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Focus Archive - May 2005

Please note that Focus section links were valid at the time of their original posting. However, since Web sites and addresses change frequently, we cannot guarantee that all links will remain operative.

One-Call Underground Utility Locator Legislation (May 26)
Recent amendments to the state law on one-call underground utility locater services provide that anyone who digs within 35 feet of a transmission pipeline without first calling to have the utilities located is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a $10,000 fine. More ...

Smart City - Making Winning Decisions (May 24)
Is there a formula for making winning decisions? A secret to change? Most cities could use a little help in those areas, and this week’s guests on Smart City™ are experts on the topic of winning decision strategies.

Free Electronic Records Management Workshops (May 24)
The Washington State Archives is sponsoring free workshops on Electronic Records Management for local government agencies. The half-day workshops will be at various locations around the state beginning June 2nd.

Local Records Management Grants Program (May 24)
A new funding cycle is opening up for records management grants to local government agencies from the Washington State Archives, featuring a streamlined application process to enable smaller agencies to get access to specific services

Cable Franchise with Adelphia? (May 24)
If your city has a CATV franchise with Adelphia, there is an FCC form related to the bankruptcy proceedings that you will need to send to the FCC regarding whether your jurisdiction approves the sale or "transfer." Contact Jim Doherty at MRSC to obtain further information.

Creating Great Places (May 24)
Creating Great Places is an initiative of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) that helps governors design and implement state growth and physical development strategies that promote healthy, economically competitive and sustainable communities.

The Road Map to a Broadband Nation (May 24)
Communities across the United States are rolling out sophisticated broadband technologies to take the future for a test-drive. Here's where you'll find them. More from Business 2.0.

Dwelling Disparities: How Poor Housing Leads to Poor Health (May 24)
Consideration of the health impacts of the built environment--the human-modified places where we live, work, play, shop, and more--has been a key element in the ongoing evolution of the field of environmental health. More from Environmental Health Perspectives.

Information Technology - The ERPworks (May 24)
For both human and technical reasons, rolling out an Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is an arduous and long-running task — in both the public and private sectors. More from Governing.

Regulating Big Box Retail Establishments (May 18)
MRSC’s new Web page on the "Regulation of Large Retail Establishments (Big Box Retail)" provides a variety of examples, regulatory approaches, articles and studies to help with decisions about whether "big box" retail establishments are appropriate in your community, and if so, where and under what circumstances.

Web Sightings – Historic Preservation (May 18)
Web Sightings – Historic Preservation In honor of historic preservation month, we are featuring these helpful historic preservation and cultural resource Web sites:

For more information, see MRSC’s Web page on Historic Preservation.

Public Participation Workshop (May 18)
The University of Washington is offering a new 3-day interactive workshop on the art and science of public involvement, June 15-17, 2005.

Municipal Broadband (May 18)
The May issue of Broadband Properties magazine is devoted to the pros and cons of municipal broadband. With eleven separate articles, this is a great resource for understanding this complex subject.

How Parks Add Economic Value to Cities (May 18)
The research is in and the results are clear: parks add economic value to cities. This week’s Smart City™ radio show guests are two of the nation's leaders on park planning and advocacy.

Sacredness in the City (May 18)
There are three basic elements to a superior urban experience, declares Author Joel Kotkin: economic power, personal security and sacredness. More from Governing.

Digital Dynamics: You can do THAT with GIS? (May 18)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is pushing beyond its original uses, providing valuable tools for numerous governmental functions. More from NACo’s County News.

EPA Offers Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (May 18)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering an opportunity to apply for free technical assistance that will help you apply smart growth principles to a real challenge in your community.

Making the Case for Youth Courts (May 18)
Each year, in more than 1,000 local programs in 48 states, 100,000 young people are serving as judges, juries and lawyers in youth courts that are addressing 125,000 offenses. More from Nation’s Cities Weekly.

Transit-Oriented Development (May 18)
Transit-Oriented Development: Developing a Strategy to Measure Success from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies identifies ten indicators that may be used to systematically monitor and measure the impacts of transit-oriented development.

Southwest Washington Prepares For Bio-Terrorism Exercise (May 18)
Four Washington counties will participate in a mock biological attack as part of a strategy to test their plans to protect the public in case of a real emergency. More from Nation’s Cities Weekly.

