Focus Archive - Management

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.

Cloud Computing in Government (November 18)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "Moving to the Cloud: An Introduction to Cloud Computing in Government,” examines the entry of the cloud computing phenomena into the government and inventories a number of applications where cloud computing has been implemented.

More on Gen Y in Government (November 18)
Three officials shared a few more comments on how to attract and integrate young leaders into government. More from Governing.

Worst is Yet to Come for County Budgets, Survey Says (November 18)
The nation's counties, small and large, are still struggling to cope with declining revenues as a result of the recession, according to a new survey by the National Association of Counties (NACo). More from American City & County.

The Ticking Fiscal Clock (November 18)
In this state and local fiscal mess, realism may be the only option. More from Governing.

17 Low-Cost Talent Development Strategies for Local Governments (November 18)
Local government must invest in physical and human capital so they can survive and thrive as times improve. More from ICMA.

Local Governments to Face Large-Scale Cuts (November 18)
Despite reports that the economy is recovering from the recession, there will likely be large-scale city government layoffs, deep cuts to local government services and halted or delayed capital projects in the next year or two. More from Brookings.

Tactical Financial Management: Cash Flow and Budgetary Variance Analysis (November 18)
In the current environment, public officials can’t wait until the end of the year to get an accurate picture of financial position. More from Government Finance Review.

Private Pay, Public Pensions and Some Real Math (November 12)
Let's replace ideology with compensation analytics. More from Governing.

Smart City - Must Shrinking Cities Grow? (November 12)
This week's Smart City features discussions with Harvard economist Ed Glaeser about shrinking cities, and with urban design critic Randy Gragg about interactive art and urban design projects.

Volunteerism Sparks Municipal Innovation and Recovery (November 12)
Many cities are tapping into a reservoir of human capital — volunteers — to continue delivering services and driving economic recovery. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Top Digital Cities Announced for 2009 (November 12)
These city governments are using digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations. More from Government Technology.

Performance Auditing: Beyond 'Gotcha!' (November 12)
Washington State's new approach to performance audits is generating mixed reviews. More from Governing.

The Profound Puzzles of Effective Management (November 12)
Sudoku and the Sunday crossword can teach us a lot about leadership. More from Governing.

Making Sense from Information Overload (November 04)
Governments need to apply the science of analytics to the vast amount of data they collect. More from Governing.

Charter Reform: Ways to Think About It (November 04)
When a community is considering the form of government it wants to adopt, it would do well to start by identifying the problems it is trying to fix and articulating goals. More from Public Management.

In Search of a Fair Pension Formula (October 28)
Realistic income-replacement ratios in the 'new normal' economy. More from Governing.

Metropolitans in the Middle (October 28)
Relationships between the federal government, states, and localities need to be re-imagined to more fully realize the potential of metropolitan America. More from Brookings.

Outsourcing, Insourcing, Rightsourcing (October 28)
Now is not time to add more costs, or less quality, by artificially dictating insourcing targets in deciding how to go about the people's business. More from Governing.

An Opportunity for Creative Destruction (October 28)
By empowering managers to challenge assumptions, the economic crisis has ushered in permanent changes to governing. More from Governing.

2009 Best of the Web Awards (October 28)
The Center for Digital Government recently announced the winners of their annual Best of the Web awards. More from Government Technology.

Re-engineering and Installing Sustainable Pension and OPEB Plans (October 21)
Many jurisdictions are concerned about the affordability of their retirement benefits. If your organization is looking for solutions, there are ways to achieve sustainable financing. More from Government Finance Review.

Gen Y in the Workplace (October 21)
How to attract and retain the best young leaders. More from Governing.

Kirkland Tests Pandemic Flu Emergency Plan (October 21)
More than 50 City of Kirkland employees recently participated in an exercise as part of the City’s emergency management planning for pandemic flu. The test provided valuable information should it become necessary for the City to institute social distancing procedures in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. More from the city of Kirkland.

Preparing for and Responding to Issues Relating to the H1N1 Influenza Virus (October 21)
Even in times of a flu pandemic, employers must still abide by anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. More from Lane Powell's Labor and Employment Legal Update.

For Unions, Tough Bargaining Times (October 21)
Mayors are asking public employees to to give up raises to save their cities. More from Governing.

MRSC Services Survey (October 21)
MRSC is conducting a brief survey to assess whether or not our existing services are meeting your needs and to determine your interest in any additional services. We would appreciate your taking a few minutes to respond to these nine questions. Thank you.

Generational Battle Brews Over Gilded Baby-Boom Pensions (October 14)
Resentment is building among younger workers, and Boomer unionists face a backlash. More from Governing.

A Safer Place to Play (October 14)
Comprehensive background checks demonstrate the commitment of park and recreation agencies to their communities. More from Parks & Recreation.

Changing the Channel (October 14)
Sometimes diminished service levels in one area (phone wait times) can allow you to deliver a better overall bundle of services. More from Governing.

For Your Consideration (October 14)
A recent New York Times article ("Indigent Burials Are on the Rise," October 10, 2009) says that "coroners and medical examiners across the country are reporting spikes in the number of unclaimed bodies and indigent burials, with states, counties and private funeral homes having to foot the bill when families cannot." Has this issue come up in your city our county? If so, what has your response been? In tight economic times, how do you think local governments should cover the expense of indigent burials and cremation? Send us your response by email to mrsc@mrsc.org and we’ll post your answers.

No Increase to Washington’s Minimum Wage in 2010 (October 07)
Washington’s minimum wage will not increase in 2010 but will remain the same at $8.55 an hour because the Consumer Price Index for the past 12 months did not increase. More from the State Department of Labor & Industries.

Creating See-Through Government (October 07)
Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. There are steps managers should take to achieve those goals. More from Governing.

Do Local Governments Tweet? (October 07)
Celebrities do it, your kids do it, and local governments are doing it, too. More from Public Management.

The Next Federal Grant System (September 30)
The stimulus law’s transparency requirements won’t shed much light on the achievement of objectives. More from Governing.

Information for Innovation (September 30)
Data is nice, but information is better, faster, cheaper. More from Governing.

Ratcheting Up Performance (September 30)
Ratcheting up performance is essentially an addiction strategy: Create performance targets that people can hit. Get them hooked on success. More from Bob Behn's Performance Leadership Report.

Retirement Benefits and the Incumbent Employee Conundrum (September 30)
Bill baby boomers for their retirement costs — before they get away. More from Governing.

Is Privatization the Answer? (September 30)
Mounting revenue shortfalls are forcing state and local governments to find creative ways to cut costs, while at the same time, continue to provide core services to residents. More from MuniNetGuide.

Prefunding OPEB in State and Local Governments (September 23)
A new issue brief from the Center for State & Local Government Excellence, Prefunding Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) in State and Local Governments: Options and Early Evidence, takes a hard look at the options state and local governments are pursuing to reduce their unfunded liabilities for retiree health care.

How Four-Day Weeks Work (September 23)
This alternative schedule can improve efficiency and work-life balance, but how is it implemented? More from Governing.

The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Local Governments (September 23)
A new report from the International City/County Management Association, How It Plays in Peoria: The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Local Governments, offers a snapshot of how local government leaders and communities throughout the nation are weathering the economic storm and positioning themselves for growth in the future.

Community Indicators Conference in Bellevue (September 17)
The Community Indicators Consortium’s 2009 International Conference showcasing best practices and some of the latest community indicator efforts, tools, and techniques will be at the Meydenbauer Conference Center in Bellevue, September 30 - October 2nd.

Trimming Waste (September 16)
A greener, cheaper way to deal with garbage - solar-powered trash receptacles/compactors. More from Slate.

Where Less is More Efficient (September 16)
There are signs that four-day workweeks may have another, unexpected benefit: greater efficiency. More from Governing.

Frustrated by an Unchangeable Agency? Change Anyway (September 16)
The 10 Paradoxical Commandments of government explain why changing your agency is so hard — and why you should do it anyway. More from Governing.

Rescuing 911 (September 02)
To reduce the crush of calls flooding into 911 systems, some local governments are using their non-emergency 311 service to manage administrative and informational needs so 911 centers can devote their resources to life-threatening situations. More from American City & County.

Tying Federal Funding to Regional Cooperation (September 02)
If the Obama administration gets its way during the next few years, the means by which the federal government interacts with states and localities across a wide range of policy areas will be redefined. More from Governing.

Few Payoffs for Overtime Pay (September 02)
It can be a drag on pensions and the bottom line. More from Governing.

It's All in the Questions: The Manager's Role in Achieving Fiscal Health (September 02)
As the fiscal reality facing local governments across the nation becomes more challenging to manage and the necessary financial choices become more difficult to make, local government managers must ensure that the right questions are being asked to assess their organization's state of fiscal health. More from Public Management.

Could the Recovery Act Help Reinvent Government? (August 26)
If you think the Obama administration’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is just one big government boondoggle, check out some top regional implementation strategies. More from Citiwire.

Guidebook for Managing Small Airports (August 26)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Guidebook for Managing Small Airports, is designed to help operators and managers of small airports find resources and identify techniques that they may apply to meet their responsibilities.

The Costliest Ride (August 05)
Transportation service for the disabled can be a budget-buster. Cities are looking at a variety of new approaches. More from Governing.

The Experience Strategy (August 05)
Before selling a solution, a leader needs to ‘sell the problem.’ That’s best done when managers themselves experience what's wrong. More from Governing.

Budget Suggestions for 2010 (July 17)
MRSC's Budget Suggestions for 2010 , Information Bulletin No. 533, is now available online. It contains budget calendars for cities and counties; summaries of 2009 legislation; revenue and inflation forecasts; and articles for those interested in city and county financial issues.

Trimming Benefits (July 15)
Government employee benefits are becoming a casualty of the nation's economic battles. More from American City & County.

Tools To Design and Implement Energy Efficiency Programs (June 24)
The U.S. EPA has released the first portion of its Rapid Deployment Energy Efficiency (RDEE) Toolkit Planning Guide to help states, local governments, and other program administrators design and implement effective energy efficiency programs.

Leadership during Difficult Budget Times (June 24)
With the financial crisis and the resulting global economic downturn, nearly every police agency is affected by budget cuts, and nearly every executive is faced with difficult choices. More from The Police Chief.

Government Benefits Comparison Tool (June 24)
The Center for State and Local Government Excellence and the Government Finance Officers Association have partnered on a new free tool that provides detailed health care and pension data on the typical benefits cities and counties offer their retirees, and how they pay or plan to pay for these benefits.

Football and Innovation (June 17)
To meet the demands of a changing world, governments need to program themselves for change. More from Governing.

The Hint Behind “That’s Funny” (June 17)
Public executives never have time to think. Yet, whenever they say to themselves, “that’s funny,” they ought to recognize this as a signal that they need to stop and think. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

How Questions Can Drive Leadership Success (June 17)
When leaders reflect, rather than ruminate, about challenges and problems, they move toward resilient problem solving. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Who Should Fix the Potholes? (June 10)
Sometimes it saves money to outsource government work. But don’t assume that. More from Governing.

Investing in Outcomes (June 10)
Performance-based contracts aim to measure the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of government-funded programs. More from Governing.

Research Offers a Transforming View of the Mayor's Office (June 10)
James Svara of the Alliance for Innovation cites research that runs counter to most of the academic literature on effective leadership in the council-manager form of government. More from ICMA.

Web Sightings - Intergovernmental Cooperation and Regionalism (June 03)
This month we’ve selected a few resources on a topic of continuing interest, especially as local governments seek to stretch their limited resources and develop innovative partnerships in challenging economic times:

• MRSC Web page on Intergovernmental Cooperation - This is a great starting point for information and includes interlocal cooperation in parks and recreation, public works, fire, police, and other areas.
• Local Governments Posting Interlocal Agreements on the Internet - MRSC Web page
• Regionalism, Restructuring Local Government - Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning
• ICMA Web page on Regionalism - Includes local government innovations, sample government documents, reports and awards
• Alliance for Regional Stewardship - National network of regional leaders working across boundaries to solve community problems
• National Association of Regional Councils - Advocates for regional cooperation to address a variety of community planning and development issues
• Regional Communities Blog - Compilation of news links for communities pursuing local and regional development.
• Western Governors Association - Addresses important policy and governance issues in the West and promotes shared development of solutions to regional problems

Parks and Rec Online (June 03)
San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, are making it easier for visitors to give parks and recreation departments a heads-up on maintenance issues. More from Governing.

Time to Thoughtfully Challenge the Status Quo (June 03)
Traditional local budgeting strategies, although relatively easy to implement, are failing to adequately address the fiscal needs of local jurisdictions. More from Public Management.

The Devil ... and Angels in the Details of Obama’s FY10 Budget (May 27)
President Barack Obama submitted his detailed budget to Congress earlier this month. NACo legislative staff provides a synopsis of the details. More from NACo's County News.

Gee Whiz! Introducing The Pothole Killer (May 27)
There is a futuristic new machine called the pothole killer that allows one person–who never has to get out of the truck cab–to “hot patch” 100 potholes in a day. More from The Infrastructurist.

Getting Stuck on the Escalator (May 27)
‘Learned helplessness’ can be a powerful drag on an organization’s performance. But there are ways to combat it. More from Governing.

