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MRSC FOCUS › Focus - March 2001
 

Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.

Focus - March 2001

Online Training from MRSC and Learn2.com

MRSC has partnered with Learn2.com to bring Washington local government officials and employees affordable online training. The new MRSC/Learn2.com site features hundreds of interactive, self-paced courses covering all of the most widely used office software applications. Learn2.com's engaging multi-media tutorials are served over the Web straight to your employee's office or home desktops. Online training offers many advantages including lower course fees, time and travel cost savings, flexible scheduling, and effective learning. More...

Electrical/Telecommunications Inspections

Because of legislation enacted during the last legislative session, all those cities that do their own electrical inspections (less than 30 cities in Washington) need to enact an ordinance providing that they will also enforce the state telecommunications construction standards. See RCW 19.28.450. If you have questions, contact Jim Doherty at MRSC.

Earthquake/Emergency Management Info

Local governments in Western Washington affected by the 2/28 earthquake need to take immediate action to assess the damage in their communities and respond as necessary:
  • Declaration of Emergency - In order to qualify for federal emergency management assistance, each affected local government needs to declare a state of emergency. Here are the King County, Seattle and Des Moines emergency declarations. You can modify the wording to suit your jurisdiction.
  • Emergency Repairs - Bidding laws do not need to be followed for those repairs that must be done immediately. Use common sense. In some communities there may be many needed repairs to public infrastructure. Not all will necessitate emergency action. If the repairs are not emergencies, you need to follow the regular public works bidding procedures, to make sure that the project is built properly and at the lowest cost possible. Consider restricting the use of structures if there is any issue concerning their structural integrity.
  • MRSC - We are ready and willing to discuss all issues that arise. Call (206-625-1300) or submit a research request. Don't hesitate to call us with questions that come up as you work through this situation.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency that directs all funding assistance for emergencies of this type. FEMA has an excellent web site that can answer most of your questions. The web site also contains the phone numbers for all appropriate federal offices that you might need to contact.

Public Assistance Program

Applications for Assistance

Other Earthquake/Emergency Management Links

Here are some links to other helpful earthquake/emergency management sites:

Earthquake Info on City/County Web Sites

Many cities and counties in the area affected by the recent earthquake used their Web sites to disseminate emergency information to their residents including status reports on damage, school closures, safety tips, road closures, and links to other earthquake related sites: Kirkland, King County, Snohomish County, Seattle, Lake Forest Park and Kent.

Initiative 722 Declared Unconstitutional

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Christine Pomeroy concluded on Friday, February 23 in an Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment on the Class Claims(Adobe Acrobat Document7,506 kb) that Initiative 722 is unconstitutional because it improperly deals with more than one subject, violates the property tax uniformity requirement, violates the gift of public funds prohibition, and does not explain the full effects of its passage. As part of the judge's order, the state and all its political subdivisions (including counties, cities, and towns) are permanently enjoined from enforcing and implementing Initiative 722. As with I-695, the initiative's final fate will be decided by the state supreme court.

City E-Mail List

Lake Forest Park has begun to offer a city E-mail list service on their Web site that allows visitors to subscribe to and receive updates on a variety of city issues via e-mail. This is a great way to stay in touch with community residents and businesses. We like it!

E-Press Releases

Visitors on Federal Way's Web site can sign up to receive city hall press releases by e-mail. Subscribers get the latest city news delivered directly to their desktops. Great customer service! … and, of course, we like it!

Inquiry of the Week

This week's "Inquiry of the Week":

Does the ADA require that cities place a notice about ADA accommodation availability in published notice of upcoming council meetings?

[Previous inquiries of the week]

Local Government Finance Publication

The staff of the Senate Ways and Means Committee has prepared a Citizen's Guide to Local Government Finance in Washington State(Adobe Acrobat Document131 Kb). This booklet provides a simple, easy-to-understand guide to the revenues and expenditures of Washington local governments, describing state and local revenues sources and the typical programs for which these revenues are expended.

Automated Inspection Scheduling

Federal Way recently launched an automated Interactive Voice Response system for scheduling building, electrical, mechanical, sign, and fire prevention inspections.

Best IT Practices Guide

A new white paper from Public Technology, Inc., "Tried and True: A Best Practices Guide for IT Endeavors," (Adobe Acrobat Document177 Kb) offers guidance, based on case studies, to help local governments understand and avoid IT and e-government implementation risks.

IT Recruitment Challenge

Another Public Technology, Inc. white paper, "The Local Government IT Recruitment Challenge," (235 Kb) reviews strategies for attracting and retaining information technology employees.

Intelligent Transportation

In a recent article, "An Intelligent Transportation Policy," Robert Puentes, Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, describes how a new universe of smarter vehicles and highways may be able to do what miles and miles of concrete and asphalt can't.

New Energy Conservation Page

Visit our new Energy Conservation page for information on energy supply, shortages, policy directives, and more.

Web Sightings - Energy Conservation

As we face of the energy crisis of 2001, here are some of our favorite sites on energy conservation:

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. Send a message to mrscnews-subscribe@groups.yahoo.com. In the body of your message, type: subscribe [your name]. If you have any questions about subscribing, please contact listadmin@mrsc.org.

Unlike most listservs, mrscnews 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, and an electronic copy of our quarterly newsletter.