Click here to skip to main content.
scenic picture from Washington state
SUBJECTS › GOVERNANCE › SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICTS › Introduction to MRSC's Services and Website
Published 07/07

Introduction to MRSC's Services and Web Site

Contents

Introduction

This page provides an introduction to MRSC's services and Web site. MRSC's Web resources are available on a 24-hour, 7-day a week basis. Resources include MRSC publications, sample documents, legal references (including state statutes, regulations, court decisions, and attorney general opinions), MRSC's library catalog of holdings, and selected MRSC consultant staff responses to frequently asked inquiries.

Explore the options available under each of the pull-down tabs that appear at the top of MRSC's home page, and you will find a wealth of information focused on the needs of local government. The site is constantly being updated and expanded. Check the "What's New" section in the right column of MRSC's home page.

MRSC Publications Program

MRSC publications are found under the Services tab of MRSC's home page. These publications address a broad array of municipal issues. Electronic copies may be downloaded without charge. Publications will also be part of the results of a general site search. In addition to handbooks, guides and other occasional publications, MRSC publishes a quarterly newsletter  MRSC Research News. Another news feature is Focus: Local Government News & Information which appears in the center of MRSC's home page. featured news items are listed by month in the Focus Archive. Users may sign up to receive a monthly e-mailed version of Focus.  Two other cumulations that can be received by e-mail are the Ask MRSC Newsletter and the Planning in Focus. Sample copies may be viewed on the subscription request page, Get MRSC Updates by E-mail.

MRSC Library Services

MRSC's library contains a wide variety of documents useful for researching current practice, policies, and procedures, and for legal reference. These documents include ordinances, resolutions, municipal codes, budgets, financial reports, studies, land use documents, and personnel practices. The physical collection consists of more than 3500 subject files (for example see Council Rules of Procedure), each containing sample documents, articles, and other information. Information about MRSC's library can be found under the Services tab on MRSC's home page. The page About MRSC Library Services identifies the library services available to Washington local governments. There is also an Online Library Card Catalog that lists the library books and indicates whether they are reference only or may be borrowed.

Documents Library

Many of the documents held by MRSC are in its electronic Web library.  Documents can accessed by several methods. They can be searched using the Site Search (a search can be narrowed to specific types of documents, see Document Search), browsed by subject (MRSC Index), or browsed by type of document arranged by governmental jurisdiction (Sample Documents) under the Research Tools tab on MRSC's home page. In addition to the library of individual documents, a collection of online municipal codes (city, county, and special districts) are linked under the Legal Resources tab. MRSC actively solicits documents from Washington local governments, and requests that documents (ordinances, resolutions, reports, budgets, annual reports, planning documents, and other items) be sent to the MRSC Library to assist other local governments through our resource sharing program.

Subject Pages

Topical information is listed under the Subject tab of MRSC's home page. Information is organized under 16 broad topics with many overlaps. Each of the topics has a main contents page that links to related subject pages. The subject pages provide links to: the principal statutes, administrative rules, significant court cases and attorney general opinions; sample policies, examples of local laws; and they provide links to background articles, reports, studies, and other publications relevant to the topic. Subject pages can be accessed though the topics listed under the Subject tab, through the Site Search, and through the Site Index.  If the user wants to browse a specific topic to see if there is a related web page, it can be done through the MRSC Index.

Legal Resources

Links to legal resources, such as the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), municipal codes, court opinions, and attorney general opinions, are located under the Legal Resources tab. Responses to selected MRSC Inquiries from cities, counties, and special districts are under the Research Tools tab. These are generic in nature; identification of requesting jurisdictions have been removed.

Help

Help features are under the Site Index tab. In addition to the search options available on MRSC's Web site, an Alphabetical Site Index lists topics found on subject pages. A five minute video search options tutorial provides a quick tour of the search options available on the MRSC Web site. Learn how to locate the information you are seeking by viewing this five-minute video. (Make sure that your computer speakers are turned on when you watch the tutorial.) If additional assistance is needed beyond the help aids, contact MRSC.