Regional Cooperation: A Pathway to Economic Recovery (May 27)
Regional cooperation is a proven way to reduce costs, increase economic competitiveness, manage development impacts and create new opportunities and synergies between communities. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Promise of Going 'Lean' (May 27)
It's the latest, buzziest trend in government management. Just don't call it a fad. More from Governing.

A Tidal Wave Postponed: The Economy and Public Sector Retirements (May 20)
The slumping economy is holding back retirements among state and local government employees, according to a new survey of government managers. More from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

MRSC's In Focus e-Newsletter for Councilmembers and Commissioners (May 20)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Sign them up today.

The Challenge of Recognizing Novelty (May 13)
When professionals mis-diagnose a crisis emergency as routine, they may employ a routine response that can actually exacerbate the crisis. More from Bob Behn's Management Report.

HUD Releases Plan for $980 Million In Stimulus Block Grants (May 13)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced how it will divide $980 million that the economic-stimulus legislation—the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—provided for Community Development Block Grants. More from Architectural Record.

Why the Shovels Matter (May 13)
The state and local governments that are going to benefit from the stimulus package the most—the ones that will get the most bang for the buck and move their economies back to prosperity most quickly—are those that did their strategic thinking long ago. More from Governing.

Find Me the Money (May 13)
Desperate for cash, states and localities are imposing fees in ever more creative ways. More from Governing.

Identity Theft Red Flag Rules Delayed Until August 1 (May 13)
The Federal Trade Commission will begin enforcement of the 'red flags' rule requiring creditors and financial institutions to have identity theft prevention programs on August 1, 2009. For more information, see FTC News Release of April 30, 2009 and MRSC's "Identity Theft Red Flags Rules" Web Page.

Zipcar Launches "FastFleet" Service for Public Sector Vehicle Fleets (May 06)
Zipcar recently announced their new FastFleet service that enables government and other fleet managers to save money, reduce risk and promote sustainability. More from Zipcar.

Ready-to-Go Regionalism (May 06)
It's time to give metropolitan planning organizations real power. More from Governing.

Wireless at Work (April 30)
The latest technology moves public services from the office to the field. More from American City & County.

New Century Infrastructure: Where’s the Plan??? (April 30)
The United States desperately requires a forward-looking plan for 21st century infrastructure that can support and sustain renewed economic growth and accommodate 100 million more Americans over the next 40 years. More from Citiwire.

Port Privatization Trend Growing (April 30)
More ports looking to public-private partnerships to fund improvements and expansion. More from the Reason Foundation.

Infrastructure Madness (April 30)
Don't believe everything you read about the failing bridges and antiquated waterworks. More from Slate.

Celebrating 75 Years of Research and Services! (April 23)
MRSC proudly continues the program begun as the Bureau of Governmental Research and Services in 1934 at the University of Washington. In honor of our organization’s 75th anniversary, we hope that you will enjoy a multimedia slideshow containing highlights of our history. Also see “Twenty-Five Years of Governmental Research and Service” prepared in honor of the Bureau’s 25th anniversary in 1959.

Performance Measures for Snow and Ice Control Operations (April 22)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Performance Measures for Snow and Ice Control Operations, explores methods and measures for assessing agency and contractor performance in snow and ice control operations.

GASB Issues New Accounting, Financial Reporting Standards (April 22)
The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has issued new standards of accounting and financial reporting that will affect all counties and are intended to improve the clarity and consistency of the fund balance information provided to financial report users. More from NACo's County News.

Uneven Stimulus (April 22)
The feds are dumping piles of stimulus dollars on all 50 states, but when you look behind the 11-digit numbers, some interesting disparities emerge. More from Governing.

Digging for Dollars (April 22)
When it comes to stimulus money for new projects, fortune favors the prepared city. More from Governing.

Track Service Requests with MRSC's Citizen Help Desk (April 22)
MRSC has developed a citizen help desk that allows your city or county to log, assign and track service requests from citizens and businesses that arrive via telephone, email, online form or in person. MRSC hosts and updates the system for a low-cost annual fee based on population served. Larger agencies can receive the programming code to host on your own server for an initial setup fee. To learn more about the system, sign up for a brief introductory online demonstration or contact us at mrsc@mrsc.org.

Running Business Like a Government (April 22)
There's a lot that government does right. The private sector ought to take a few notes. More from Governing.

The Pain of Cutting Payroll (April 22)
Whacked by budget deficits and with no end to sluggish economies in sight, states, cities and counties have been forced to make the hardest cuts of all — workforce reductions. More from Governing.

MRSC Blog: Selected Local Government Press Releases (April 22)
We have launched our blog containing selected local government press releases to keep you informed on new Washington local government programs and initiatives. Each entry is assigned a category (finance, planning, etc.) and a tag (wetlands, urban forestry, etc.) so you can sort them by topic. If you have not already done so, please add blog@mrsc.org to your agency's press release distribution list.

Records Management Seminar (April 16)
Washington State Archives is pleased to announce the opening of the registration for the Records Management Seminar “Be Budget Wise – Using Records Management to Save $$” to be held on May 7 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Digital Archives - EWU Campus in Cheney, Washington (register now).

Public/Private Partnerships in Transportation (April 15)
Public/private partnerships in transportation, long prevalent in other parts of the world, are becoming increasingly popular in U.S. states and cities searching for infrastructure funding alternatives. More from Urban Land.

Sometimes Weird Works (April 15)
Imagine public executives hiring deviants, rewarding failures, or injecting their agencies with truth serum. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Talk to Me (April 08)
What is the point of upgrading communication technology if public officials cannot settle who is in charge and what procedures to follow? More from American City & County.

Unplugged (April 08)
As local governments continue to assess how technology might improve the efficiency and productivity of departments and processes, they will invariably cross paths with wireless technology. More from American City & County.

Fund Balance: New and Improved (April 08)
Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No.54, issued in February 2009, will not affect the calculation of fund balance, but will fundamentally alter the various components used to report it. More from Government Finance Review.

O Citizen, Where Art Thou? (April 08)
Getting public input into the budget-writing process sounds easier than it is. More from Governing.

Managing Your Budget: Making Tough Decisions in Tough Times (April 08)
For managers, the challenge is to estimate accurately the relationship between two independent resource streams—revenues and expenditures—for their local governments. More from Public Management.

Report on Outcome-Oriented Performance Measurement (April 08)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Moving Toward Outcome-Oriented Performance Measurement Systems, provides examples of outcome-oriented performance measurement systems across the country and offers recommendations on how to develop useful measurement systems that other communities can act upon.

Organized for Service (March 26)
CRM/311 systems force communities to take a hard look at how they respond to problems. More from American City & County.

Getting Ready for Build America Bonds (March 26)
There's a new tool for financial officials and managers to master. More from Governing.

Sharing the Pension Pain (March 26)
Public officials have been slow to react to the changing landscape in pension finance, and it's imperative that they wake up and smell the coffee soon, especially those who are involved in labor negotiations. More from Governing.

The Power of Intrinsic Rewards (March 26)
The strongest motivators come from inside a person. More from Governing.

Taking on the Sacred Cows (March 18)
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing some new math when it comes to pensions for first responders. More from Governing.

Automatic Water Meter Reading Technology (March 18)
Automatic meter reading devices provide more accurate information on billing, water leaks, abnormal consumption, and previous consumption amounts. More from Water Efficiency.

To Serve, Virtually (March 18)
Packing multiple applications on a single server can save big bucks. More from Governing.

Measuring Livability and Performance (March 18)
The Oregon Progress Board was created in the late 1980s to develop statewide livability indicators and monitor progress on Oregon's statewide strategic plan. It certainly lives up to its name with the release of its 2009 Benchmark Highlights Report.

Goodnight Computer (March 18)
Turning a computer off can slash its energy use, but most government workers prefer to leave their machines on all night. States are trying to change that. More from Governing.

Records Management Seminar (March 18)
Washington State Archives is pleased to announce the opening of the registration for the Records Management Seminar “Be Budget Wise – Using Records Management to Save $$” to be held on April 24 from 8:00 to 4:30 at the Skagit County PUD in Mt. Vernon, Washington.

Crisis as Opportunity (March 18)
The economic crisis could be the chance of a lifetime to reform government. More from Governing.

A Time for Strings (March 11)
We need to stimulate state and local economies. We also need to keep close watch on what we’re stimulating. More from Governing.

Coming Together, Breaking Apart (March 11)
To consolidate or not to consolidate: a puzzling question. More from Governing.

ICMA Report on 311 Systems (March 04)
A new report from the International City/County Management Association, Call 311: Connecting Citizens to Local Government Final Report, is intended to serve as a reference manual for local governments considering the implementation of a centralized customer service system.

Stimulus Controls Vital But What About Results? (March 04)
In the battle against bad projects, bad practices or bureaucratic delay, governors and mayors know they’ll be on the hot spot to deliver a quality performance when dealing with the billions of dollars in the Obama administration stimulus projects. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Free the Hostages (March 04)
Sure, governments are monopolies. But they don't have to act like it. More from Governing.

Disaster Recovery: A Local Government Responsibility (March 04)
Regardless of community size or the nature of the disaster, local government leaders are responsible for overseeing all four phases of emergency management—preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. More from Public Management.

Broadband Provisions in Federal Stimulus Bill (March 04)
Grants through the broadband stimulus bill can potentially bring significant job creation and other economic benefits to small towns and rural communities. However, few of these benefits will reach full fruition if you don't pay attention to D.C. during the next 30 days. More from consultant Craig Settles.

Recovery.wa.gov (March 04)
The recovery.wa.gov website is designed to help Washingtonians understand the federal economic recovery package and locate information that helps local governments find the right place to apply for funding.

Engaging Residents to Make the Tough Choices (March 04)
Engaging the community in the budgeting process is one way to help make more informed decisions, to strengthen trust with constituents, and to ease some of the political risks that come with budget cuts. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Stimulus Hot Seat (February 26)
As the money flows from Washington, state and local government managers need to be proactive about accountability. More from Governing.

Shrewd Investing in IT Assets through IT Governance (February 26)
IT governance contributes to shrewd IT asset investment decisions by engaging stakeholders from across the organization in decision making and accountability. More from Government Finance Review.

No Perfect Performance Measure (February 26)
Don’t go looking for the perfect performance measure. It doesn’t exist. So, start with a good measure or two. Identify their flaws. Be alert for them. You’ll never eliminate all of the flaws. Get over it. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Stimulus Plan Provides Subsidized Cobra Coverage (February 26)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the “economic stimulus plan” includes a federal subsidy, for up to nine months, of 65% of the cost of COBRA continuation coverage for employees who lose group health insurance coverage between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 due to involuntary termination. More from K&L Gates Compensation and Benefits Alert.

Consolidating the Job Search (February 26)
Instead of searching through individual Web sites or visiting government offices for job postings , applicants in the Puget Sound region need only go to GovJobsToday.com.

New FMLA Posters Required (February 24)
Federal regulations for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) have been amended, and revised posters outlining FMLA rights are required to be posted in the workplace. Though private companies may offer to sell you the posters, we recommend that you obtain the posters for free through the US Department of Labor.

Smart City - The City Dividends (February 19)
Joe Cortright is an economist for Impresa Consulting in Portland, Ore., and his latest work shows how profitable it can be for a city to be greener, smarter, and with fewer people living in poverty. More from Smart City.

Stimulus Bill to Boost State and Local Information Technology (February 19)
President Barack Obama signed a massive $787 billion economic stimulus package on Tuesday in Denver. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is aimed at jump-starting he struggling U.S. economy, and includes billions of dollars that could benefit state and local government IT. More from Government Technology.

The Millennial in the Cubicle (February 19)
A new generation of workers expects unfettered access to technology tools. They may end up changing the way governments operate. More from Governing.

How the Crash Will Reshape America (February 19)
How might various cities and regions fare as the crash of 2008 reverberates into 2009, 2010, and beyond? Which places will be spared the worst pain, and which left permanently scarred? More from The Atlantic.

Unprecedented Economic Crisis Demands Unprecedented Response (February 19)
The deepening economic crisis impacting our country, and more specifically our cities, is the worst we've seen for generations and demands a response in scope beyond anything we could have considered even one year ago. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

At the Breaking Point (February 12)
The sorry state of the country's water infrastructure and what it means if we don't fix it. More from American City & County.

A Road by Any Other Name (February 12)
It's dull and technical sounding, but the word "infrastructure" is now being heard regularly and often in public discourse. More from Governing.

NLC Survey: City Fiscal Conditions Continue to Worsen (February 12)
The unprecedented economic conditions facing the nation are increasingly straining the ability of cities to meet their financial needs. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure (February 05)
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released their 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, estimating the nation still stands at a D average. More from ASCE.

Investing Public Cash in a 0% Market (February 05)
Now that the Fed has cut the target rate for overnight funds to near-zero, the challenge facing cash managers is how to produce any kind of positive return on taxpayer funds. More from Governing.

Stimulating Main Street (February 05)
Most infrastructure is local. That's where stimulus spending can do the most the quickest. More from Governing.

Navigating the Fiscal Crisis Wiki (February 05)
Within the pages of the Alliance for Innovation's Navigating the Fiscal Crisis Wiki, local government experts are exploring the nature of today’s fiscal crisis and what specific steps can be taken to pursue economic recovery for our communities.

