Note: Some of the information on this archival Web page may no longer be current.
Focus - September 1998
Seattle Council Considers Vehicle Impound Ordinance
The Seattle City Council is considering a proposed ordinance (Seattle Council Bill No. 112327) to implement the 1998 state legislation (Chapter 203, Laws of 1998) authorizing the impoundment of vehicles operated by drivers with suspended or revoked licenses. Please note that the proposed ordinance has not yet been enacted and may change. more ...
Important Notice - Implicit Price Deflator has been Lowered
The Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) for Personal Consumption Expenditures, as published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce has been lowered. This means that the projection MRSC offered in Budget Suggestions for 1999 is too high. The new IPD index number of July 1997 is 111.86 and for July 1998 is 112.81. This means the percent change will be 0.85% rather than the 1.3% we originally forecast. Please factor this change in your plans for increasing your property tax for 1999. more...
Sign Our Guestbook
If you haven't had a chance to sign our guestbook yet, please take a minute to say hello and tell us what you think of our Web site. We appreciate the feedback and rely on your opinions to guide us in making improvements to this site.
Inquiry of the Week
This week's "Inquiry of the Week":
How many cities and towns in Washington have created a city or town administrator position?
[Previous inquiries of the week]
Online Journals and Newsletters
Many popular print journals and newsletters are now providing online versions of their publications. Here's our list of links to Online Journals and Newsletters of Interest to Cities and Counties.
Kirkland Telecommunications Ordinance
The Kirkland City Council recently passed a comprehensive telecommunications ordinance (Kirkland Ordinance No. 3636), including provisions for the granting and renewal of telecommunications franchises, regulating the use of public rights-of-way, and establishing standards for facilities located in public rights-of-way.
TDM Action Strategy for Central Puget Sound
The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Advisory Committee, sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Puget Sound Regional Council, has prepared a draft Regional TDM Action Strategy for implementation in the Central Puget Sound Region. The committee is seeking input on the draft plan by September 9.
APWA Proposed Division I-99 Amendments
Kristina Nelson, Chairperson of the Division I-99 Subcommittee of the APWA Construction Standards Committee, reports that the Subcommittee has completed its initial review of Division I-99. These draft amendments are available for downloading off the WSDOT/TransAid and MRSC Public Works page and will also be mailed to local agencies. The committee is interested in any comments you may have on the proposed revisions. It is the intent of the committee, in conjunction with WSDOT and TransAid, to issue an amendment for the entire Division I-99 to reflect the changes made. Please send comments to Kristina B. Nelson at knelson@cityoftacoma.org.
Web Sightings
MRSC is developing a Web page on Economic development. Here are a few of the most useful sites we've discovered in the process:
- Economic Development Councils -
Links to Economic Development Councils in Washington counties, presented by
the Washington State Economic Development Network.
- National
Main Street Center - Information on downtown revitalization including
technical assistance,
resources
and much more.
- Washington CEO Regional
Reports - Articles on Economy and Economic development in Washington counties
and cities, provided by Washington CEO magazine.
- Washington State County Profiles - Population, Economic, and general information for counties, presented by the Washington State Economic Development Network. These Washington State Labor Market and Economic publications are also available in Adobe Acrobat format.
New Compilations on the Web
We've added the following new compilations to our Web site:
- Home Occupations
- Cluster Subdivisions
- Governing Trees
- Greasetraps and Interceptors
- Manufactured Housing
Referendum 47 News
The Washington State Supreme Court, in Belas v. Kiga, finds the "value-averaging" provision of Referendum 47 unconstitutional. more ...
DOE Revises Stormwater Construction Permit Requirements
Starting this month, all construction projects involving five acres or more of public property will need to do more to prevent water pollution. Previously, municipalities under 100,000 in population did not need to obtain stormwater construction permits. Now all cities and counties must take additional steps to keep water clean and critical fish habitat unharmed during construction projects. more: DOE Press Release and Regulations...
New Water Rights Web Page
Take a look at our new Water Rights Web page. The page includes an introduction to water rights issues, a set of frequently asked questions (prepared by DOE), and a section on water law basics.
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Unlike most listservs, mrscweb 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. If you have questions about this listserv, please contact Terri Sanders, MRSC Information Services Technician, at tsanders@mrsc.org.