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Resources for Local Government
September 1997

Articles

Design Techniques Reduce Crime Opportunity
MRSC Welcomes New Staff Members
Heads Up
Publication Corner
Ask MRSC
Watch Vancouver Grow
Resource Sharing
New Acquisitions
New Ordinances

Design Techniques Reduce Crime Opportunity

The following is an edited excerpt from, Infill Development: Strategies for Shaping Livable Neighborhoods, a recent MRSC publication. This publication may be accessed on our Web site at http://www.mrsc.org/textfill.htm or a copy may be ordered by calling our office.

Fear of Crime Pushes Families from Older Neighborhoods

Recently, crime rates have begun to drop in Washington State and other parts of the country. Even so, the fear of crime continues to impact a family's choice of where to live, as well as the quality of their community life. A variety of recent studies have identified crime as a major factor contributing to neighborhood decline, and to homeowners' decisions to sell homes and leave older neighborhoods. A Phoenix, Arizona, study found crime, and the perception of crime, to be the number one barrier to infill development (development of vacant land within largely developed areas).

Many middle and upper class families have responded to this perceived threat by choosing to live in gated communities that restrict access to authorized individuals only. These gated communities are often located at some distance from urban areas. Fences, locks, alarm systems and guarded entrances around homes and communities are typical responses to the perception of prevalent crime. Although families may feel safe inside their "secure enclaves," they also give up enjoyment of public places and other areas outside of these developments to feel secure. Fear of crime may discourage people from taking a night course, going jogging alone, or allowing children to play in a park. Residents of low-income communities, who cannot afford such expensivefortifications, are left vulnerable. Overall security and quality of life of city residents are not addressed by the gated community approach as Americans "shuttle from safe haven to safe haven through mean streets" (Vonier, 1997).

Crime Prevention Design Offers Low Cost Alternative

Instead, some communities have achieved impressive results through neighborhood and architectural design techniques that reduce the opportunity for crime and the need for expensive fortification measures. Effective safety design guidelines have been developed for use in Canadian cities, such as Toronto, through the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design approach promoted by Timothy D. Crowe and through techniques pioneered by Oscar Newman.

Most of the crime prevention guidelines focus on several basic principles to reduce crime opportunity. They have a common emphasis on improving an individual's clear vision of surrounding areas. For instance, increased pedestrian-level lighting, pedestrian routes that avoid blind corners and provide escape route choices, use of low fences or see-through landscaping, and use of building entrances visible from public streets or places will reduce potential hiding places for criminals. These guidelines also typically encourage visibility of activity areas from surrounding residences and uses. For example, maintaining well-lit activity areas, having first or sEcond story windows that are not entirely covered by signs, designing front porches that overlook paths, parking areas, and public areas, and providing a variety of land uses with 24-hour activity can make it more difficult to commit a crime without detection.

Mixed use development provides a higher level of activity around the clock that, in turn, provides more "eyes" to keep watch and to discourage potential crimes. However, mixed use alone may not assure lower crime. In some cases, commercial uses in separate buildings in residential areas with abundant street-side parking, may serve to bring more outsiders into a neighborhood and increase the opportunity for crime. Mixed use can be designed to minimize opportunities for unobserved crime. When commercial establishments primarily serve local residents, the number of nonresidents entering the neighborhood is reduced. Residents will then be better able to monitor unusual behavior. Commercial and residential uses can be integrated and arranged in a manner that facilitates informal surveillance by neighbors.

Community appearance and upkeep can also signal that neighborhood residents and businesses are watching and are taking care of their neighborhood. For instance, prompt repairs, litter pick up, and graffiti removal are signs of an involved community. In fact, citizens responding to a city of Phoenix survey ranked graffiti asthe number one factor in creating the perception that an area had a crime problem. Pasco, Washington, has a particularly effective graffiti abatement program. Pasco has enlisted juvenile offenders in community service work to remove graffiti within 48 hours.

