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Focus Archive - December 2006

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.

FCC Order will Preempt Local Video Franchising Authority (December 28)
Despite opposition from the National League of Cities and other local government groups, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an order last week that would federally mandate how video franchising would occur in the United States. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Who Is the Most Influential Mayor in America? (December 28)
When we look back on this period in American urban history, two things will stand out: the amazing turnabout in the center cities and the surprising quality of big-city mayors. More from Civic Strategies.

Puget Sound Regional Competitiveness Indicators (December 28)
The Prosperity Partnership recently published their 2006-2007 Puget Sound Regional Competitiveness Indicators report evaluating our region's comptetitiveness using a set of 20 economic and social indicators. More from the Prosperity Partnership.

Supreme Court to Hear Garbage 'Flow Control' Case (December 28)
In a pivotal case for counties, the U.S. Supreme Court will take on the issue of solid waste flow control that could decide once and for all the legalities of flow control. More from NACo's County News.

Citizen Participation - In Their Own Words (December 28)
With an array of new communication technology available — such as e-mail, Web forms and blogs — residents have numerous ways to express their opinions about local politics and participate in their government. More from American City & County.

Study Highlights Resources Necessary for Youth to Succeed (December 28)
A new study by America’s Promise – the Alliance for Youth finds that when youth are provided with five fundamental resources, their opportunities for success dramatically increase and racial and economic gaps are significantly reduced. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Bus Transit Service in Land Development Planning (December 28)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) report on Bus Transit Service in Land Development Planning examines successful strategies that assist in the incorporation of bus transit service into land developments, as well as the challenges that transit agencies face when attempting to do so. More from the TRB.

Planning - Is That a Good Assumption? (December 28)
If Census Bureau projections are correct, the U.S. will add an average of 2.5 million new residents a year for the next 40 years. If you want to figure out with any accuracy what that means for your community,then statistically speaking, there is both good and bad news from the Census Bureau. More from Planning Magazine.

Management - Avoiding All Mistakes (December 28)
One of the challenges facing public executives is to raise the level of reputational rewards that can be earned by employees for producing success, while lowering the reputational costs incurred for making mistakes. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

The E-Government Collaboration Challenge (December 28)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "The E-Government Collaboration Challenge: Lessons from Five Case Studies," offers 10 recommendations to ease the way for cross-organizational initiatives that require using a common information technology system as the backbone of the collaborative effort.

Cities Still Struggle to Meet Local Housing Needs (December 20)
Three-fourths of local housing officials report that the spiraling cost of housing is significantly limiting the opportunities for homeownership for lower-income people and younger families, according to a State of America’s Cities Survey on Municipal Housing, released by the National League of Cities (NLC). More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Striving for Online Excellence - Part 2: Characteristics (December 20)
In addition to accurate and thorough content (to be addressed in Part Three … stay tuned!), the exemplary web site offers reader appeal through the use of graphics or other multi-media applications, intuitive organizational structure and helpful navigational tools. More from MuniNetGuide.

Transportation - Trip Tool (December 20)
Do you know where you're going? Do you know how you're going to get there? If not, never fear. With a new online service, search giant Google and King County, Wash., can help you figure it out. More from Government Technology.

City Green Building by the Numbers (December 20)
With a mission to make green building standard practice, Seattle's Green Building program is organized to inspire, advise and support project teams, and to create value for green building projects. More from the city of Seattle.

Budgeting Technology (December 20)
Governments are seeking technology to streamline the budgeting process. Is corporate performance management (CPM) the solution? More from Government Finance Review (Adobe Acrobat Document3.7MB).

Public Safety - Balancing Act (December 20)
More than 80 police departments nationwide are using the Segway because it gives them more mobility than a bike, saves gas, it's community-friendly and beats walking. More from Government Technology.

Preparations Begin for 2010 Census (December 20)
To ensure funding, local governments are gearing up for the 2010 U.S. census, cooperating with local Census Bureau tests and providing updated addresses. More from American City & County.

Transportation - Private Assistance (December 20)
Not since the expansion of railroads in the 19th century has such a horde of international capitalists been so eager to invest in our transportation. More from Governing.

Nationwide Interoperability for First Responders within Reach (December 20)
According to a new report from the Homeland Security Department’s Safecom Program, more than two-thirds of emergency response agencies in the United States use some degree of interoperable communications, allowing them to speak directly with other agencies. More from Government Computer News.

Comcast and Telecommunications Tax (December 15)
The City of Seattle recently prevailed in litigation with Comcast over whether the city's telecommunications tax applied to the cable modem services offered by Comcast. The decision (Community Telecable Of Seattle V. City Of Seattle) should be read carefully by city attorneys and/or finance directors. Seattle's success stemmed in part from the tax being grandfathered and not prohibited by the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act. We are unsure at this time how many cities might benefit from this decision.