Park Power! (May 09)
Residents of cities and towns across the country have learned that banding together to create a new park, garden, or playground can leave a community with a lot more than new swing sets, rows of vegetables and flowers, and green space. More from The Trust for Public Land

Blogs for Local Governments (May 09)
For a very small investment in terms of time and money, blogs can deliver a positive return in encouraging citizen participation. More from Government Technology.

Property Tax Exemptions Promote Affordable Housing in Seattle (May 09)
To jumpstart affordable development in the Emerald City, Seattle has created a property tax exemption for multifamily housing. More from Breakthroughs.

Complete the Streets! (May 09)
New state and local policies require that virtually all roads be built to serve all types of users. More from Planning Magazine.

ICMA Hosts Military Base Closure and Reuse Webcasts (May 09)
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA), will host a series of webcasts on base realignment and closure (BRAC) for local governments and others likely to be affected by the 2005 BRAC round. More from ICMA.

IAFC Releases Interoperability Handbook (May 09)
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) recently released a handbook to help fire and emergency services chiefs and officers understand communications interoperability and to provide steps to improving communications in their region. More from the IAFC.

Pay As You Park (May 09)
UCLA professor Donald Shoup has been preaching for years that parking spaces should be considered a community asset, not a freebie. More from Planning Magazine.

Cities Lose Millions as Internet Booking Sites Evade Hotel Taxes (May 09)
As Internet room bookings boomed last year, generating $50 billion, the assets of state, local and municipal governments were drained through an obscure loophole in occupancy (or bed tax) regulations. More from Nation’s Cities Weekly.

American Lung Association State of The Air: 2005 Report (May 09)
More than 152 million Americans live in counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution, according to the State of the Air: 2005 report. More from the American Lung Association.

Municipal Telecommunications Workshop (May 05)
The Washington Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (WATOA) is sponsoring a two day workshop, June 16th & 17th, in Bellevue, exploring issues surrounding local government deployment of fiber, broadband and Wi-Fi initiatives. Find out which jurisdictions have systems operating and why they are offering the services.

Pipeline Safety Trust Newsletter (May 05)
The Safe Pipelines Newsletter from the Pipeline Safety Trust should be reviewed by all those dealing with pipelines and underground utilities, including all staff involved with the issuance of excavation and construction permits.

WATOA's Free Satellite Content Workshop (May 05)
The Washington Association of Telecommunication Officers and Advisers (WATOA) is putting on a workshop (Adobe Acrobat Document1kb) for those interested in saving on informative content and training costs available from Satellites.

Parking as a Neighborhood Asset (May 04)
Why wait for rail when community parking can help create pedestrian-oriented areas? More from The Planning Report.

Legal War Brews in Oregon over Land Use Rights (May 04)
There's a new challenge to Oregon laws aimed at controlling suburban development. More from National Public Radio.

The Fast Lane (May 04)
As gridlock gets worse and technology improves, the use of toll lanes and other market-based tools to regulate rush-hour driving is gaining acceptance. More from Governing.

The Innovation-Entrepreneurship NEXUS (May 04)
A recent report from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), The Innovation-Entrepreneurship NEXUS (Adobe Acrobat Document634kb), helps local policymakers to understand the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in creating an environment where local economic growth can thrive.

Identity Theft - Resources for Police (May 04)
A 2003 study by the Federal Trade Commission found that identity theft affects almost 10 million consumers a year. Most states have enacted their own identity theft laws to assist law enforcement fight this crime. More from The Police Chief.

City's Conservation Efforts Push the Limit (May 04)
A model of successful green programs, on March 22, Berkeley, Calif., established a zero waste goal for 2020. More from American City & County.

Coping with Community Trauma (May 04)
We don't have to look far to understand the growing awareness of the need for community-wide crisis intervention in dealing with the psychological traumas that can affect citizens of an entire town or region. More from Public Management.

Protecting America's Roads and Transit against Terrorism (May 04)
A recent report from The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, On the Ground: Protecting America's Roads and Transit Against Terrorism, examines the regulatory, financial, and logistical landscape of surface transportation security, counseling decision-makers to weigh carefully the trade-offs between accessibility and security.

Cities and Counties in the News (May)
Here are the latest news clippings from around the state highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments:

Information Technology - Buyers Beware (May 03)
Few purchasing decisions are as fraught with challenges as buying software. Before local government officials buy new software, they should consider the following tips. More from American City & County.