131 Wn.2d) on the restrictive Bellevue adult cabaret ordinance (Ch. 5.08, Bellevue Municipal Code). The court upheld the four foot distance rule for "table dances" and "couch dances," and the court upheld the eight foot distance rule for stage-performed nude dances. The court also upheld the minimum lighting requirements of the ordinance. The court struck down a provision of the ordinance which establishes a fourteen day waiting period for issuance of a licence to an operator of an adult cabaret. The opinion is lengthy, as is the dissent by Judge Sanders.
PREVENTING CONFLICTS BETWEEN MAYORS AND COUNCILS
It is essential for effective local government that municipal officials, particularly mayors, councilmembers, and city managers, understand the roles of their respective offices and their interrelationships with others. Many of the conflicts between mayors and councils, as evidenced by the inquiries MRSC receives, result from confusion about these basic roles and the boundaries between policymaking and administrative functions. Although these boundaries may at times be unclear, there is a basic structure to city and town government, whether of the mayor-council or council-manager form, from which these roles derive. Bob Meinig, MRSC Legal Consultant, provides guidelines and advice for mayors, city managers and councilmembers in "Knowing Your Roles - Resolving and Preventing Conflicts Between Mayors and Councils."
COUNCIL - MAYOR - STAFF PARTNERSHIPS
In conjunction with their annual conference next month, AWC is offering a pre-conference workshop on "Council-Mayor-Staff Partnerships" (Wednesday, June 18) focusing on new partnership models emerging throughout the country that address: the "must" characteristics of highly effective governing bodies; the role of the mayor; council-administration partnerships; vision-driven, and goal-based governance and policy-making processes. Look for it in your conference registration materials.
UTILITY BILLING AND COLLECTION ISSUES
Every city utility must have a billing and collection system that is efficient and fair and that applies uniformly to all customers. Written guidelines for all aspects of billing and collection are essential, beginning with ordinances that are comprehensive, clear, and concise. Administrative policies and procedures are also essential.
John Carpita, MRSC Public Works Consultant, discusses these and other related topics on our new Utility Billing and Collection Issues page. This page includes information on topics such as handling utility service deposits, delinquent accounts, service termination, landlord/tenant issues and others.
DID YOU KNOW?
How can the first quarter percent of the real estate excise tax be spent? Get the answer to this and other frequently asked questions on our new real estate excise tax page. You can also download sample ordinances adopting the real estate excise tax.
WEB SIGHTINGS
The Planning and Architecture Internet Resource Center (PAIRC) contains a comprehensive list of links to planning, architecture, and urbanism-related Internet resources. PAIRC's Web site also contains information and links to various architecture and planning related mailing lists and newsgroups. You can also find several interactive message boards and discussion areas on subjects like planning, zoning, architecture, and jobs where you can post questions and join in on-going discussions. The PAIRC Web site is sponsored by the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning. Add this one to your planning bookmarks or favorite places list. It's one of the best planning Web sites that we have seen!