Evacuation Report Card 2006 (December 12)
The American Highway Users Alliance has released a first-of-its-kind study evaluating the emergency evacuation capacity of the 37 largest US urban areas - with at least 1,000,000 population. More from the American Highway Users Alliance.

Web Sightings - Innovative and Affordable Housing (December 12)
With the high cost of housing in the Puget Sound area, many jurisdictions are looking for innovative ways of providing affordable housing. This month we’ve selected sites on innovative and affordable housing.

General Web Sites

Innovative Housing Programs and Examples from Washington Jurisdictions

MRSC pages related to innovative housing

Reports on Innovative Housing

Striving for Online Excellence - Part 1: Function (December 12)
What is the formula for an outstanding web site -- particularly in the municipal arena? In the first of a three part article series, MuniNetGuide examines the role that key functions, characteristics, and content play in establishing a foundation for excellence in state, county and local government web sites. More from MuniNetGuide.

City and Suburban Poverty Trends 1999-2005 (December 12)
A recent study by the Brookings Institution found that for the first time in 2005 there are more poor residents of suburbs than central cities. More from the Brookings Institution.

Counties Erase Deficits by Budgeting for Outcomes (December 12)
Snohomish County's "priority-based budgeting" approach bases decisions to fund services or programs on their value to the community, not solely on their cost. More from NACo's County News.

Emergency Management - Critical Connectors (December 12)
During emergencies, citizens and even some disaster workers depend on libraries for Internet connections to the world. More from Governing.

Lessons in Innovation (December 12)
Cities have always been hotbeds of innovation. This week's Smart City guests offer perspectives on innovation both from the past and the future. More from Smart City.

Round Sixteen of the Maxwell Awards of Excellence (2006) (December 12)
The Fannie Mae Foundation's Round Sixteen of the Maxwell Awards of Excellence, recently made four awards to nonprofit organizations to recognize outstanding development of affordable housing while reclaiming vacant properties. More from the Fannie Mae Foundation.

Information Technology - The Executive Upgrade (December 12)
As technology powers nearly every government project and program, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) today have more responsibility and must be more accountable than their predecessors. More from American City & County.

IRS Sets 2007 Standard Mileage Rate at 48.5 Cents per Mile (December 12)
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently set the 2007 standard mileage rate for business use of private vehicles at 48.5 cents per mile, up from the rate of 44.5 cents that was set for 2006. Local governments may (but need not) reimburse employees at 48.5 cents per mile without having to report the reimbursement as taxable income. More from the IRS.

New Local Government Web Site Search Engine (December 06)
A new search engine developed by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) - GovSearch - allows you to search the text of hundreds of local government web sites.

This Old Factory (December 06)
In a number of states, there’s starting to be pushback against rezoning industrial land for housing. More from Governing.

Neal Peirce: As We Add Millions, How do We Stay Mobile? (December 06)
By 2043, we're being told, there won't just be 300 million of us -- there will be 400 million. With the roadways around our metropolitan regions increasingly clogged, how will we ever stay mobile? More from the Washington Post Writers Group.

How to Create Workforce Housing (December 06)
What are we doing to build our communities? The housing of all workers is a critical component to building viable, sustainable, equitable, economically competitive communities. More from the Urban Land Institute.

Everything Old Is New Again (December 06)
Cities are using tried-and-true (and some truly new) approaches to repopulating city neighborhoods. More from Planning Magazine.

Telecommunications: A Post-Election Analysis (December 06)
In The Impact of the Mid-term elections on Local Government’s Communications Agenda (Adobe Acrobat Document83 KB), Gerry Lederer, Miller & Van Eaton, assesses the impact of the elections on the House and Senate Commerce Committees, the committees of initial jurisdiction over telecommunications and cable matters.

Bellingham's One-Stop Neighborhood Information Web Page (December 06)
Bellingham's Neighborhoods Web page offers a clickable map of the city's 23 neighborhoods leading to more detailed information about each neighborhood, including links to zoning maps, neighborhood contacts, and other resources all in one convenient place.

Commission Adopts Washington Transportation Plan (December 06)
The Washington State Transportation Commission recently adopted the updated 2007-2026 Washington Transportation Plan (WTP). More from WSDOT.

Washington State Patrol Biannual Driver Qualification Program (December 06)
Beginning in 2007 the Washington State Patrol will require all officers to qualify for driving every two years, using the same course and standards as the driving practical examination in trooper basic training. More from The Police Chief.

Voters Approve Record Funding for Land Conservation (December 06)
In the Nov. 7 election, voters in 23 states approved 99 ballot measures to increase state and local government funding for land conservation, for a total of $5.73 billion. More from NACo's County News.

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