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› Focus - November 2000
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Focus - November 2000
Inquiry of the Week
This week's "Inquiry of the Week":May an employee receive both sick leave and worker's comp disability pay at the same time?
[Previous inquiries of the week]
Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Against
Implementing Initiative 722
On November 30, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Christine Pomeroy issued
a preliminary injunction
(
2.08Mb) against implementing and enforcing Initiative 722. The injunction applies
to the parties in three lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the initiative
that were consolidated in the Thurston County Superior Court. The parties include,
as plaintiffs, nine cities (Seattle, Olympia, Pasco, Richland, Bainbridge Island,
Newcastle, Des Moines, Carnation, and Burien) and Pierce County and, as defendants,
the state and King and Kitsap counties. The court is scheduled to hear motions
for summary judgement in the consolidated cases on February 23, 2001. Some of
the pleadings in the lawsuits can be found in the Litigation
section of our Initiative 722 page.
New Shoreline Master Program Guideline
Adopted
On November 29, the Department of Ecology adopted new
shoreline master program guidelines (Chapter 173-26 WAC), ending a five-year
effort to review and update the state regulations. A key feature of the final
guidelines is a two-path approach that gives cities and counties a choice in how
they write and implement their shoreline master programs. “Path A” allows local
governments flexibility in meeting the Shoreline Management Act standards, while
“Path B” contains specific measures for protecting shoreline functions. The National
Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have agreed that
any local master program that complies with Path B will automatically get an exception
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This will shield cities and counties from
federal penalties and citizen lawsuits if an ESA-listed fish is harmed or its
habitat disturbed as the result of an activity covered by the exception.
New Tax Reform Initiatives
On November 16, Tim Eyman filed two new tax reform initiatives with the Secretary of State. Initiative 251 seeks to limit state tax revenue, and Initiative 252 would require a public vote for any tax or fee increase proposed by cities, counties or other local governments. Eyman has until December 29 to submit 179,248 signatures for each initiative to the Legislature. If he does not have a sufficient number of signatures by that time, he will most likely refile the initiatives next year in hopes of submitting them to the voters in November 2001. "Tax" or "fee" does not mean amounts charged for specific goods or services and does not include utility rates, but does include permit and license fees.New Discussion Forum Topic - Community Surveys
When an agency wants to learn about the attitudes and opinions of its citizens, or a select group of its citizens, what is the best survey option? In "What Type of Survey is Best?" Carolyn Browne, Principal, Carolyn Browne Associates, briefly discusses the two basic types of surveys. Carolyn is also moderating a discussion on this topic in the MRSC Discussion Forum. A new Help Page offers step-by-step instructions for joining the discussion.Snohomish County Seeks Innovative Development Projects
Snohomish County is inviting housing developers to change the county's own rules. County Councilman Dave Somers sponsored the new program in response to growing scientific evidence that traditional land development methods can result in tremendous costs from creating too much impervious (paved) surfaces.More …
Washington's Juvenile Courts: Leading for Change
Over the course of the past 3 years, Washington's juvenile courts have been quietly, but effectively, working together to change the face of their probation programs. Changing laws, new social dynamics, lagging resources, and recognition of a need to question the traditional ways in which probation has been performed, have led the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators and its membership to look for new and innovative approaches. More ...Teens At Risk
A new publication from The Urban Institute, "Teen Risk-Taking: Promising Prevention Programs and Approaches," (
1,786kb) explores some of the practical issues associated with finding, choosing,
and starting prevention programs for at-risk preteens and teens. The report documents
the common elements of successful prevention programs and addresses the challenges
of replicating promising intervention programs.
Do Highways Matter?
A new Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy report, "Do Highways Matter? Evidence and Policy Implications of Highways' Influence on Metropolitan Development," (
87kb) critically reviews the evidence on how highways are linked to metropolitan
development and offers ideas on how transportation financing and policies can
better respond to the various costs and benefits of highway projects.
King County Releases Unfunded Mandates Report
A King County Budget Office report on unfunded legislative mandates identifies unfunded state mandates imposed on the county after July 1, 1995. The report reviews the statutory prohibition against unfunded mandates and the standard for determining when the state must provide reimbursement. It also lists unfunded mandates by department, including statutory authority, costs, state revenues and unfunded amounts.Court Rules Some Preemployment Drug Testing Unconstitutional
In a decision issued on October 2nd, Division I of the Court of Appeals ruled in Robinson v. City of Seattle that Seattle's preemployment drug testing program was unconstitutional because it allowed testing of applicants for employment positions that were not directly and genuinely involved in the safety of the public.PTI White Paper - Technology Risk and Liability
A recently released Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) white paper, "Risk and Reward: Helping Local Government Leaders Understand Technology and Risk Liability Issues," (
1,840kb) discusses local government electronic service delivery risk and liability
issues, including Internet privacy and security, technology obsolescence and the
digital divide.
All-America City Award Applications Now Online
Applications for the National Civic League's All-America City Awards are now available online. The All-America City Award encourages and recognizes civic excellence in communities of all sizes. The application deadline is March 29, 2001.APWA's Top Ten Public Works Projects of the Century
The American Public Works Association (APWA) recently announced its selections for the 20th Century's "Top Ten Public Works Projects." APWA developed the program to honor the most outstanding public works projects of the 20th Century.Web Sightings - Design Review and Urban Design
Many communities have established design review guidelines, particularly for commercial and multifamily residential development. This month we're featuring Web sites on design review and urban design:- Design review provisions compiled by MRSC - includes articles as well as code provisions from Washington local governments. MRSC also has sample downtown design guidelines.
- Design guidelines adopted for three neighborhoods - City of Seattle.
- Cyburbia's links to Urban Design and New Urbanism resources - includes links to design guidelines from many communities.
- Cityscape Institute - an urban design resource for public space improvements.
- Urban Design Resources - University of California Berkeley Environmental Design Library.
- Resource for Urban Design Information - British site with extensive collection of urban design information.
Washington City/County History Quiz
This city sits at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. It was established by the Northern Pacific Railway Company in 1884 as a railroad town and incorporated in 1891. The city was named for a mining town located high in the Peruvian Andes by a Northern Pacific construction engineer who had done survey work for Peru's Oroya Railway and who was inspired by the stark contrast in climate between the cool Andes mountains and the desert heat of eastern Washington. Lush bunchgrass attracted cattlemen and sheep herders in search of pasture and, as in other arid parts of the West, federal irrigation projects later brought growth and prosperity. What city is it? And the answer is ~drum roll~ ...Selected New MRSC Library Materials
Browse through a selected list of new MRSC Library materials (listed by subject). The list includes new library books, videos, articles, government publications, and more.Get MRSC Web Site Updates and Quarterly Newsletter by E-mail
You can get a monthly e-mail notifying you of selected updates to MRSC's Web site along with an electronic copy of our quarterly newsletter, by subscribing to the mrscnews mailing list. Simply send a message to mrscnews-subscribe@egroups.com.In the body of your message type: subscribe [your name]. If you have any questions about subscribing, please contact listadmin@mrsc.org.
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