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MRSC FOCUS › Focus - April 2001
 

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

Focus - April 2001

Crucial Federal Decision on Telecommunications Franchising

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued its decision in the Auburn v. Qwest litigation (Adobe Acrobat Document59 Kb), ruling that cities can require Qwest to pay certain relocation costs, but also ruling that the cities' regulatory franchising ordinances were preempted by federal law. This is a major decision that should be read carefully by all city and county attorneys dealing with telecommunications issues. There will be considerable discussion in the coming weeks concerning the impact of this decision.

Drought Conditions and Fire Prevention

To help counties and cities plan for the drought emergency situation this summer, take a look at MRSC's new Drought Issues Web page, which includes information on wildfire prevention, fireworks regulation, open burning, fire season weed abatement, and more.

City Revenue Manual

Renton's finance services department has prepared a 1992-2002 Revenue Manual (Adobe Acrobat Document2.6 Mb) identifying all the city's major revenue sources, the history of their collections, the authority to levy such taxes, and other related information. Although this was prepared primarily for the use of the city council, citizens may also find it interesting if they have questions about the sources of city revenues. This is the only document of its kind that we have seen from a city.

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...

Inquiry of the Week

This week's "Inquiry of the Week":

May a county vacate only part of the width of a county road?

[Previous inquiries of the week]

The Digital Washington Roadmap

The Washington Department of Information Service's Application Template and Outfitting Model (ATOM) is a comprehensive and detailed roadmap for the fast and efficient way to build digital government applications. It brings together the required policies, necessary infrastructure components, and useful technologies in one place.

Workshop - Pollution Prevention for Sustainable Cities

The Pacific Northwest Economic Region is sponsoring the international training workshop, Pollution Prevention for Sustainable Cities, in Seattle, May 9-12. This four-day intensive training event will help participants understand practical strategies for reducing waste and pollution in cities through eco-efficiency and community development.

Automated Traffic Enforcement

Find out about photo radar, video cams, and other devices being used to assist with traffic safety and enforcement on our new Automated Traffic Enforcement page.

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.

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.

Growth at the Ballot Box

In "Growth at the Ballot Box: Electing the Shape of Communities in November 2000," Phyllis Myers and Robert Puentes, The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, analyze more than 550 state-wide and local initiatives, explains what the success or failure of the various initiatives says about how people want their communities to grow, and offer implications for future growth-related initiatives.

Impacts of Changing Demographics on Housing Choice

In "The Implications of Changing U.S. Demographics for Housing Choice and Location in U.S. Cities," Martha Farnsworth Riche, The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, examines how the country's current and projected demographic trends will impact preferences for housing choices and residential location in the future, and particularly how they will affect cities and metropolitan areas.

PTI and ICMA Release E-Government Survey Results

Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recently released Is Your Local Government Plugged In? (Adobe Acrobat Document42 Kb) with highlights of their E-Government survey 2000.

Web Sightings - Water Conservation

It's not too early to begin water conservation efforts as Washington State faces a severe drought this summer. Here are some useful Web sites on water conservation:

Washington City/County History Quiz

Standing at the mouth of the Tapetett River, a Sahaptin name for the Yakima River, this area was for centuries, the site of the Indian village of Chemna. In 1805, Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition ventured to the area, but the first white settlers didn't arrive until several decades later. One source states that the place was named for a wealthy landowner. Others claim that the name was given because of the area's fertile soil. For many years, it remained a small, sleepy farming village. Then in 1942, the area's remote location, abundant water supply and mild weather attracted the federal government's attention. 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.

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