Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.
Focus - April 2002
What's New
Get a quick update on the latest additions to our Web site.
U.S. Supreme Court Decides Temporary Land Use Moratorium not a Per Se Takings
On April 23, the U.S. Supreme Court, with three dissenting votes, decided
in a major property rights case,
Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
(
560
KB), that a temporary moratorium on land development does not amount to an unconstitutional
taking of private property that requires compensation by the government, unless
the particular circumstances warrant it. The court found in this case, a 32-month
moratorium issued by a regional planning agency in Nevada while it studied the
impact of development on Lake Tahoe and devised a strategy for environmentally
sound growth, that the circumstances did not warrant compensation to affected
property owners. (April 24)
Regional Workshops for City, Town, and County Officials
The Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) will co-sponsor a series of regional training workshops on public meetings, public disclosure, and other current local government issues during May. MRSC will join with the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), and Washington Association of County Officials (WACO) to offer workshops at the following locations:
| May 1 - Ellensburg | May 8 - Mount Vernon |
| May 2 - Davenport | May 9 - Tacoma |
| May 3 - Richland | May 10 - Kelso |
GMA Update Deadlines Delayed
Governor Locke signed SSB 5841 delaying the mandatory September 2002 GMA updates (including critical area ordinances) in all cities and counties. The bill also specifies that subsequent updates shall occur every seven years rather than the current requirement for every five years. See our GMA Plan/Development Regulations Updates Web page for more information.(April 8)
Draft Model Critical Areas Ordinance Available
The Washington State Office of Community Development has a draft model critical areas ordinance available for review. This model serves as a guidance document to assist cities and counties in updating critical areas regulations. Comments are requested by April 26, 2002 and may be sent to Chris Parsons at OCD Growth Management Program - chrisp@cted.wa.gov. (April 18)
Day Labor (Bid) Limits Raised
HB 2527 (Chapter 94, Laws of 2002) raises day labor (bid) limits for Washington cities and towns. The changes take effect on June 13, 2002. More … (April 1)
MRSC Welcomes New Web Developer to Staff
Don Edlin joined MRSC in March in the capacity of Web developer/E-government Specialist. As a member of MRSC's Web team, Don is responsible for Web application and database programming. Watch for many new features on this site in the coming months. Don will also assist local governments in implementing their own e-government programs. A graduate of Whitworth College, Don has worked for Safeco, Internet start-up companies, and most recently, for Boeing. (April 1)
2002-2003 Directory of Washington City and Town Officials
The 2002-2003 Directory of Washington City and Town Officials is back from
the printer and has been mailed to Washington cities and towns. Others may purchase
a copy by sending us an order form
(78
KB) with payment (pre-payment required). (April 3)
Featured Page - Courts
Our new "Courts" Web page features links to federal, state and local courts as well as other court related reference sources. (April 1)
New Service Delivers State Agency News by E-mail
You can stay on top of Washington State agency news by subscribing to the Access Washington News List offered by the Washington State Department of Information services. Subscribers to th is free service will receive a brief summary by e-mail of each day's leading stories and headlines from Access Washington. (April 10)
Portland's Green Office Guide
The City of Portland Office
of Sustainable Development has produced a guide to help businesses cut their
office operating costs. The
Green Office Guide (506
KB) is a 40-page booklet aimed at "greening your bottom line through a
resource-efficient office environment." Useful information and case studies
highlight ways an office can achieve these goals. (April 1)
Inquiry of the Week
This week's "Inquiry of the Week":
Is the formation of a metropolitan park district limited to cities over 5,000 population?
[Previous inquiries of the week]
Search Court Decisions on the MRSC Web Site
MRSC, in cooperation with the Washington State Bar Association and the Washington State Office of the Code Reviser, now provides full-text access to the Washington State Supreme Court opinions from 1939 to the present and published Court of Appeals opinions from 1969 to the present. The decisions are in the form of advance sheets (not the final official decisions), and for the most recent decisions, slip opinions. See the complete press release. Visit the new Web site at www.legalwa.org. (March 21)
Petition Method of Annexation Declared Unconstitutional
In a major decision, Grant County Fire Protection District No. 5 v. City of Moses Lake, the state supreme court has determined by a 6 to 3 majority that the petition method of annexation is constitutionally invalid because it "gives an impermissible privilege to owners of highly valued land." A Fact Sheet prepared by MRSC and AWC presents questions and answers on this case and its implications. (March 14)
Washington City/County History Quiz
Arriving in 1845, the pioneers who settled in this area were the first European-American settlers on Puget Sound. In 1846 they plowed land for their farms, and built the territory's first gristmill on the lower falls of the Deschutes River. They had originally intended to settle farther south, in what is present-day Oregon, but discovered that exclusionary Oregon laws of the time did not allow people of color to settle there. Since one of the members of the party, George Washington Bush, was Black, they decided to go north of the Columbia River. The party named their settlement "New Market" in contrast to the old market then at Fort Nisqually. The name was later changed to a Native American word meaning "noisy water." What city is it? And the answer is ~drum roll~ ... (March 1)
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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