Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.
Focus - April 1998
We've changed our home page design! Now all of our search options (site search and database searches) can be accessed directly from the menu in the left margin. Just below the search options is a "Browse Subjects" menu which you can use to browse our subject pages. We hope you like the new layout. As always, we appreciate your comments and rely on your input to guide us in improving this site. Please take a minute to tell us what you think.
Inquiry of the Week
This week's "Inquiry of the Week":
[Previous inquiries of the week]
Washington Model Traffic Ordinance
The Washington Model Traffic Ordinance (MTO) is a uniform compilation of traffic laws that has been adopted by the State of Washington in the Washington Administrative Code, Ch. 308-330 WAC. Cities, towns and counties are authorized to adopt the Washington MTO by reference and over 150 cities and towns and over 20 counties have done so. This booklet contains all of the Washington Administrative Code regulations that comprise the MTO and also contains the full text of all the Washington State statutory provisions that are adopted by reference in the MTO. This booklet contains an up-to-date version of the Washington MTO as of April 1, 1998.
New Local Government Web Page
Be sure to visit our new Local Government Web page. This page provides basic information on Washington local government organization and structure including counties, cities and special purpose districts. It also includes information on city and county classification systems, forms of government and the roles of elected officials.
The Implicit Price Deflator
Under the provisions of Referendum 47, property tax increases for jurisdictions with a population of 10,000 or more are now limited by the rate of inflation as measured by the "implicit price deflator for personal consumption expenditures" or IPD. Affected jurisdictions planning to raise their levy beyond the rate of inflation as measured by the IPD must declare a substantial need and then approve the levy with a super-majority council or commission vote. Tom Sutberry, MRSC Public Policy and Finance Consultant, provides an overview of the IPD and a discussion of how it compares with the consumer price index as a measure of inflation.
SEPA Rule Changes
In November, the Department of Ecology (DOE) extensively amended the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) rules, chapter 197-11 WAC. "SEPA Rule Changes" answers questions about the effects of these changes on cities and counties and summarizes the major changes. It also provides links to some helpful resources on DOE's Web site.
"Spam" Bill Goes Into Effect in June
ESHB 2752 is this country's first state law prohibiting certain types of unsolicited junk e-mail. The final bill is less stringent than a version drafted by Assistant Attorney General Paula Selis. The tougher bill version had been supported by the Washington Association of Internet Service Providers. The legislation makes the sending of certain e-mail a violation of the state consumer protection act, with civil fines payable to the recipient of the e-mail and/or the interactive computer service through which the transmission is sent. The bill also establishes a select task force on commercial electronic mail messages.
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.
Web Sightings
This month we focus on Web sites dedicated to the issues of trust in government and civic engagement. These sites provide a wealth of information and resources for those interested in understanding the sources of public distrust of government and finding ways of reversing this trend through public education and engagement:
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Trust in Government Project - University of Washington Graduate School of
Public Affairs - Established to involve local and state government, non-profit
organizations, news media and business in exploring the issue of the growing
public attitude of cynicism and distrust for government in the U.S. Includes
synopses of public forums, articles, essays and links.
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Alliance for National Renewal -
Initiative of the National Civic League bringing together 190
community-building organizations to build better communities, with the goal of
reversing the negative, cynical mood of the country by re-engaging millions of
citizens in community life. Includes community renewal success stories, a
newsletter and links.
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National Commission on Civic
Renewal - The purpose of the Commission is to assess the condition of
civic engagement in the United States today and to propose specific actions --
to be undertaken by the public, private, and voluntary sectors as well as by
individuals -- that could improve this condition. Includes summary working
papers, a newsletter, and links to the web sites of organizations with goals of
improving civic life.
- The Civic Practices Network -A collaborative and nonpartisan project dedicated to bringing practical tools for public problem solving into community and institutional settings across America. Includes many examples of what others are doing to renew their communities. Offers case studies, essays, course syllabi, and manuals for civic education.
Ashland, Oregon To Sell Cable, Internet Access
Ashland, Oregon will be one of the first Oregon cities to offer cable television and Internet access services through their municipal electric utility. The city council voted on March 17th to authorize the city's electric utility to expand the city's fiberoptic system to provide these services within two years. The expansion is expected to cost $4.2 million which will likely be raised with voter approved revenue bonds.
Other cities in the Northwest and around the country are thinking about building their own communication networks. The city of Tacoma, Washington is planning to construct a publicly-owned fiber-optic cable telecommunications system, which includes providing cable TV services and leasing of excess cable capacity to others (see The Peoples Wires for more on Tacoma's plans).
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.
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.
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.
Feedback
Take a look at what people are saying about our Web site and at the number of visitors we have had. Thanks to all of you who have been kind enough to sign our guestbook! We appreciate the feedback and rely on your opinions to guide us in making improvements to this site. If you haven't had a chance to sign our guestbook yet, please take a minute to say hello and tell us what you think of our Web site.