Rethinking the Interstate (January 29)
What if we used our 46,000 miles of highway as the backbone of a new 21st-century infrastructure? More from Metropolis Magazine.

Novices with the Numbers (January 29)
Performance measurement has caught on almost everywhere — except for the schools teaching the next generation of government managers. More from Governing.

Major issues to impact IT services in 2009-2010 (January 29)
The Public Technology Institute (PTI) has identified what it expects to be among the most pressing issues city and county IT managers will face in 2009 and 2010. More from NACo's County News.

Defending Cyberspace (January 29)
A new report from Johns Hopkins University, Defending Cyberspace: Protecting Individuals, Government Agencies and Private Companies Against Persistent and Evolving Threats, looks at the nature of cybersecurity threats and recommends several actions organizations should consider in preventing them.

Controlling Fuel Costs (January 22)
A large part of the fuel costs incurred by local government comes from police departments. Adopting different policing procedures will assist in controlling these costs during times of economic crisis. More from The Police Chief.

Community Matters (January 22)
A recent ICMA Management Perspective report discusses why community building is important to cities and counties and what can be done to foster leadership, accountability, and participation in this critical endeavor.

Best Practices, Cool Uses of IT and Tips for Saving Money (January 15)
The Microsoft State & Local Government Team, along with PTI (Public Technology Institute), NACo (National Association of Counties) and ICMA (International City/County Management Association), are looking for best practices, cool uses of IT and/or tips for saving money through technology from state and local governments. More from PTI.

Web Sightings - 2008 (January 15)
In case you missed them, here are all of our Web Sightings for 2008:

• Transportation Planning
• Fiscal Crisis in Local Government
• Everything Green
• Summer Festivals and Events
• Water Conservation
• Community-Supported Agriculture and the Local Food Movement

A Whole New Mind-set on Fighting Crime (January 15)
When it comes to fighting crime, it seems that society as a whole has been working in the wrong jungle—the reactive, adversarial jungle, where it is the job of the law enforcement community to handle safety issues. Communities need to embrace a proactive, problem-solving approach that focuses on prevention, where it is everyone’s job to promote safety. More from The Police Chief.

Revenue Revisions (January 15)
States and localities should use the current fiscal trauma to adjust and amend the ways they raise money. More from Governing.

Prudent Privatization (January 15)
Too often the privatization debate is consumed by political rhetoric instead of careful analysis. More from Governing.

Taking on Technology (January 08)
Local governments are navigating social networks, wireless technology and other Web 2.0 technologies. More from American City & County.

Flakes of Danger (January 08)
The one thing a big-city mayor can’t afford to do is mishandle snow removal. More from Governing.

Leaky Roofs and Windows (January 08)
There’s no time like hard times to take a close look at duplicative programs. More from Governing.

The Role of Leadership in Building High-Performing Organizations (December 18)
Despite the current economic situation, all is not doom and gloom for public-sector managers. There is an alternative to slashing services, laying off employees, and raising fees. More from Government Finance Review.

Free on Friday (December 18)
Whether it’s to save energy or lure young workers, states and localities are testing the four-day work week. More from Governing.

The Disaster Tripwire (December 11)
The tough choices on emergency response are gradually migrating to Washington. More from Governing.

Local Management in a Global Era (December 11)
Thinking globally, acting locally isn’t about changing the world. It’s about changing ourselves. What we need is a global context for our local responsibilities—becoming “g/local” in our outlook. More from Public Management.

Cutting Benefits: The Wrong Way and the Right Way (December 11)
Although federal aid to state and local governments from the Obama administration seems likely in January, painful cutbacks are inevitable. More from Governing.

New Clerk/Treasurers Reference Tool (December 11)
The Association of Washington Cities, in partnership with the State Auditors Office and the Washington Municipal Clerks Association have developed a new reference tool for clerks and clerk/treasurers in small cities.

Early Warning Signs of Revenue Problems (December 11)
Managers need indicators that anticipate revenue crises with sufficient advance warning that remedial action can be taken. More from ICMA.

Going for an Upturn (December 11)
Faced with stagnant tax revenues and a dwindling jobs base, elected officials — and their appointed economic developers — feel tremendous pressure to do something to turn things around. More from Governing.

Local Management in a Global Era (December 04)
Cross-national policy learning can lead to significant advances in the practice of local government management in the United States. More from Public Management.

Workers' Compensation Insurance Premiums Increasing by 3 Percent (December 04)
The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) recently announced that premiums for workers’ compensation insurance will go up, on average, 3 percent in 2009. More from L & I.

Dealing with Resistance (December 04)
Resistance is a vital ingredient in change, especially in achieving transformational change, which is just the kind of change we need to deal effectively with a fiscal crisis. More from Governing.

IRS Announces 2009 Standard Mileage Rates (December 04)
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2009, the IRS standard mileage rate for the use of a car will be 55 cents per mile for business miles driven. More from the IRS.

In an Epic Fiscal Storm, New Strategies Sprout (December 04)
The recession is driving America’s city governments into an epic fiscal storm. Unlike earlier downturns, all three big revenue sources income, property and sales taxes are falling together. More from Citiwire.

Legislating-for-Results Municipal Action Guides (December 04)
The Urban Institute and National League of Cities have developed a series of 10 guides for city and county elected officials, and their staffs, to help them obtain and use information about the results of their governments' services. More from The Urban Institute.

GASB Involvement in Performance Measurement Runs into NACo Opposition (November 25)
At a Nov. 14 forum in Orlando, Fla. NACo voiced its continuing opposition to efforts by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) to issue standards or guidance on performance measurement. More from NACo's County News.

Guidelines for Maximizing Training Efforts (November 25)
In any law enforcement agency, training can be the key contributor to the nurturing and development of a professional mind-set, self-awareness, and ethical values for both individual officers and the organization as a whole. More from The Police Chief.

Rethinking Police Training (November 20)
Ever since the U.S. Congress passed the Safe Streets Act of 1968, which provided substantial federal assistance to local law enforcement agencies for training, basic recruit peace officer training has been a significant and ongoing issue across the country. More from The Police Chief.

Regional Fire Authority Implementation Guide (November 20)
In a joint venture, the Washington Fire Chiefs and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters have developed a Regional Fire Authority (RFA) Implementation Guide (545 KB) to assist agencies in determining if an RFA is right for them and, if so, how to initiate the RFA process.

The Unofficial Role of the Administrator (November 20)
Many mayor-council communities, looking for the benefits of professional management without the requirement of going through a formal election to change the form of government, have chosen to create a city administrator position to serve under the mayor. Lynn Nordby, MRSC Public Policy and Management Consultant, discusses the unofficial role of the city administrator in these communities. More from Public Management.

New FMLA Rules (November 20)
New rules have been adopted governing the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); they go into effect January 16, 2009. More from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Citizen Call Center Report (November 13)
A new report from Public Technology Inc., Effective Technology and Management Practices for the Development and Implementation of Citizen Call Centers, provides an overview of the call center implementation strategies - and results - of five local governments and agencies.

Law Enforcement Leadership Development Program (November 13)
A well-designed leadership development program helps ensure that qualified staff members are available to replace those exiting the organization. More from The Police Chief.

Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook (November 13)
The National Civic League's Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook lays out the framework of the successful community planning processes used by the National Civic League and others across the country.

Local Services Feel the Squeeze (November 13)
Even as states petition Congress for help with their weakening budgets, localities are worried they may be hit the hardest. More from Governing

All Systems in Distress (November 13)
Even if the Wall Street bailout works, state and local governments will have fiscal problems for a long time. More from Governing.

IT - Unclogging Networks (November 07)
To increase network traffic, clamp down on bandwidth hogs, and save money, time and energy, IT agencies are turning to applications that identify employee activity online. More from American City & County.

Preparing for Disasters (November 07)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Preparing for Disasters, includes two essays reflecting different perspectives on preparing for and working in large-scale emergencies.

Putting an End to Pension 'Spiking' (November 07)
When employees game the system by artificially boosting their retirement compensation, taxpayers lose. Here's how to curtail that abuse. More from Governing.

Lessons Learned: Advice for New Chiefs (October 30)
The hiring of a new police chief is a significant event in the organizational life of a city. It offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the operations of a police department from a new perspective. More from The Police Chief.

Local Governments Gear Up to Deal with Economic Downturn (October 30)
Local government economic struggles mirror those of the nation, according to a quick poll conducted by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in September. More from ICMA.

Government in 3D (October 30)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Government in 3D: How Public Leaders Can Draw on Virtual Worlds, explores how cutting-edge government organizations are using 3-dimensional virtual worlds on the Internet to conduct training, recruit new employees, and educate the public.

Fiscal First Aid (October 30)
In an environment where many local governments are feeling financial pressure, minor structural imbalances that were manageable in the past may now manifest as a financial crisis. More from Government Finance Review.

Feds to Redefine ADA Accessibility Rules (October 23)
In May, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey approved several proposed changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that, if approved, will affect designs of new government buildings and might force local governments to alter existing buildings. More from American City & County.

Feds, States, Cities: In One Fiscal Boat (October 16)
For many years, official Washington — its own “echo chamber,” as some say — has been ignoring the financial needs and prospects of state and local governments. That era is now coming to a crashing end. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

City of Vancouver Recognized Nationally for Performance Management (October 02)
The City of Vancouver was recognized recently with the highest award possible for its use of performance information in the management of the city, a "Certificate of Distinction" from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). More from the City of Vancouver.

Excelling in Times of Fiscal Distress (October 02)
Well-run organizations not only survive economic downturns but also create the momentum required to excel. Six characteristics distinguish successful government organizations from the rest of the pack. More from Governing.

Washington’s Minimum Wage to Increase to $8.55 (October 02)
Washington’s minimum wage will increase 48 cents to $8.55 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2009. More from L & I News.

New Identity Theft Red Flags Rules (October 02)
MRSC's Web page on the Federal Trade Commission's new Identity Theft Red Flags Rules provides information developed by several of the state municipal leagues on the compliance measures, as well as the FTC regulations. Affected agencies must comply with the new rules by November 1, 2008. UPDATE: The FTC granted a six-month delay of enforcement of "Red Flags" rules until May 1, 2009.

Good Question! (October 02)
Regular users of this site know that we feature an "inquiry of the week" on the MRSC home page (see right-hand column). We have now incorporated a compilation of these questions and responses into the MRSC Index. The MRSC Index is a one-stop listing of all web pages, documents and inquiries that we have on any given topic. Browse the index by topic or search it by keyword.

Local Government Budget Library (October 02)
MRSC maintains an extensive collection of local government budgets organized by city, county and special purpose districts. We also link to online budgets (along with other documents and services) within the profiles that we maintain for each city and county.

Local Government Permitting Best Practices Report (October 02)
The Washington State Governor’s Office of Regulatory Assistance (ORA) conducted a series of outreach sessions to collect best practices for local government permitting. The report is now available on ORA's Web site.

Know Thyself: Judgment Capability Factors (September 18)
In today’s challenging environment, with simultaneous demands for control and release, delicacy and power, the public management professional must take note of the importance of what sound judgment is. More from Public Management.

Communicating the Counts (September 18)
Performance measures needn’t be feared. Publicizing the data in the right way can benefit government agencies and the public. More from Governing.

Performance Measurement - Compared with What? (September 18)
All evaluations involve a comparison. Whether you are evaluating a village or a public agency, you do so by making a comparison. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

City Fiscal Conditions Take a Turn for the Worse (September 18)
The National League of Cities recently released their City Fiscal Conditions in 2008 report, which finds a troubling combination of developments that will likely affect the financial health of cities over the next several years. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Executioner’s Song (September 11)
There is a lot of fanfare when a new program is signed into law. But then, it disappears from sight. Why is that? More from Governing.

Proposed Changes to Americans with Disabilities Act (September 11)
Some proposed changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are aimed directly at state and local governments and could amend the definitions of discrimination in the use of government services and facilities. More from American City & County.

GASB Requests Response on Proposed Performance Reporting Guidelines (September 11)
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has issued a Request for Response on Suggested Guidelines for Voluntary Reporting of Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) Performance Information. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Trends in Performance Measurement and Management Practices (September 11)
An increasing number of governments are using performance measurement and management practices, and these initiatives have broader stakeholder involvement than in the past. More from Government Finance Review (1.5 PDF).

New Report Helps Communities with Holistic Disaster Approach (September 04)
A new report from U.S. Chamber's Business Civic Leadership Center, On the Brink: Re-engineering the Nation's Disaster Response Processes, provides a catalogue of how the business community and respected partners apply lessons learned and develop new systems to make the disaster response process more holistic and strategic.

The Case for Evidence-Based Policy (September 04)
U.S. public policy has increasingly been conceived, debated, and evaluated through the lenses of politics and ideology. The fundamental question "Will the policy work?" too often gets short shrift or even ignored. More from the Urban Institute.

Performance Measurement - Shining a Bright Light (September 04)
Shining a light on the performance of different units can both motivate improved performance and generate experiments from which everyone can learn how to produce better results. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

A Push-Pull Strategy for Change (September 04)
Leadership is about winning followers. One basic way to do so is to articulate demand for change and put people in touch with their own discontent about the status quo. More from Governing.

