Focus Archive by Subject or Month | MRSC Updates by E-mail
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Legislating-for-Results Municipal Action Guides (Dec 4)
The Urban Institute and National League of Cities have developed a series of 10 guides for city and county elected officials, and their staffs, to help them obtain and use information about the results of their governments' services. More from The Urban Institute.
In an Epic Fiscal Storm, New Strategies Sprout (Dec 4)
The recession is driving America’s city governments into an epic fiscal storm. Unlike earlier downturns, all three big revenue sources–income, property and sales taxes–are falling together. More from Citiwire.
Long-Term Budget Strategy Considerations
In this month's Finance Advisor column, Tracey Dunlap, Director of Finance & Administration, City of Kirkland, suggests that while future downturns cannot be avoided, they can be planned for by continuing to be prepared and pursuing conservative budget policies.
IRS Announces 2009 Standard Mileage Rates (Dec 4)
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2009, the IRS standard mileage rate for the use of a car will be 55 cents per mile for business miles driven. More from the IRS.
Dealing with Resistance (Dec 4)
Resistance is a vital ingredient in change, especially in achieving transformational change, which is just the kind of change we need to deal effectively with a fiscal crisis. More from Governing.
Guide to Managing Stormwater (Dec 4)
A new publication from the Center for Watershed Protection, Managing Stormwater in Your Community: A Guide for Building an Effective Post-Construction Program (PDF, 22MB), provides stormwater professionals with practical guidance, insights, and tools to build effective programs.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance Premiums Increasing by 3 Percent (Dec 4)
The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) recently announced that premiums for workers’ compensation insurance will go up, on average, 3 percent in 2009. More from L & I.
Return on Perception (Dec 4)
Four key elements of urban design create value: architecture, green spaces, water settings, and transportation. More from Urban Land.
Broadband makes Tiny Town an English-Teaching Hub (Dec 4)
Ten Sleep, Wyoming, population 350, is just as connected as any place these days, and home to a new company that is outsourcing jobs not from the United States to the Far East, but in the opposite direction. More from Forbes.
Local Management in a Global Era (Dec 4)
Cross-national policy learning can lead to significant advances in the practice of local government management in the United States. More from Public Management.
Can the Can (Dec 4)
The idea that graffiti-spraying and other forms of low-level delinquency promote further bad behavior has now been tested experimentally. More from The Economist.
A Few Good Sets of 2006 RCWs Available from MRSC (Nov 13)
We've replaced our 2006 RCWs with new 2008 editions and have 12 complete sets of the old 2006 editions (along with the 2007 supplements) to give away. If your city hall or county courthouse could use a set of pre-owned 2006 RCWs, contact Erica Zwick, MRSC Technical Services Librarian, who will be happy to mail you a set, while our limited supply lasts.
Here are the latest local and national news clippings highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts:
Washington News links:
- New law keeps electronic waste out of landfill (Columbian, December 1, 2008)
- Pierce County backs mobile home park owners (Tacoma News Tribune, December 4, 2008)
- City negotiating furloughs to avoid layoffs (Bainbridge Review, December 2, 2008)
- Small tax hike, big cuts balance budget (Whidbey News Times, December 2, 2008)
- County aims to close budget gap (The Olympian, November 30, 2008)
- Tough standards make for tough hiring (North Kitsap Herald, November 29, 2009)
- Port of Kennewick to mull wine business incubator (Tri-City Herald, November 28, 2008)
- Spokane council restricts panhandling (Seattle PI, November 25, 2008)
- Update on regional jail in King County (Federal Way Mirror, November 22, 2008)
Washington News Links by Subject or Month
National News Links:
- Holiday displays dimmed in cash-strapped cities (USA Today, December 3, 2008)
- Rivers looking attractive for energy (New York Times, December 1, 2008)
- Fighting blight a building at a time (Philadelphia Inquirer, November 29, 2008)
- City goes green with new hybrid police car (Kalamazoo Gazette, November 24, 2008)
- Will Berkeley's solar plan go viral? (East Bay Express, November 19, 2008)
National News Links by Subject or Month
Also in Focus
- GASB Involvement in Performance Measurement Runs into NACo Opposition (Nov 25)
- Guidelines for Maximizing Training Efforts (Nov 25)
- Homeless Camps Increase Nationwide (Nov 25)
- Help the SAO Design their New Web Site (Nov 25)
- Zoning for Affordability (Nov 25)
- For Sale: 200,000-Square-Foot Box (Nov 25)
- Ten Best Planning Books - 2009 (Nov 25)
- Hey, Big Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (Nov 25)
- Self-Reliant Cities - Energy and the Transformation of Urban America (Nov 20)
- Rethinking Police Training (Nov 20)
- Is The Mall Dead? (Nov 20)
- Vancouver Selected to Receive Technical Assistance on Afterschool Systems (Nov 20)
- Regional Fire Authority Implementation Guide (Nov 20)
- Broken Benefits Promises? (Nov 20)
- Testing the Waters (Nov 20)
- Smart City - Tall Buildings and Public Spaces (Nov 20)
- The Unofficial Role of the Administrator (Nov 20)
- New FMLA Rules (Nov 20)
- Web Sightings - Fiscal Crisis in Local Government (Nov 13)