Lean: The Next Big Thing in Government? (May 23)
Using Lean techniques to reduce waste allows public managers to operate more cost effectively, maintaining the quality of the services offered, along with a high level of respect for the people – the public servants – who deliver them. More from Government Finance Review.
Sales and Use Tax for Public Facilities in Rural Counties (May 23)
How may the revenues from the sales tax authorized for rural counties in RCW 82.14.370 be used? More from MRSC Insight.
King County Saves $6.1 Million (May 23)
King County's Department of Assessments recently launched a custom-built mobile app for the county's 140 property assessors that's making their job easier and saving an estimated $6.1 million over the next five years. More from Digital Communities.
Most Uses of Lodging Tax Revenues are Preserved (May 20)
With the passage of ESHB 1253, all the current allowed uses of lodging tax funds have been preserved except one—lodging tax funds may no longer be spent on capital expenditures for tourism-related facilities owned by nonprofit organizations. More from MRSC Insight.
The Tricky Promise of Less Government (May 23)
Merging jurisdictions to reduce costs seems like a good idea, but it's fraught with difficulty. The real potential for efficiency lies in sharing services. More from Governing.
Update on MRSC’s Strategic Planning Process (May 15)
Last fall, MRSC began work on the development of a three- to five-year strategic plan for our organization. More from MRSC Insight.
The Suburbanization of Poverty (May 23)
Today, more poor people live in the suburbs (16.4 million of them) than in U.S. cities (13.4 million), despite the perception that poverty remains a uniquely urban problem. More from The Atlantic Cities.
How to Keep Costly Road Repairs to a Minimum (May 23)
Coordination between public agencies and utilities will keep streets from being torn up, again and again. More from Governing.
The Driving Boom is Over (May 23)
The Driving Boom — a six decade long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States — is over. The implications are enormous. More from Better Cities & Towns.
A U.S. Template for a Third-Millennium City (May 23)
Despite the ills of the suburbs, most Americans do not want to live in a Manhattan-like environment either. So, what should the third-millennium American city be like? More from Urban Land.