Top Government Web Portals and Applications for 2008 (September 04)
Winners of the 2008 Best of the Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards have been announced by e.Republic's Center for Digital Government. More from Government Technology.

New Feature - National News Clippings (September 04)
We've added a new feature to our "Local Governments in the News" section below. Now, in addition to our regular local news source clippings, we will also be featuring news clippings from various national news sources highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts.

This Little Light of Mine (August 28)
Many cities have been switching to the efficiencies of as-needed lighting, thanks to their computer programmers. More from Governing.

New Report on Crisis Readiness (August 28)
A new report from the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) and New York University’s (NYU) Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response (CCPR), "Predicting Organizational Crisis Readiness: Perspectives and Practices toward a Pathway to Preparedness" finds that that a large number of organizations lack effective preparedness programs to respond to and recovery from a crisis.

Cities in a State of Rapid Decay (August 19)
While the mortgage crisis has hit hard in California and other prosperous regions, the cities that are sliding fastest into decline are still in the Rust Belt, with disappearing populations and bleak job prospects. More from Forbes.

Grief is Good (August 19)
Organizational change is tough for those on the receiving end. But grieving is essential to change. More from Governing.

Soaring Gas Prices Fuel Four-Day Weeks (August 19)
With the cost of regular unleaded gasoline eclipsing $4 a gallon, some cities and counties are offering employees four-day workweek schedules to reduce fuel consumption. More from American City & County.

Making Sense (August 19)
Many state and local officials struggle to communicate the business of government to residents, particularly when presenting information about how taxpayers' money is allocated and spent. More from American City & County.

In Focus for Councilmembers and Commissioners (August 19)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Forward a copy of this newsletter to your elected officials or sign them up today.

Dashboards as Data Dumps (August 13)
When dashboards are mere data dumps, they don’t create transparency. Too many dashboards create nothing but confusion. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Taking Stock of the Council-Manager Form at 100 (August 13)
With the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the city manager position in Staunton, Virginia, it is appropriate to take stock of what the form means, its current status in local government, and its continuing significance. More from Public Management.

The Buzz about 311 (August 07)
Cities and counties want to take the next step in call-center services, but neither their pocketbooks nor their partners are ready to regionalize. More from Governing.

Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool (August 07)
The Environmental Protection Agency's "Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool" is a a free financial analysis tool that helps identify the most cost effective method to fund a wastewater or drinking water management project. More from the EPA.

Data and Decisions (August 07)
A new report from the Brookings Institution, Data and Decisions: Parcel Level Information Changing the Way Business Gets Done, shows how the accelerated development of electronic land information systems in our cities creates opportunities for important improvements in land management and community development. More from Brookings.

Leveraging Web 2.0 in Government (August 07)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Leveraging Web 2.0 in Government, presents the potential uses of social computing in government, discusses the barriers to Web 2.0, and presents what citizens think about Web 2.0. More from the IBM Center for the Business of Government.

When It’s Time to Cut (August 07)
How do you keep public employees optimistic and productive when budget surgery brings staff reductions? There are ways. More from Governing.

Will Employers Want Aging Boomers? (July 24)
A new report from the Urban Institute examines the current employer demand for older workers and explores how demand may be changing over time. More from the Urban Institute.

The Cracks are Showing (July 17)
America’s tradition of bold national projects has dwindled. With the country’s infrastructure crumbling, it is time to revive it. More from The Economist.

Revolution in the Stacks (July 17)
To appeal to a new generation, some libraries are positioning themselves as places to create content. More from Governing.

Financial Insight: Key for Tough Times (July 17)
Knowledge is power: State and local officials are handicapped by their lack of good financial data. More from Management Insights.

GIS - More than Mapping (July 17)
From the basic to the complex, GIS is helping communities in a variety of ways. It is even saving lives. More from Planning Magazine.

Soaring Fuel Costs Draining Government Budgets (July 17)
With soaring fuel costs, local government budgets are being gouged and concerns of negatively impacting service levels are at the forefront of our daily operations. More from the Alliance for Innovation Newsletter.

Quick Links to City/County Information (July 17)
MRSC recently expanded the types of key documents (e.g., budgets and comp plans) and services (e.g., council broadcasts and online service request forms) that we track in our "city profiles" page. Use these profiles for quick access to city and town documents and services. For county information, see our "county profiles" page.

Innovation in Public Management: What the Future Will Demand of Us (July 03)
One of the key challenges for today’s public manager is to learn to harness the power of innovation and apply it to solving the simplest as well as the most complex problems of the local government workplace. More from Public Management.

Justice Department Issues New ADA Regulations (July 03)
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking designed to update the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations dealing with state and local government services. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Workplace Rule for Outdoor Heat takes effect July 5 (July 03)
With temperatures reaching near-record levels in many parts of the state this week, the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is reminding employers that a permanent outdoor heat rule takes effect Saturday, July 5.

Official 2008 Population Figures Released by OFM (July 03)
The population figures used for distribution of state-shared revenues were released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) on June 30. Detailed information on population estimates for cities, towns and counties may be found on OFM's Official April 1, 2008 Population Estimates Web page.

The Super Sleuth (June 26)
It isn’t all about "gotcha." An auditor can be a positive force in helping a city improve its systems and responsiveness. More from Governing.

Urban Planning and E-Government (June 12)
Despite innovations in many areas of governance, the use of the information technology in general and the Internet specifically to facilitate citizen involvement in urban planning has been limited. More from the Goodspeed Update.

Expectations for Performance Audits (June 12)
There is a key difference between auditing finances and auditing performance. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Fat Pensions Spell Doom for Many Cities (June 05)
Vallejo, Calif., took the extreme step of filing for bankruptcy to get out of generous obligations to public employees. Other cities and states are watching. More from CNN Money.

The Finance Officer’s Role in Capital Projects (June 05)
In assuming a greater responsibility or project leadership, the finance officer can help position the local government to consistently make decisions aligned with overall goals and objectives. More from Government Finance Review.

Getting Your Priorities Straight (June 05)
While focusing on priorities sometimes takes a back seat to other issues during times of fiscal stress, it’s actually even more critical to make prioritization a top priority. More from Public Management.

Crunching Numbers (May 29)
With residents routinely demanding information about how their tax dollars are used, local governments are searching for ways to effectively account for and report finances. Used wisely, business intelligence (BI) software can help cities and counties more accurately show financial plans. More from American City & County.

City Government Business Drives Wireless Network Implementation (May 29)
Despite the high profile collapse of deals to build and maintain large wireless networks for public Internet access in San Francisco and Philadelphia, many cities continue to express interest in building wireless networks. More from Government Technology.

Post-Bureaucratic Government (May 29)
Today's government systems were built to cure the ills of the 19th century's spoils system. But what was a good idea a hundred years ago is not what we need now. More from Governing.

A Mug Full of Change (May 29)
Employees don't need another new mug with a catchy slogan. They need context. More from Governing.

Gas Price Spike Hits County Budgets Hard (May 23)
This spring’s spike in gas prices is wreaking havoc on many county budgets at a time when revenues continue to shrink as a result of the housing and foreclosure crisis, and decreased investment earnings. More from NACo's County News.

At Work on the Web (May 23)
Government policies aimed at restricting Web access may be doing as much harm as they are preventing. More from Governing.

A Powerful Combination (May 23)
King County's Department of Transportation reports on the success of their recent hybrid utility truck pilot project. More from American City & County.

ICMA TV (May 23)
ICMA TV is a web television channel dedicated to covering the events and issues of importance to International City/County Management Association (ICMA) members. The channel is regularly updated with new films, features and coverage on topics which emerge at home and overseas.

Measurement is Rarely Enough (May 23)
Performance management is more than performance measurement. To produce real results in any organization—public or private—requires performance leadership. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Receive RSS Feeds of In Focus (May 23)
We’ve added another option for you to receive information from MRSC: RSS Feeds. Simply click on the RSS button to create an “MRSC In Focus” folder in your email program or RSS reader. You will automatically begin receiving updates to our main Focus page, “Local Governments in the News,” the four Advisor columns, and our “What’s New” section. You can unsubscribe at any time by simply deleting the folder from your RSS reader or email program.

Microsoft E-gov Tool Free for Governments (May 15)
Microsoft is making its Citizen Services Platform for creating Web-based electronic government services available for free to local and regional governments. More from Government Computer News.

Employee Benefits in State and Local Governments (May 15)
The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in State and Local Government, September 2007, is the first release of data on benefits in state and local government since 1998.

Working in Wiki (May 15)
People who learn how to harness wikis and other new tools to the benefit of government, will be hailed as the next great visionaries. More from Governing.

Competing Interests (May 09)
Toothpaste and taxes can teach us a lot about simplifying government for citizens. More from Governing.

Lessons from the Private Sector and the Coast Guard During Katrina (May 09)
According to a study from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Making Hurricane Response More Effective, the lessons learned from the poor preformance of the federal government and the comparatively effective response from private retailers and the Coast Guard after Hurricane Katrina offer guidance for all disaster relief efforts.

Fail-Proofing Telecom (May 01)
Government employees rely so heavily on communications systems that many assume they will be available whenever they need them, even in an emergency. More from American City & County.

The Power of Collaborative Innovation (May 01)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Transforming Government Through Collaborative Innovation, describes how two important tools— collaboration and innovation—can be used together to transform government in the years ahead.

The Potholes of Performance Management Technology (April 23)
Performance management technology can greatly improve access to the vast amounts of operational data available to local governments. It is necessary, however, to anticipate and avoid a number of potential problems. More from Government Finance Review.

311/CRM Technologies Help Citizens Connect with Their Local Governments (April 17)
A new podcast from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) features a discussion how local governments are using 311 call centers and other related customer service technology systems. More from ICMA.

Helping Residents Help Themselves (April 17)
Recognizing that work does not just get done between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. anymore, many customer-service-oriented cities have created Web-based service request systems to make local government accessible any time of the day or night. More from American City & County.

Legislative Gem - Limited Liability Companies for Interlocal Agreements (April 17)
Every once in awhile a little gem appears from deep within new legislation enacted in Olympia. A recent amendment to the state Interlocal Cooperation Act will now allow local governments to form limited liability companies as the legal framework for any type of cooperative project among public agencies. More from Hugh Spitzer, Attorney, Foster Pepper PLLC

Add to Wish List (April 17)
Measuring quality of life and government performance at the same time can be tricky. But it’s possible. More from Governing.

Police Study: A Look at the 12-Hour Shift (April 09)
The pros and cons of 12-hour shifts for police departments are often a matter of speculation for law enforcement executives looking for different ways to deploy scarce resources. More from The Police Chief.

Small City Resource Manual Released (March 27)
AWC's recently released Small City Resource Manual provides elected and appointed officials with information on navigating the complexities of policy making, governance and operational matters.

Learning from Losers (March 27)
Politics aside, when governments seriously study their shortcomings, better management and policy often follows. More from Governing.

Beware the Dysfunctional Org Chart (March 27)
The org chart is a fiction. An attractive fiction. A comforting fiction. But a very misleading fiction. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Our Aging Infrastructure: Voices For Change Mount Quickly (March 27)
The infrastructure issue — the long shadow thrown across America’s future by deteriorating roadways, bridges, railroads, water systems and schools — finally seems to be getting hot. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Innovation: Beyond the ‘Big Bang’ (March 20)
As governments develop their strategies for innovation, they need to look beyond generating good ideas and instead begin to hone their ability to put their best ideas into practice. More from Management Insights.

Want Better Performance? Pay For It. (March 20)
The notion that government employees don't respond to financial incentives doesn't match reality. More from Governing.

Workers Cite Biggest Productivity Barriers (March 20)
Asked to name the single biggest barrier to on-the-job productivity last year, the majority of workers cite being “overloaded,” according to a new poll by LifeCare, Inc.More from LifeCare.

Locate Sample Ordinances, Contracts, RFPs (March 13)
You can use MRSC's search system to locate a wide variety of local government documents. Note the new options to the right of your search results that allow you to limit your results by agency type, population range, region, form and class of government. Watch a brief tutorial to learn more about using our advanced search features.

New Urban Institute Report - Employing and Retaining Older Workers (March 13)
As the U.S. population ages and the number of people reaching traditional retirement ages increases, employers need to do more to attract and retain older workers, many of whom are highly experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled. More from the Urban Institute.

A Time of Testing (March 13)
The municipal bond market is dealing with uncertain times — not of its own making. More from Governing.

Leadership in Law Enforcement (March 13)
Transformational leadership theory is based on the principles of shared leadership, shared vision, and the continuing improvement of the individual. More from The Police Chief.

Benefits for Younger vs. Older Workers (March 06)
A new report by the Segal company reveals fresh insights into the factors that motivate public employees of various ages. More from Governing

Public Sector Must Pay, Stay Competitive (March 06)
To explain the differences in public and private sector compensation, it's important to dig beneath the surface. More from ICMA.

What Does Your CIO Really Need to Know? (March 06)
Chief information officers are responsible for information technology, so that's what they need to know, right? More from Governing.

Bringing a Higher Level of Productivity to the Fire Service (March 06)
Fire departments demonstrate that looking beyond the traditional roles of the fire service and seeking cooperative ventures with law enforcement and other agencies can lead to significant opportunities to greatly enhance fire service productivity. More from Public Management.

