Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.
Focus - March 1998
LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE DATA WEB SITE
The Local Government Finance Project page on the State Auditor's Office Web site offers comparative local government expenditure and revenue data. This prototype is the product of two years of hard work by the State Auditor's Office and local government finance officials. It will take some time and patience to explore because the revenue and expenditure data can be displayed in a number of different ways. To whet your appetite, one of the things you can do is compare your expenditures on law enforcement, fire, etc. (and, in some cases, their subcategories) with other counties and cities of your choice.
INQUIRY OF THE WEEK
This week's "Inquiry of the Week":
What is the legal basis for sexual harassment claims?
[Previous inquiries of the week]
LEGISLATIVE IMMUNITY CASE DECIDED BY U.S. SUPREME COURT
On March 3rd the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion (Bogan et al . v. Scott-Harris) which held that city and county legislators are entitled to the same absolute immunity from civil liability under 42 USC section 1983 for their legislative activities as has long been accorded to federal, state, and regional legislators. Respondent Scott-Harris filed suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, petitioners Bogan (the city's mayor) and Roderick (the vice president of the city council), and other officials, alleging that the elimination of the city department in which Scott-Harris was the sole employee was motivated by racial animus and a desire to retaliate against her for exercising her First Amendment rights in filing a complaint against another city employee. The court ruled that the public officials' actions in this case were protected by absolute immunity, which attaches to all acts taken "in the sphere of legitimate legislative activity."
10 HABITS OF HIGHLY-EFFECTIVE COUNCILS
The qualities of effective leadership demonstrated by a governing body, and its ability to be highly-effective, are not attributes bestowed upon it by a swearing-in ceremony. They are the result of disciplined adherence to a set of fundamental principles and skills that characterize highly-effective governing bodies. Carl H. Neu, Jr., a recent speaker at AWC's Newly Elected Officials Workshops, outlines the 10 Habits of Highly-Effective Councils (from City News, Association of Washington Cities, January 1998).
THE YEAR 2000 CHALLENGE
Will your city or county computer systems be ready once the clock strikes January 1, 2000? Dianah Neff, Chief Information Officer for the city of Bellevue, offers a brief overview of the Year 2000 challenge, what you can do and where you can get more information.
WEB SIGHTINGS
There are many Web sites offering information and resources on the Year 2000 issue. Here are a few information-packed sites to add to your bookmarks or favorite places list:
-
New York State's Office for Technology Year
2000 Web page - This site offers a variety of resources for New York
state and local government agencies and includes a link to an extensive list of
other Year 2000 sites.
- The Year 2000 Information Center - This site provides a forum for disseminating information about the Year 2000 problem and for the discussion of possible solutions. The site has extensive content, including articles, current events, and news.
AGO'S ON THE WEB
The Washington State Attorney General's Office now has the full text of 1998, 1997 and 1996 opinions on the Web.
NEW OPEN RECORDS & OPEN MEETINGS DESKBOOK
The Open Records & Open Meetings Deskbook, is now available on the state Attorney General's Office Web site. The deskbook is a comprehensive, easy to read manual intended to help clarify provisions of the open records and meetings laws. We anticipate that this Web publication will be periodically updated. This is an excellent resource for local government officials and attorneys.
NEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOOL
Sustainable development is the deliberate effort to ensure that community development not only enhances the local Economy, but also the local environment and quality of life. To help communities design and implement this vibrant new approach to planning, the U.S. Department of Energy has created the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development. The Center's Web site contains a wealth of on-line manuals, workbooks, success stories, model codes and ordinances, and other resources that can help make your community a better place to live.
WHAT YOU SEE ... ISN'T NECESSARILY ALL YOU CAN GET
Our Web site has grown quite a bit since we first launched it two years ago. We've added this Focus section, new Web pages, links, and a variety of other information resources on local government in Washington. As much as the site has grown, we are still far short of providing complete access to all the information that's available through our extensive library and file collections. While this is a goal for the future, it will be some time before this "virtual" version of MRSC can match the real thing. We say this to remind our visitors that what you see on this site isn't necessarily all you can get. So, if you are a Washington city or county official or staff member, and you can't find what you are looking for here ... please call or send us an e-mail message, and we'll be happy to do some additional research for you. After that, we'll probably add it to the Web site.
AMENDMENTS TO SEPA REGULATIONS
In November, the Department of Ecology extensively amended its SEPA regulations contained in chapter 197-11 WAC. The amendments integrate Growth Management Act requirements with those of SEPA and alter certain SEPA procedures to conform to 1995 regulatory reform legislation (chapter 347, Laws of 1995). As a result of these amendments, local governments are required to amend their local SEPA procedures to be consistent with the amended regulations within 180 days of the effective date of the amendments. The amendments were effective on November 10, 1997. The Department of Ecology's home page contains the revised SEPA rules and provides "Interim Guidance" regarding the regulatory changes, as well as an updated, draft model SEPA ordinance.
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 type: subscribe mrscweb your name in the body of the message, and press "send" (leave the subject line blank). You may have your name removed from the list at any time by following the directions in the welcome message you will receive after subscribing.
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. If you have questions about this listserv, please contact Terri Sanders, MRSC Information Services Technician, at tsanders@mrsc.org.
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