Design techniques also can be used to clearly delineate the transition between public and private areas, making it more readily apparent when someone enters an area where they don't belong. For instance, low walls, hedges, identification signs, or a change in pavement type can be used to signal the transition without an unpleasant, fortified appearance. To stimulate a sense of ownership, the grounds in some public housing projects have been assigned to individual units rather than leaving them in ambiguous common areas. In turn, this has resulted in better maintenance and monitoring of those areas.

Several studies suggest that ease of access to outsiders is among the strongest predictors of burglaries. Measures that restrict the ease of physical access into buildings or the neighborhood, making it more difficult to enter unobserved, have been successful in reducing crime. Street designs that discourage high speeds and through traffic in neighborhoods can reduce the opportunity for a fast getaway or make unfamiliar cars more noticeable. Use of cul-de-sacs has been associated with significantly lower crime rates. However, use of traffic calming devices (such as narrow streets, on-street parking, street narrowing at intersections, or traffic circles) may achieve similar results while allowing more convenient vehicular and pedestrian circulation for residents.

Sarasota Success Story

A pilot Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program apparently turned around a Sarasota, Florida, neighborhood in which 68 percent of the businesses had been victims of crime. According to a Sarasota official involved in setting up the program, crime dropped 40 percent between 1996 and 1990 when the program was initiated. Citywide crime rates dropped only 9 percent during the same period. Building permits, rental rates, and property values also jumped during that time.

Sarasota's program combined high visibility police patrols with changes to land use codes and development review. A CPTED review, conducted by a law enforcement officer and a trained planner or building inspector is required for development plans, conditional rezoning, and special exceptions. The review focuses on aspects of the building and site design that might facilitate access or the opportunity for crime. The ordinance requires that the applicant address concerns raised by the review team, but gives the applicant the opportunity to propose alternative solutions for meeting those concerns. The city commissioners then decide whether theapplicant's responses adequately address the review team's concerns.

The zoning ordinance also contains mandatory requirements covering lighting, landscaping, maintenance, and other standards. For example, parking lot landscaping must either be of low height (a maximum of 2.5 feet) or use trees with canopies having a minimum clearance of 5 feet, to eliminate hiding places. Solid barriers may be used for buffering with a maximum height of 2.5 feet. All other buffering/fencing treatments cannot exceed 60 percent opacity unless buffering residential property. All exterior lighting must be maintained in an operative state. Parking, service, and pedestrian areas must be well-lighted. The ordinance includes incentives for balconies and front yard use to increase the "watchful eyes" effect. Unenclosed balconies can extend into a setback area and are not counted toward total floor area allowances. Greater heights are allowed for theaters and third floor residential and hotel/motel uses in business districts, which increase the around-the-clock activity and discourage after hours crimes. Nonconforming use provisions were revised to eliminate requirements that discourage improvements exceeding 10 percent of the assessed valuation. All Sarasota public projects, whether or not in the pilot area, incorporate CPTED principles, and businesses receiving city redevelopment funds are subject to CPTED review.

Sarasota's experience demonstrates that crime prevention design techniques can achieve results at minimal program costs. Most of these measures can be incorporated into project design at little or no additional cost to the local jurisdiction or the project proponent. Crime prevention design may not be able to do the job alone. Other programs, such as community policing and block watch programs that emphasize working with community residents for crime prevention, seem to be putting a dent in crime rates in cities like Seattle. Crime prevention design, in combination with other innovative programs, can offer considerable "bang for the buck" in the war against crime.

Sue Enger A.I.C.P.
Planning Consultant

Selections from the MRSC Library on Crime Prevention Design

"Building Crime Prevention into Land Use Codes," Urban Land, by John L. Gann, Jr., Washington D.C.: Urban Land Institute, February 1997

City of Sarasota Ordinance No. 92-3562 (amending zoning code to incorporate crime prevention review procedures and standards)

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design: Applications of Architectural Design and Space Management Concepts, by Timothy D. Crowe, National Crime Prevention Institute, Boston, Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991

Crime Prevention through Real Estate Development and Management, by David W. Parham, ULI Education Policy Forum Series No. 650, Washington D.C.: Urban Land Institute, October 1995