Coral Springs, FL, First City to Win Baldrige Award (March 06)
Coral Springs, FL, is the first local government in the nation to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a Presidential honor that recognizes U.S. companies for organizational performance excellence. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Benchmarking Fleet Operations (February 27)
One of the most common areas to benchmark within any government involves fleet accidents and incidents. More from the Public Entity Risk Institute.

Miles to Go (February 27)
Higher prices are driving fleet managers to extend truck life. More from American City & County.

Use of Biodiesel in a Transit Fleet (February 27)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Use of Biodiesel in a Transit Fleet, explores potential benefits offered by biodiesel in order to help transit agencies make informed decisions regarding its use. More from the TRB.

Citizens’ Basic-Services Imperative (February 22)
Mayors have real and significant operational responsibilities. They have to pick up the garbage, plow the snow, clean the parks, and fill the potholes. If they fail to provide these very basic, very visible services, they quickly become ex-mayors. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Five Management Challenges in an Internet-Enabled World (February 22)
The Internet, along with its enabling technologies, has transformed the world and the way we live. However, like all transformations, it brings with it many unique management challenges. More from The Business of Government Magazine.

Little Good News for Cities in President's Budget (February 14)
While there were increases for defense spending and the extension of tax cuts in the $3.1 trillion proposal, there was little good news for cities in the President's fiscal year 2009 budget proposal. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Improving Government Practices without Breaking the Bank (February 14)
These commonsense reforms prove that the perceived dilemma of having to choose higher taxes, service and staff cuts, or the politics of privatization is a false one. More from Governing.

Downgrading Spells Trouble for Muni Bonds (February 14)
Just as governments across the nation are facing declining revenues and increasing demands for services and infrastructure improvements, one of their major sources of revenue may be in jeopardy. More from NACo's County News.

Institutionalizing Mentoring in Police Departments (February 14)
There are three primary goals of a mentoring relationship: to promote professional growth, to inspire personal motivation, and to enhance effectiveness of police service. More from The Police Chief.

King County District Court Wins Award (February 14)
King County's District Court was recognized at the 2008 Washington Technology Industry Association's prestigious Industry Achievement Awards for the development of a new call center system that provides improved service to the community. More from Government Technology.

City Hall and Religion (February 07)
The Government Innovator's Network Web site, City Hall and Religion: An Online Curriculum for Public Managers, was designed as a professional resource for mayors, and other public managers, interested in urban revitalization through cross-sector collaboration.

Management - Efficiency is a Ratio (February 07)
Efficiency is a ratio with not only a denominator for costs but also a numerator for results. Unfortunately, it is much easier to measure the denominator of the efficiency ratio than it is to measure the numerator. More from Bob Behn's Management Report.

Training Video on Pandemic Flu Preparation (February 07)
A new video on pandemic flu preparation has been launched by Public Health Seattle & King County to help businesses, government agencies and community-based organizations prepare for the ongoing threat of what could be a catastrophic, world-wide event. More from Government Technology.

Environment - Powering Down (February 07)
Rising fuel prices, carbon footprints and e-waste have grabbed the attention of state and local government leaders, causing many to turn their operations inside out to reach “green” goals. More from American City & County.

Blog City (January 31)
The trend of engaging residents in government through technology is reshaping the way government works. And, the newest interactive online tools are helping executives communicate with and engage constituents. More from American City & County.

Delete at Your Own Risk (January 31)
Governments need a system for managing their mountains of e-mail. Very few have one. More from Governing.

Guidance for New Police Chiefs (January 31)
New chiefs often step into their new role inadequately prepared for the challenges ahead. A major part of achieving success involves sidestepping the more common pitfalls into which many new chiefs stumble. More from The Police Chief.

DHS Releases New Disaster Response Plan (January 31)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a significantly streamlined disaster response plan that reinstates FEMA’s authority to coordinate federal disaster operations. More from NACo's County News.

A Manager's Guide to Resolving Conflicts (January 24)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, A Manager's Guide to Resolving Conflicts in Collaborative Networks, addresses a critical set of skills—negotiation—needed by all managers involved in collaborative networks.

The State of the Union — Crumbling (January 24)
America's infrastructure is struggling, but from where will the funding and political will come to fix it? More from Stateline.

Issues to Watch (January 24)
In 2008, state legislatures will try to fix everything that went wrong in 2007 from collapsing bridges to mortgage foreclosures. More from Governing.

Networks for Change (January 24)
This week's guests on Smart city are deeply engaged in understanding and building powerful social networks for change. More from Smart City.

Seattle Suburb Endures Growing Pains (January 17)
Once upon a time, Kirkland, Washington, was a quiet bedroom community on the east side of Seattle. Now condos, restaurants and boutiques are popping up, attracting many high-tech employees with discretionary income. More from NPR's Morning Edition

The Meeting Morass (January 09)
There are way too many of them, they take too long and don’t accomplish much. Can meetings be fixed? More from Governing.

Leading a Net (January 09)
Think about our cities and counties—as you see them when you fly over them. A city or county today is actually a complex system of overlapping, interrelating jurisdictions—a net. More from Public Management.

Luck Is Recognizing It (January 09)
Most executives are lucky. Many executives are lucky often. But do they possess the capability to recognize this luck and act on it? More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Capital Planning for Resiliency (January 09)
Capital planning is central to enhancing a locality’s resiliency to extreme events — be they natural or an-made. More from Government Finance Review.

The Five Big Errors of PerformanceStat (December 20)
Bob Behn, faculty chair of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Executive Education program on Driving Government Performance, comments on the five big errors that he has observed in public agency implementations of various "PerformanceStat" program efforts. More from Management Insights.

Extreme Government Makeover (December 20)
What can we learn from the George Foreman grill, Southwest Airlines and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"? More from Governing.

Workers’ Comp Rates will Increase 3.2 Percent (December 20)
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries recently adopted workers’ compensation rates for 2008, increasing premiums by an average of 3.2 percent next year. More from L&I.

A Few Priority Measures—Plus More (December 13)
Public managers need a few priority measures to drive performance plus a lot of other measures to check for honest cheating. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Going Green (December 13)
Local governments are pressuring the federal government by their examples and inventing and applying strategies that are creating new environmental policy, often without mandates. More from Public Management.

Governor Announces Grants to Help Businesses Track Permits (November 28)
Governor Chris Gregoire recently announced $175,000 in grants to support local government efforts to develop electronic permit tracking systems to allow businesses and local leaders to find timely information about the status of land use and development projects. More from the Governor's Office.

Unreconstructed (November 28)
States are poised to spend billions on fixing infrastructure. They might want to fix the construction industry first. More from Governing.

NACo Assistance Available for Energy Tracking, Assessment (November 28)
Counties interested in reducing their energy consumption should take a look at a new and free tool that can help them measure their energy consumption. More from NACo's County News.

Finance - Going after GASB (November 20)
Many public finance officials worry that a series of new accounting rules from the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) will burst their budgets. More from Governing.

Personnel - The Future is Now (November 20)
It's one thing to attract young people to government jobs. It's another to keep them there. More from Governing.

The Danger of Using Too Few Measures (November 06)
The management cliché is unambiguous: "What gets measured gets done." But there is a corollary: "What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done." More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report. ( 268 KB)

A Blueprint for Building the Leadership Pipeline (November 06)
The cascading impact of retirements, the rising expectations among employees for development opportunities, and the need for increased leadership competencies are just some of the management challenges looming in the decade ahead. More from Public Management.

Information Technology - A Vote for Better Design (November 06)
In a digital democracy, designing user-friendly electronic interfaces is a responsibility, not a luxury. More from Governing.

Engaging Citizens in Measuring/Reporting on Community Conditions (November 06)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "Engaging Citizens in Measuring and Reporting Community Conditions: A Manager's Guide," ( 2.98 MB) presents two case studies where government agencies and citizen groups reported their own or their government's performance respectively.

Supercharging the Long-Term Financial Planning Process (November 06)
The City of San Clemente, CA, found that revitalizing an already successful long-term financial planning process to be a valuable exercise in improving the city’s current and projected fiscal health. More from Government Finance Review. ( 8.31 MB)

Fueling Doubts (November 06)
Ethanol and biodiesel may not offer the net environmental benefits many city and counties seek from switching to alternative fuels. More from American City & County.

Management - Focus (October 31)
Being an effective manager doesn’t mean trying to tackle everything. More from Governing.

WCMA Members Build Self-Sustaining Relationships with Counterparts in Poland (October 31)
A number of Washington City/County Management Associaiton (WCMA) members have been working to establish and strengthen self-sustaining relationships with their counterparts in Poland through a wide range of professional and cultural exchange activities. More from ICMA.

eNATOA Seminar - Solving Government Business Problems (October 31)
Solving government business problems using your government or institutional network is the focus of the latest National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) seminar. The November 5 seminar will offer case studies of cutting-edge applications that solve government business problems.

City Finances OK for Now; Storm Clouds Ahead (October 23)
The fiscal condition of the nation’s cities improved in the past year, according to a new report released last week by the National League of Cities. The picture for 2008 is less optimistic with city officials predicting a slowdown in revenues and increased spending pressures. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

King County Recognized for Government Innovation (October 17)
King County is among the winners of this year’s Innovations in American Government Awards at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. More from NACo's County News.

When Disaster Strikes: Dealing with FEMA (October 10)
When disasters happen, there’s little time to bring yourself up to speed on how FEMA works or how it can help you. That’s why we’ve prepared this quick overview of FEMA to keep handy before disaster strikes. More from NACo's County News.

Report on Baltimore's CitiStat Program (October 10)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "What All Mayors Would Like to Know About Baltimore’s CitiStat Performance Strategy," summarizes and presents the questions most frequently posed to citiStat staff and to Mayor Martin O'Malley. More from the IBM Center for the Business of Government.

Online Risk Management Basics Courses Offered (October 10)
The Risk Management Basics for Local Governments series of online courses from the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) were developed to train employees and managers of small to medium sized public entities on the essential elements of risk management and insurance. More from PERI.

Performance Measurement - Visual Effects (October 03)
Using graphics to present performance data can help make the case for policy or budget changes. More from Governing.

Workforce Planning Guide (October 03)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "Seven Steps of Effective Workforce Planning," (674 KB) provides a framework for understanding the basic elements of workforce planning.

Washington’s Minimum Wage to Increase on Jan. 1 (October 03)
Washington’s minimum wage will increase 14 cents to $8.07 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2008. More from L&I News.

Performance Measures - The Fewer the Better (September 19)
How many performance measures does your agency have? If it has too many measures, it has no measures. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report (169 KB).

Many Happy Returns (September 19)
By adopting energy savings performance contracts, local governments can save money and update antiquated and inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and other similar systems in public buildings without tapping into capital funds. More from American City & County.

Management - The Struggle to Streamline (September 11)
States are trying to make social and health services intake and screening more efficient. Outsourcing may not be the answer. More from Governing.

Proof of Delivery (September 11)
As electronic communications grow in volume and importance, government officials should take measures to ensure that their messages are protected. More from American City & County.

The Young and the Restless (September 05)
There are proven ways to recruit and retain the emerging generation. Most states and localities don’t seem to know about them. More from Governing.

City-School Joint Use Agreements Maximize Space, Minimize Costs (September 05)
Joint use agreements between cities and schools have been gaining popularity as local governments and school districts recognize the cost and space benefits of facility sharing. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Smart Growth: The Opportunity for Managers to Lead (September 05)
Seven ways that local government managers can introduce and implement best practices for smart growth in their communities. More from Public Management.

Management - Binding Constraints (August 28)
To improve performance, public executives need to identify and fix their organization's one or two binding constraints. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report (204 KB).

Energy - Powering Down (August 28)
Can utilities make money on energy efficiency? More from Governing.

Rx for Sick Leave (August 22)
It's time for public officials to take a hard look at how sick leave fits into their government's overall compensation and human resources programs, including retiree medical benefits funding. More from Governing.

High-Tech Storage for Old Paper Records (August 22)
In an effort to reduce storage space needed for records and integrate them with searchable computer databases, agencies are turning to electronic document management (EDM) technology to transfer paper records into a digital format. More from American City & County.

Update on LEOFF 2 Pension Rates (August 22)
On pages 40-41 of MRSC's Budget Suggestions for 2008 publication, we have pension rate tables, with a footnote that LEOFF 2 rates would increase from those shown, effective 9/1/2007, due to 2007 legislation. An article in the August 16, 2007 AWC Legislative Bulletin, "LEOFF 2 Board Adopts Supplemental Rate Increase," provides more information on these changes.

Web Sightings - Neighborhood Web Sites (August 15)
Many local governments have developed neighborhood programs to provide funding and technical assistance to neighborhood organizations. This month we have selected a few national neighborhood organizations and a sampling of sites from Washington cities and counties. The topic for this month's Web Sightings is Neighborhood Web Site Resources:

• Bellevue Neighborhood Outreach - Neighborhood matching fund, enhancement program, neighborhood associations, and monthly newsletter
• Bellingham’s Neighborhoods - Information on city neighborhoods
• Northern Neighbors - Private Bellingham area Website
• Clark County Neighborhood Outreach Program - Includes neighborhood association directory
• Everett Office of Neighborhoods - Includes neighborhood grants and links to associations
• Kirkland Neighborhood Services - Links to neighborhood associations, programs and services, and neighborhood toolkit
• Olympia Neighborhood Programs - Links to recognized neighborhood associations and neighborhood recognition program
• Redmond Neighborhood Matching Fund
• Renton Neighborhoods - Program includes grants
• Seattle Neighborhoods on the Net - Links to Web sites of neighborhood organizations and chambers of commerce
• Seattle Neighborhood Matching Funds - This award-winning grant program has funded a wide array of neighborhood projects, plans, and studies since its inception in 1989.
• Spokane Neighborhood Services -
• Spokane City Web sites - Links to neighborhoods and
• Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane County -
• Tacoma’s Neighborhoods
• Vancouver Neighborhoods - Links to neighborhood associations, action plans, neighborhood toolbox, and Office of Neighborhoods
• Wenatchee Neighborhood Program and Neighborhood Matching Grant

GASB Gone Too Far? (August 01)
In May, Texas passed a law blocking the Norwalk, Conn.-based Governmental Accounting Standards Board's (GASB) new rule requiring governments to disclose their expected costs for retired workers' health care. More from American City & County.

Home Is Where Your Work Is (July 10)
Telecommuting can be a great way to reduce pollution and traffic, decrease costs, increase productivity, boost job satisfaction and retain talent. When done right, that is, but attitudes create obstacles. Read more on telework from Governing's Managing Technology Newsletter..

The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0 (June 29)
An examination of blogging; a growing tool for promoting online and offline engagement of citizens and public servants. Th author, David C. Wyld develops a set of lessons learned and a checklist of best practices for public managers interested in following in their footsteps. Read the Report from the IBM Center for Business and Government

Washington Model Rules for Disclosure of Electronic Records (June 28)
After an extended period of review, during which substantial public comment was solicited, the Model Rules dealing with public disclosure of electronic records have been issued. These additions to the current Model Rules will go into effect on July 16, 2007. We suggest that you print out a copy and keep them handy. Link to the new rules.

Improving the Government Brand (June 21)
With the impending retirement of the Baby Boomers in government services, how can government attract necessary talent? Read this week's Management Insights Column from Governing.

Latest Report from Governing's Citizens and Performance Project (June 11)
The latest report, Data-Driven Decisions, shows how various governments are using performance measurement to drive budget decisions.  Performance measurement helps legislators and city council members link budget dollars more closely to results.

Keys to Technology Success: Management, Leadership (June 04)
When it comes to solving the problems of state and local governments and delivering services, technology isn’t the answer. The consensus at Governing’s Managing Technology 2007 conference was that the proper management of technology will help governments innovate and improve citizen services. For summary see  News from Governing’s Managing Technology 2007

2007-2009 Local Records Grant Program (May 30)
The Office of Secretary of State, Washington State Archives, is once again offering their Local Records Grant Program for the 2007-09 biennium. A new website contains information, instructions, forms and a guidebook.

2010 Census Local Update of Census Addresses Program (May 30)
The Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program is a 2010 Decennial Census Program that will provide the opportunity for state, county, local and tribal governments to review and update the Census Bureau’s Master Address File and geographic database for the 2010 Census.

The Tacit Knowledge of Leadership (May 30)
You can no more teach someone to be a leader than you can teach someone to ride a bike. You can only help them to learn. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Technology - Pulling it Together (May 30)
By linking Enterprise Asset Management and Geographic Information System technologies, several departments can see others' assets and coordinate maintenance tasks more easily. More from American City & County.

Performance Measurement E-Newsletter (May 23)
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recently launched a new free monthly e-newsletter on performance measurement. More from ICMA.

Budding controversy (May 23)
What do park maintenance workers who spend the summer mowing ball fields and clearing debris from trails do in the winter when parks are scarcely used? More from American City and County.

Technology - Making a Splash (May 23)
When IT is outsourced, a CIO will do almost anything to meld public and private workforces. More from Governing.

New ADA Technical Assistance Materials (May 15)
The Department of Justice recently released new technical assistance materials to help state and local governments comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). More from Government Technology.

Law Enforcement - Interagency Information Sharing (May 15)
The public rightly expects that criminal justice agencies and especially law enforcement agencies at all levels of government will cooperate and share information seamlessly. More from The Police Chief.

Your Budget: From Axe to Aim (May 09)
Budgeting for outcomes (BFO) is a budget process that aligns resources with results produced. Instead of starting with the previous year’s budget and justifying increases from that base, BFO starts with a set of results and encourages creative ways of achieving them. More from Public Management.

Diversity Training Helps Local Inclusiveness (May 09)
Many municipalities are taking a proactive approach to promoting inclusion and preventing discrimination by using diversity trainings for city staff. Diversity trainings address tensions, enhance understanding among personnel and improve service to community residents. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Court Approves Agreements among Cities for Court Services (May 03)
In a May 3 decision (City of Medina v. Primm), the state supreme court upheld interlocal agreements by a number of cities to share municipal court facilities. The supreme court determined that each municipal court had the authority to hear cases outside the geographical boundaries of their respective city.

The Disability Dilemma (May 01)
Police officers and firefighters injured in the line of duty receive generous benefits. Can localities afford to keep paying for them? More from Governing.

Great GASB? (April 24)
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board takes another step on a controversial plan to incorporate states' performance data. Now critics are calling for the end of GASB altogether. More from Governing.

Measuring Individual Contributions (April 18)
How can a public manager figure out who is making a significant contribution to the agency's success if no one has defined success? More from Bob Behn's Management Report.

Keeping Personal Data Safe (April 10)
Governments need the speed and efficiency that electronic records provide and need to be able to share that information between agencies and levels of government. But the onus is on them to protect that information. More from Governing.

Service-Delivery Completion Targets (March 13)
Selection of performance targets for service delivery has important implications both for how agency employees behave and how citizens evaluate the agency’s competence. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report (224KB).

Numbers, Crunched (March 13)
If budgets are financial plans, then Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) tell you what happened to the plan. So why don’t more people pay attention to them? More from Governing.

Preserving and Using Institutional Memory (March 07)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Preserving and Using Institutional Memory through Knowledge Management Practices, examines practices for the effective organization, management, and transmission of materials, knowledge, and resources that are in the unique possession of individual offices and employees. More from the TRB.

IRS Taxable Fringe Benefits Guide (February 22)
The Internal Revenue Service's Taxable Fringe Benefits Guide (382KB) explains which employee fringe benefits related to travel and non-travel issues are taxable and reportable under the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, and procedures.

Serving Constituents, Saving Dollars (February 22)
The service delivery and process efficiencies that can be gained from a Constituent Relationship Management system can increase a government's savings beyond the hard-dollar savings from call center consolidation. More from Government Finance Review (5KB).

Information Technology - Avoiding Fitful Starts (February 14)
Armed with a well-crafted plan that identifies organizational and end users' needs, IT department officials can successfully replace a legacy computer system with a large enterprise resource planning or geographic information system that is widely endorsed by elected officials and staff. More from American City & County.

The Responsibility to Craft Purposes (February 06)
Leaders, whether by exercising formal authority or by taking the intitiative, mold people's beliefs, thoughts, and desires into a coherent whole--a strategy that they can collectively pursue. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Local Governments Benefit by Participation in the 2010 Census (February 06)
The U.S. Census Bureau has begun mailing informational booklets to all state, local and tribal governments asking for their assistance in providing updated addresses for their communities, part of an early, concerted effort to make the 2010 Census as accurate as possible. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

What's IT Worth? (January 31)
From Wichita, Kan., to Washington, D.C., governments are pressed to prove the value of their information-technology spending. More from American City & County.

Beyond Benchmarks (January 31)
Many cities and counties that have implemented benchmarking have gleaned new, valuable best practices from peer cities, resulting in greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings. More from American City & County.

Performance Measurement - A Results Battle Royal (January 18)
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board considers urging states to report performance results — and kicks off a slugfest. More from Governing.

Seven Big Lessons for Local Governments (January 10)
Otis White shares his list of "seven big lessons for local governments" based on some 1200 "Urban Notebook" columns he has written for Governing Magazine.

Performance Measurement - "Stat" Fever (January 10)
The practice of collecting data to monitor and improve government performance continues to gain momentum and evolve. More from Governing.

Unloading Assets (January 10)
Cities and states are selling off bits and pieces of infrastructure. Is it a sweet deal or a mistake? More from Governing.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (January 10)
The 2006 State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (11.7MB), published by the U.S. Census Bureau, offers a convenient summary of statistics on the social and economic structure of the states, metropolitan areas, and micropolitan areas in the United States.

Do You Know What You Own? (January 03)
A surprising number of states and localities don’t have the kind of inventory of their assets that a decent shoe store has. More from Governing.

Pulling in the Money (January 03)
Although collecting outstanding debts can be difficult for local governments that focus primarily on providing services to their communities, some simple steps can dramatically increase the collection rate. More from American City & County.

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.

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 (3.7MB).

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.

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.

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.

Phone Banks (November 22)
Since the late 1990s, a growing number of local governments have built 311 call centers to field customer service requests. Until recently, most operated their own, stand-alone 311 systems, but that approach may be changing. More from Government Technology.

A Search for Fairness in the Disciplinary Process (November 14)
There are few issues among law enforcement personnel that can raise more concern, debate, rancor, and sometimes outright dissension than that of employee discipline--both the manner in which agencies investigate specific allegations of employee misconduct, and the way in which disciplinary penalties are determined. More from The Police Chief.

Performance Measurement - Speed Limits (November 08)
Response time is the easiest but not necessarily the best measure of performance. More from Governing.

Managerial Perception Gap (November 08)
According to a recent survey, most public managers rated their management performance as either "excellent" or "good." Unfortunately, their employees don't rate them quite as highly. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Closing in on Records Management (October 25)
Defining what your agency means by "records" is as important as the systems that manage them. More from Government Computer News.

An Exit Strategy for Local Governments (October 17)
What services or subsidies should cities get out of? Ask yourself this question: 'If we were not in this already, would we now go into it?' And if the answer is 'no,' the next question should be: 'How do we get out and how fast?' More from Civic Strategies.

Cities Cautiously Optimistic About Fiscal Health (October 17)
Like the millions of Americans they represent, U.S. cities were able to pay their bills this year, but are concerned about how rising costs will affect their long-term financial stability, according to a report released last week by the National League of Cities. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Mayor-Manager Merger (October 03)
Council-manager cities and strong-mayor cities aren’t polar opposites anymore. Most cities have aspects of both systems. More from Governing.

How Local Government Managers See Leadership Differently (October 03)
If you want to understand what leadership really is, why not ask local government managers? A recent research project did just that. More from Public Management Magazine.

CompStat: Managing Performance on the Pathway to Leadership (October 03)
Since the CompStat process was introduced by the New York City Police Department in 1994, it has been widely adopted and is partly responsible for contributing to significant improvements. More from The Police Chief.

Plugged in? (September 26)
Despite years afloat in a digital sea, government workers say that when it comes to managing their documents, they cling to familiar shores. If it's important, they want a paper copy. More from Government Technology.

Fewer Cities Increase Outsourced Services (September 20)
The National League of Cities' 2005 survey of city fiscal conditions found that the percentage of municipalities that have increased the amount of contracted services has been declining steadily, from nearly 29 percent in 1999 to 4.4 percent in 2005. More from American City & County.

When Boomers Retire (September 20)
A number of states are looking to career-building programs to grow their workforces of the future. More from Governing.

The Use of "Lean" in Local Government (September 12)
How can local governments make continuous cost reduction a reality without undermining the value they deliver? "Lean," a philosophy that seeks the involvement of workers in the elimination of waste and the adding of value, is one answer. More from Public Management.

Performance Matters (August 15)
Although performance measurement is an increasingly popular management tool that helps local governments meet community goals, employees sometimes need extra support to embrace this process. More from Public Management.

The Fine Art of Reporting Results (August 01)
A growing number of localities are experimenting with alternatives to annual financial reports to inform citizens about government performance. More from Governing.

Linking Performance Measurements to Customer Expectations (August 01)
The Balanced Scorecard has helped so many organizations to produce positive results that business experts have acknowledged it as one of the best management tools of the 20th Century. More from the Public Entity Risk Institute.

Promoting a Culture of Ethics at City Hall (August 01)
Local government organizations need strategies to inform, inspire and encourage individuals to act ethically - and also to hold them accountable when they do not. More from Western City.

Effecting Change: Avoiding the Pitfalls (July 26)
What is it that causes even the simplest organizational changes to inspire anger, pessimism, and resistance and how can organizations create successful, lasting change? More from The Police Chief.

AWC Recognizes Winning Cities (July 26)
The Association of Washington Cities recently announced its 2006 Municipal Achievement, Diversity Champion and WellCity award winners. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Teams, Individuals, and Rewards (July 18)
Why should we expect more cooperation and teamwork in our organizations when most of the rewards and recognition go to individuals? More from Management Insights.

Management - Don’t Ask (July 18)
The more thoroughly you measure the depths of any problem, the bigger that problem will appear to be. More from Governing.

Moving to Performance-Based Management (July 13)
By creating learning environments in which performance measures are regularly reviewed and discussed, organizations can improve the rapidity of learning and decision making, improve performance, and facilitate broader cultural change. More from Government Finance Review (4mb).

Report on Organizational Performance Accountability (June 20)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "Performance Accountability: The Five Building Blocks and Six Essential Practices" sets forth tools and techniques for constructing effective performance measurement systems for organizations.

Supreme Court Narrows Speech Protection Rights for Public Employees (June 20)
The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment provides no protection for speech made by public employees in the course of their official job duties in a 5 - 4 decision on May 30. More from NACo's County News.

City Practices Database (June 13)
The National City Network's searchable "City Practices Database" contains information on over 2,200 programs from around the country that cities have implemented on a variety of issues from after school programs to transportation initiatives.

Putting More Blues on the Street (June 13)
Want more police officers but don't have the money? The answer for a growing number of places: some kind of civilian force. More from Civic Strategies.

Performance Measurement - Rivals with a Cause (June 06)
Comparing local government practices and performance among neighboring communities is rare but rewarding. More from Governing.

Web Sightings - Public-Private Partnerships (June 06)
To augment limited public funding resources, local governments are collaborating with private businesses to provide a range of projects, including transportation and parks facilities and economic development activities. The topic for this month's Web Sightings is Public-Private partnerships:

• National Council for Public-Private Partnerships - NCPPP’s mission is to facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships at the federal, state and local levels and to raise the awareness of the means by which their cooperation can provide cost-effective public services and facilities. Includes information on how partnerships work.
• Public Private Partnerships, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Public Private Partnership A Guide for Local Government (Canada), 1999
• Project for Public Spaces, Public/Private Partnerships
• U.S. Conference of Mayors Public-Private Partnership Awards, 2005
• ICMA Program Excellence Awards, includes Community Partnerships category
• King County Partnership for Parks Initiative and "King County receives prestigious public-private partnership award," March 2006
• Seattle Public-Private Partnership Review
• Public-Private Partnerships in Seattle, League of Women Voters, May 2001

Rising Energy Costs Spur County Innovation (June 06)
In response to soaring energy costs, counties have been getting creative in devising ways to cut energy costs in their buildings and vehicles. More from NACo's County News.

Fleet Management - Hybrid Investment (June 06)
Hybrid vehicle sales are soaring despite risks that they may not show expected returns. More from American City & County.

Eliminating Silos in Government (May 31)
Despite many state and local officials lamenting the problem of silos in their governments, many still exist. More from Management Insights.

Mapping the Future (May 31)
Will geospatial Web applications change the way local governments present information to the public? More from Government Technology.

Government Technology - Critical Decisions (May 31)
Local governments are exploring how Internet protocol (IP) telephone service can better serve residents, improve efficiency and save money. More from American City & County.

New Law Authorizes Posting of Interlocal Agreements (May 24)
A new state law (Ch 32, Laws of 2006) provides, as an alternative to filing interlocal agreements with the county auditor, that public agencies may now post them on their web site or other electronically retrievable public source. More from MRSC.

Pandemic Flu Simulation: Implications for the Public/Private Sectors (May 24)
A report from Booz Allen Hamilton (129kb) concludes that telecommunications will likely be overwhelmed early in the pandemic; therefore, government and businesses must coordinate and plan for the use of alternative communications channels--and telecommuting will not be a viable option.

How to Implement Shared Leadership (May 16)
Creating a cross-functional steering team can be an effective method of engaging the talents and experience of employees more directly in the decision-making process of an organization. More from The Police Chief.

Privatization - Short on Oversight (May 10)
States and localities are outsourcing more of their services, but management of the contracts is in dire need of an upgrade. More from Governing.

The Changing Face of Police Leadership (May 10)
If our ideas about leadership in the past tended to revolve around the solitary heroic figure, the leadership of our future will be defined by inspired teamwork. More from The Police Chief.

Information Technology - Paying the Minimum (May 10)
Managing software licenses can be a demanding task, even for small local governments, and penalties for violating licensing laws are stiff. More from American City & County.

It's the Network (May 10)
The National League of Cities' (NLC) "National Cities Network" Web site is designed to be a gateway for cities and towns countrywide to learn about city issues and share information. More from Government Technology.

Ivy League Training Available to Government Employees (April 26)
eCornell recently announced the signing of a distribution agreement with the National Technical Information Service to provide discounted tuition for online management training and executive development to government employees at the federal, state, and local levels. More from Government Technology.

County Saves by Buying High-Tech Equipment on eBay (April 26)
St. Louis County, Minn., recently made headlines with a pilot program using eBay to purchase $250,000 worth of communications equipment for its sheriff’s department - for about $20,000. More from NACo's County News.

Truck Emission Standards Set to Tighten in 2007 (April 26)
By next year, emission level requirements for new diesel trucks are going to tighten substantially, raising sticker prices and operation costs. More from American City & County.

NLC Report Defines New Typology for Cities (April 18)
A report from the National League of Cities (NLC), From Meltingpot Cities to Boomtowns: Redefining How We Talk about America’s Cities (1141kb), analyzes data from nearly 1,000 cities and defines a new typology for cities to assist policy makers and researchers.

Aerial Imaging Swoops Low Down (April 18)
A new aerial imaging technology helps law enforcement and other government agencies prepare for high-security events, respond to emergencies, and pick up after disasters. More from Wired Magazine.

Best Practices for Managing Professional Services Contracts (April 12)
A report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Effectively Managing Professional Services Contracts: 12 Best Practices (442kb), gleans best practices for managing professional services contracts currently used by successful government managers.

Trust, Leadership, and Courage: Keys to Local Innovation (April 12)
Robert O’Neill, ICMA Executive Director, brings his broad experience in local government to answer the question, "What does it take to innovate at the local level?" More from Governing.

Tracking Team (April 04)
If the physical condition of a neighborhood is a significant indicator of its overall health, then few cities in the country are taking the measure of neighborhood well-being quite as accurately as Worcester, Massachusetts. More from Governing.

Comprehensive E-Government Bibliography (March 29)
The E-Governance Institute at Rutgers University's National Center for Public Productivity has compiled a comprehensive collection of articles, papers, and books on the subject of electronic government. More from the E-Governance Institute.

Citizen/Employee Organizational Assessment Survey in Skagit County (March 29)
Washington State University's Division of Governmental Studies and Services recently conducted an organizational assessment survey for Skagit County to provide information on how citizens and employees of the county view budget priorities and policy issues. More from Skagit County.

New Technologies Let Locals Customize Applications (March 21)
Recent advancements in technology allow even small local governments to customize their applications to match existing processes and operational changes. More from American City & County.

WAstats Data Directory Available for Review & Testing (March 16)
The Statewide Information Coordination Consortium is pleased to announce the initial test release of WAstats - the Washington State Data Directory prototype. WAstats is a web-based, searchable directory of data sources for frequent users of government data in Washington State. Be sure to take the survey to help WAstats meet your data needs.

Census Bureau Report on the Effects of Affirmative Action (March 16)
A report from the U.S. Census Bureau, Affirmative Action: What Do We Know? (117kb), reviews the research evidence on the effects of affirmative action in employment, university admissions and government procurement.

Performance Measurement - Plugging In (March 07)
Performance measures are finally being taken out of the box and applied to agency plans and budgets. More from Governing.

Web Sightings - Grant Funding Resources (March 07)
Are you looking for federal or state grants to support local government activities? These sites can help to point you in the right direction:

Federal and General

• MRSC’s page on Grant Resources for Washington Local Governments is a great starting point
• Grants.gov - A portal to access grant funds available through the Federal government
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance - Financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by the Federal government
• Finding Federal Funding - Information Resource Center, The Finance Project - Emphasis on resources for children, families, and communities
• TGCI (The Grantsmanship Center) Funding Resources - Links to federal, state and community foundation resources

• Grant and Loan Programs in Washington State - MRSC - List of programs by agency
• Infrastructure Funding Source Data Base - Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) - A useful resource for locating infrastructure funding or technical assistance in Washington State
• AWC Grant Alert Newsletter - Access to past issues and other grant resources
• Grants Resources for Washington Nonprofits - TGCI (The Grantsmanship Center)

• Parks and Recreation - MRSC
• Economic Development - MRSC
• Housing - MRSC
• Pierce County Environmental Grant Resources
• Transportation – State and Federal Grants and Loans - MRSC

New Computer Based, Multi-Media Support for Local Access Channels (March 07)
"Telvue Virtual Television Networks," a new cable network of local-government access channels, is using the convenience of the Internet and the popularity of television to help municipalities better communicate with their residents. To learn more, visit www.tvtn.tv.

Flexible Schedules Help Keep Baby Boomers on Board (March 07)
Flexible work arrangements that meet the needs of employers and retirement phasers will become standard practice as more members of the Boomer generation become eligible for retirement. More from American City & County.

A Manager's Guide to Citizen Engagement (February 14)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, "Public Deliberation: A Manager’s Guide to Citizen Engagement," (605kb) documents a range of tools and techniques to increase citizens’ involvement in communities and government.

Web Sightings - GIS (February 08)
Geographic information systems (GIS) provide critical information across a growing range of local government agencies and functions. Here are a few of our favorite national and Washington GIS sites:

• MRSC's GIS Web page
• GIS Policy and Legislation - National Association of Counties
• Geographic Information Systems - International City/County Management Association
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency GIS site
• ChooseWashington.com - GIS tool for promoting businesses to locate in Washington
• Washington State GeoSpatial Clearinghouse - Spatial information for Washington State provided by the University of Washington Libraries
• Dictionary of Abbreviations and Acronyms in GIS, Cartography and Remote Sensing - UC Berkeley Library
• Environmental Systems Research Institute - One of the top corporate GIS sites with extensive information about products and applications
• King County Department of Development and Environmental Services, Geographical Information Systems Section - Includes online information, documents, GIS map projects, and GIS news and King County GIS Parcel Locators
• Walla Walla GIS - Walla Walla was selected as the recipient of the GIS 2005 Special Achievement Award (SAG) for the state of Washington at a recent ESRI Conference
• Lewis County GIS - Another past GIS award winner

Expert Exodus (February 08)
As baby boomers retire, governments are trying to keep knowledge and experience from going out the door with them. More from Governing.

Succession Planning: Mentoring Your Replacement (February 08)
As police chiefs face another generational change in the workplace, it is their responsibility to train and prepare replacements. More from The Police Chief.

Pandemic Flu - Continuity of Government (January 31)
Seattle and King County's Pandemic Flu Web page offers information on continuity of government issues that should be addressed by local agencies.

Moving from Outputs to Outcomes (January 31)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Moving from Outputs to Outcomes: Practical Advice from Governments Around the World, identifies what needs to be done in terms of both small steps and large steps that have had success in reorienting government systems to an outcome approach.

Can Empowerment Work in Police Organizations? (January 31)
Control-oriented management approaches fail to recognize that police work is, and always has been, highly discretionary. More from The Police Cheif.

End Annual Personnel Appraisals? (January 25)
Most organizations--private, public and nonprofit--engage in the annual ritual of performance appraisal. Yet few believe that it accomplishes very much. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Information Technology - Spend with Caution (January 25)
As most public sector budgets improve, IT managers should remember the valuable lessons learned about fiscal discipline and management during lean times. More from American City & County.

New Ask MRSC E-newsletter (January 18)
Ask MRSC is a free, subscription-based, monthly e-mail newsletter featuring answers to selected questions received by our consultant staff. It's one more way for you to stay informed on current issues affecting city and county government. View a sample issue or go directly to our subscription page and sign up to receive Ask MRSC today. It's free!

New Ask MRSC E-newsletter (January 18)
Ask MRSC is a free, subscription-based, monthly e-mail newsletter featuring answers to selected questions received by our consultant staff. It's one more way for you to stay informed on current issues affecting city and county government. View a sample issue or go directly to our subscription page and sign up to receive Ask MRSC today. It's free!

Baldrige Award Comes to State and Local Government (January 18)
Beginning in 2006, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program will expand to state and local government with a one year pilot program.

Web Sightings 2005 (January 18)
In case you missed them, here's a look back at 2005's Web Sightings:

• Takings and Property Rights
• Performance Measurement
• Historic Preservation
• Smart Growth
• Parking
• Finding Demographic Information
• Climate Change
• Emergency Management
• Ending Homelessness
• City and County Impact Fees

Information Technology - Cutting the Cords (January 11)
Wire-bound e-government is slowly evolving into m-government, which provides data for a mobile workforce. More from American City & County.

Risk and Reward in Local Government Management (January 04)
Enterprise risk management seeks to develop an organization that can take advantage of opportunities and can act quickly and effectively to minimize the adverse consequences of unexpected challenges. More from Public Management.

A Simple Solution (January 04)
Success can depend as much on tweaking the way people use tools as on what those tools are. More from Governing.

Risk Management - Free Online Training Courses Offered by PERI (December 28)
The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) is rolling out the first of its new collection of E-Training courses featuring a range of risk management topics. More from PERI.

King County Parks Taking Citizen Feedback Online (December 20)
King County parks users now have an open line to parks managers when they fill out an Internet survey at the county's parks and recreation survey site. More from Government Technology.

Let's Outsource the Whole City! (December 15)
Are there limits to what local governments can contract out? We may know soon. An Atlanta suburb has decided to privatize virtually its entire government, and it has turned to a single company (CH2M Hill) to manage everything from tax collection to street maintenance. More from Civic Strategies.

NLC's National City Network (December 15)
The National City Network, a service of the National League of Cities (NLC), is an easy-to-use comprehensive resource that connects city leaders and engaged citizens with the knowledge needed to build stronger communities.

Police Turnover (December 15)
High turnover rates have threatened many police agencies' ability to keep a sufficient number of well-trained, experienced officers on-duty. More from The Police Chief.

2005 Digital Cities Survey (December 15)
The Center for Digital Government recently announced the results of its fifth annual Digital Cities Survey. The survey examines and assesses how city governments are utilizing information technology to operate and deliver quality service to their customers and citizens.

Technology - Working Wirelessly (November 22)
Local governments nationwide have found innovative ways to leverage wireless networks to increase employee productivity, enhance public safety and improve services. More from American City & County.

Telecommuting - The Quiet Success (November 17)
A recent study from the Reason Foundation, "The Quiet Success: Telecommuniting's Impact on Transportation and Beyond," (100kb) shows that people working from home now outnumber mass transit commuters in 27 of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas.

Performance Audits - Time for a Check Up (November 03)
An independent performance audit can help an agency deliver services more efficiently and effectively. More from Governing.

The Firefighter's Calculator (November 03)
A new cost-savings calculator by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Foundation helps fire departments determine the dollar value of their services so they can make the case to legislators and local officials for community funding. More from NVFC.

Cash Management Technology Survey Results (October 25)
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and JPMorgan recently surveyed more than 900 state and local government finance officials about their use of collection and disbursement technologies, online banking services, and fraud prevention tools. More from Government Finance Review (4445kb).

Creating a New Future for a Downsizing Organization (October 25)
Local government executives face more than a financial challenge in cutting budgets. An even bigger dilemma for executives is the leadership challenge of crafting a new and vital future for the downsizing organization. More from Public Management.

Complying with HAVA Mandates (October 25)
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) imposes numerous mandates on states and counties related to the administration of federal elections. Most of these requirements kick in on Jan. 1, 2006. More from NACo's County News.

New GPS Applications Track Moving Targets (October 19)
Global Positioning Systems have long been used by local governments to map street lines, coordinate pothole repairs and keep track of other stationary features. Now, they are beginning to track moving targets. More from Governing.

Facilities Maintenance - Building a Plan (September 21)
What city and county managers need to know to create an effective facilities maintenance and capital plan. More from American City & County.

Financial Management - Slimming Down (September 12)
"Lean thinking," is an approach to organizational improvement that helps cities and counties save money by making quick, yet efficient changes. More from American City & County.

Performance Measurement - Apples to Umbrellas (September 12)
Criteria and formulas for basic performance measures are so varied, comparing data from one state to another is often a fruitless exercise. More from Governing.

Free Webinar on Records Management for Paper and E-Mail (August 30)
ZyLAB, the Center for Digital Government and Government Technology will host a free Webinar for government IT professionals responsible for complying with an array of information management standards and initiatives. More from Government Technology.

Fleet Management - Driving Forces (August 30)
High oil prices are not the only thing fueling demand for hybrid vehicles by public fleet managers. More from American City and County.

Budgeting for Basics: The Changing Landscape of City Finances (August 24)
A new study from the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program examines the finances of 162 cities from 1977-the year before California's momentous Proposition 13 tax cut sparked a national property tax revolt-to 2000. More from the Brookings Institution.

Fleet Management - Fueling up for Winter (August 16)
While summer is still the best time to purchase energy, buyers should focus on price shopping as early as possible to get the best deals. More from American City & County.

Innovations in American Government Award Winners Announced (August 16)
Six groundbreaking government initiatives have won the Innovations in American Government Award sponsored by Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. More from Government Technology.

Coming Soon - New Finance Advisor Column (July)
MRSC has joined with Toni Nelson, Small Cities Specialist, State Auditor's Office, Gayla Gjertsen, Finance Director, City of Tumwater, and Mike Bailey, Finance Director, City of Lynnwood, to bring you a new monthly "Finance Advisor" column. MRSC's first Finance Advisor column is coming soon.

Do More Police = Less Crime? (July 19)
This may sound like a dumb question, but if your city could put more police officers on the street would it mean less crime? Thanks to a pair of enterprising academics, now we know. More from Civic Strategies.

Inventing Civic Solutions (July 19)
"Inventing Civic Solutions," from the Pew Partnership, is a how-to guide on launching and sustaining successful community programs. More from the Pew Partnership.

Official Population Figures Released by OFM (July 13)
The April 1, 2005 population figures (34kb), used for distribution of state-shared revenues, have been released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM).

Management - Loving a Loser (July 06)
Award-winning programs usually spawn copycats, but there may be good ideas to replicate from innovative projects that falter. More from Governing.

On the Money - Creating Budgets Based on Targeted Results (June 29)
There's a new money game in town — budgeting for outcomes — and several local and state governments say it has helped them reduce deficits, use revenue more effectively and increase taxpayer confidence. More from American City & County.

If You Don't Count, Your Park Won't Count (June 21)
Most park managers feel that because they aren’t in the profit business, counting park users is an expense and a headache that they don’t need. This attitude is wrong. More from Parks & Recreation.

Nursing Budgets over Case of High Fuel Cost (June 21)
Many cities and counties budgeted for higher fuel prices this year. Little did they know the average increase would be 42 percent for gasoline and 57 percent for diesel fuel. More from American City & County.

King County Library System Receives Award of Excellence (June 21)
A winning public relations program gave the King County Library System an edge over its challengers in this year's prestigious Silver Anvil Award competition, sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America. More from Government Technology.

The Next Great Urban Crisis (June 15)
If you like disaster stories, then we have a doozy for you. It's a problem so great that Fortune magazine recently described it as "a time bomb quietly ticking away in the netherlands of state and local government." More from Civic Strategies.

Fleet Management - Fuel for Thought (June 15)
Cost of operation will be the deciding factor when local fleets choose between diesel and alternative fuels. More from American City & County.

New Emission Standards for County Fleets will Fuel Budget Increases (June 07)
Is your county prepared for the next generation of emission standards? Polk County, Fla. fleet manager gives you the inside scoop. More from NACo's County News.

NLC City Showcase Features Programs that Save Money (June 07)
The 2004 City Showcase at The National League of Cities' (NLC) Congress of Cities featured a number of programs that highlighted how cities and towns are streamlining municipal services, improving the exchange of information and saving money. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

For the Record (June 01)
As governments increasingly rely on electronic information systems, the ability to produce digital records has far outstripped their ability to manage and preserve them, raising difficult new questions about how to maintain a complete account of government activities. More from Government Technology.

Information Technology - Performance Anxiety (June 01)
When it comes to information technology, states and localities have 21st-century visions but only 20th-century performance practices. More from Governing.

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

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.

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.

Taking Back the Trash (April 25)
The reasons that caused some communities to contract out solid waste services may be the same reasons for bringing them back in. More from American City & County.

Web Sightings - Performance Measurement (April 06)
Between Tim Eyman's latest initiative filing and the state legislature's interest, the subject of performance measurement and auditing has been much in the news. You can learn more about measuring the performance of government programs and services at these Web sites:

National Performance Measurement Web Sites

• ICMA Center for Performance Measurement - The Center helps local governments measure, compare, and improve municipal service delivery and administers the Comparative Performance Measurement Program, which assists over 100 cities and counties in the US and Canada.
• Governmental Accounting Standards Board - Performance Measurement for Government - Very comprehensive site addressing results-based reporting and management tools for government.
• National Center for Public Productivity Performance Measurement Manuals - Includes general guides as well as those from federal, state, and local governments.

• Bellevue 2003 Annual Performance Report
• Kent Performance Measurement
• King County Performance Measurement Initiative
• Lynnwood Performance Management System
• Snohomish County SnoStat: Performance Measurement

Performance-Based Contracting (April 06)
The Promise and Pitfalls of Performance-Based Contracting (329kb) focuses on contracting services out to non-governmental organizations and the use of outcome-based performance management techniques to improve the work of nonprofit service providers in New York City.

ADA Guide for Small Towns (March 29)
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Guide for Small Towns presents an informal overview of some basic ADA requirements and provides cost- effective tips on how small towns can comply with the ADA.

Updated Local Government General Records Retention Schedules (March 23)
A January, 2005 update to the Local Government General Records Retention Schedules is now available on the Washington Secretary of State’s Web site.

PTI Announces 2004 Solutions Award winners (March 23)
The Public Technology Institute (PTI) recently announced the winners of its 2004 Solutions Awards, recognizing local governments for improving service delivery through their use of technology. More from NACo’s County News.

Mapping ROI for Geospatial Projects (March 15)
Local government IT managers can find significant return on investment (ROI) for geospatial projects if they look in the right places. More from American City & County.

When Disaster Strikes (March 15)
During an emergency, work management software allows local governments to focus on recovery efforts, knowing that costs are being documented for later reimbursement. More from American City & County.

NACo’s Grants Clearinghouse makes Finding Money Easier (March 09)
The National Association of County Officials (NACo) has developed a Grants Clearinghouse to streamline and simplify the grant-seeking process for member counties. More from NACo’s County News.

Privatization - A Balancing Act (March 09)
Contracting out services can benefit the bottom line, but not always. The trick is to figure out when it does and doesn’t. More from Governing.

2004 Digital Cities Survey Report (March 09)
The 2004 Digital Cities Survey Report (829kb) issued by NLC and the Center for Digital Government highlights recent trends and the progress made by cities and towns in the transition to digital government. More from Government Technology.

City Succeeds in Applying Performance Measurement Data (March 01)
Performance measurement is more than a data-collection and reporting exercise; it's the analysis of the data that truly makes it a tool for continuous service improvement. More from the International City/County Management Association.

Shared-Services in Government (February 24)
The majority of government executives believe that shared services are important to helping them achieve their organizations' strategic goals, according to a study released recently by Accenture. More from Government Technology.

Outsourcing Guide Released for Local Governments (February 15)
The Center for Digital Government released "A Strategic Guide for Local Governments on Outsourcing," (417kb) for local government officials who are interested in learning about technology outsourcing. (Registration is required for this free download.)

E-Government - Made to Order (February 15)
The lofty old rhetoric about how digital technologies will fundamentally remake government is notably absent from most public CIOs' mouths these days. The current line: steady, incremental improvement -- not transformation. More from Government Technology.

Unlocking the Potential of Your Employees (February 09)
People will be more engaged in their work if they are treated as respected, valued adults who have individual motives, abilities, and preferences. More from Government Finance Review (178kb).

New Government Innovations Portal (February 09)
The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government recently launched a new online portal, the Government Innovators Network, providing access to successful federal, state and local government innovations.

E-Government – Citizens First (February 09)
Local governments respond to citizen requests for online services with a wide array of offerings, and plans for additional services are on the drawing boards, according to a recent survey by the International City/County Management Association. More from Government Technology.

IT Outsourcing through Application Service Providers (February 01)
A report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, IT Outsourcing: A Primer for Public Managers (663kb), assesses the potential of using application service providers (ASPs) for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public information and service delivery.

311 Call Centers - One Call Away (February 01)
An offspring of the 911 system, 311 call centers handle a host of common problems reported by residents. More from American City & County.

State of the Cities 2005 Report (January 26)
The Association of Washington Cities recently released its State of the Cities 2005 report based on a survey completed by three-fourths of Washington's cities and towns, representing 94% of the state's municipal population. More from AWC.

11 Better Practices to Improve Program Performance (January 26)
In a recent report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Performance Leadership: 11 Better Practices That Can Ratchet Up Performance, Robert D. Behn, Lecturer, John F. Kennedy School of Government, focuses on leadership activities or practices which can spur improvements in program performance.

Performance-Based Contracting - Promise and Pitfalls (January 26)
Seedco, a nonprofit organization in New York City, has just released The Promise and Pitfalls of Performance-Based Contracting. The report looks at two growing government trends-the contracting out of government services to non-government organizations, and the increased use of performance-based contracts in those situations.

ERP Market Dynamics for Midsize Governments (January 19)
The "second tier" enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems market provides an important solution to small and midsize governments that cannot afford SAP, Oracle, or PeopleSoft systems. More from Government Finance Review (1968kb).

Online Auctions as Tools for Asset Management (January 12)
A report from the Center for the Business of Government, Government Garage Sales: Online Auctions as Tools for Asset Management (4593kb) describes how many government agencies are succeeding at selling both everyday items and high-end goods via online auctions.

Sharing Equipment Saves (January 12)
A cluster of small towns in metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul is saving money through an informal arrangement for borrowing heavy equipment and attachments. More from American City & County.

Get MRSC Web Site Updates and Quarterly Newsletter by E-mail (January 04)
Subscribe to MRSC's free bi-weekly Web site updates and quarterly newsletter and get all of the latest local government news and information delivered right to your desktop.

Web Sightings - 2004 (January 04)
In case you missed them, here's a look back at 2004's Web Sightings:

• Cottage Housing (December)
• Non-motorized Transportation (November)
• Elections (October)
• Public Art Programs (September)
• Resource Lands (August)
• Healthy Communities (July)
• Terrorism and Homeland Security (June)
• Volunteer Programs (May)
• Citizen Involvement in Local Government (March)
• Downtown Revitalization (February)
• Shoreline Management (January)