"Defensible Space: A New Physical Planning Tool for Urban Revitalization," Journal of the American Planning Association, by Oscar Newman, Chicago, Illinois: American Planning Association, Spring 1995

Defensible Space : Deterring Crime and Building Community, by Henry G. Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C.: USGPO/HUD, Feb 1995

Design for Saint Paul Public Safety: A Guide for Making a Safer Public Realm, Mary Vogel, with Susan Braun, Ann Hauer, and Susan Sorensen, University of Minnesota College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Saint Paul Minnesota; City of Saint Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development, 1993

Design Guidelines for Creating Defensible Space, by Oscar Newman, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, April 1976

Planning Commissioners Journal, Fall 1994 issue (articles by Timothy Crowe, Sherry Plaster Carter and Stanley L. Carter, Ann Lusk and others on crime prevention design)

Planning for a Safer City, City of Toronto Planning & Development Department, City of Toronto, Oct 1990

Planning for Prevention: Sarasota, Florida's Approach to Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, by Sherry Plaster and Stan Carter, Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 1993.

Safe Cities: Guidelines for Planning, Design, and Management, by Gerda R. Wekerle and Carolyn Whitzman, New York : Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995

A Working Guide for Planning and Designing Safer Urban Environments, produced by the Safe City Committee of the City of Toronto, and the City of Toronto Planning and Development Department; written by the Planning and Development Department Staff and Gerda R. Wekerle, Toronto, Canada: City of Toronto, Oct 1992

MRSC Welcomes New Staff Members

MRSC is pleased to announce that Marya J. Silvernale, legal consultant, and Tom Sutberry, public policy/finance consultant, have joined the MRSC team to assist in providing services to counties and cities.

Marya Silvernale

Marya joined MRSC in July 1997 after spending more than 12 years with the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorneys Office Civil Division. While at Snohomish County, Marya provided legal advice, research or representation for county officials and has familiarity with most county legal issues. For the past two years, Marya has focused on land use and has been heavily involved in growth management and land use regulatory reform. Marya is a graduate of the University of Washington Law School and has an undergraduate degree in urban planning. She also benefits from having worked for MRSC as a legal intern in 1982 and 1983.

Tom Sutberry

Tom joined the MRSC staff in September of 1997. He brings more than 20 years of experience in state and local policy analysis and administration. Tom most recently completed nearly 12 years with Whatcom County, serving as Budget Director and Deputy Administrator in the Executive Office and, finally, as Administrative Services Director. Other positions he has held include Administrative Officer for the city of Helena, Montana, Assistant Director of State/Local Finance for the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Director of Research for the Michigan Association of Counties. Tom received his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Michigan State University and his Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Heads Up
Emerging Information for Local Government

The "Heads Up" column is designed to present information of interest to cities, towns, and counties. This quarter's column features an article demonstrating how the state of New Jersey is preparing for the "graying" of the "baby boom" generation. We also have included a couple of "Success Stories" from two Washington cities that are reducing the costs for inmate incarceration and, atthe same time, addressing city maintenance issues. These stories and others can be accessed on our Web site at http://www.mrs.org. Check it out!

Planning for Elder Communities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the elderly population will more than double between now and the year 2050. By that year, as many as one in five Americans could be elderly. Most of this growth should occur between 2010 and 2030, when the "baby boom" generation enters their elderly years.

We're living longer. When the United States was founded, life expectancy at birth was approximately 35 years. It has steadily increased to 76 years in 1991. As more people live longer, many may face dependency due to chronic, limiting illnesses or conditions. There will be more and more relatives in their 50s and 60s who will be facing the concern and expense of caring for aging loved ones.

Our aging population will have a profound impact on our communities. Citizens will demand different types of services from governments at all levels. Are we prepared?

In what may be a bell weather of things to come, and certainly underscoring the rising priority of senior issues, New Jersey has consolidated all senior services into one state agency. The Department of Health and Senior Services handles all issues pertaining to older adults. New Jersey is committed to encouraging less-costly options to nursing home care, such as assisted living (apartment style housing with personal care services) and adult foster care (an elderly person cared for by a family trained in care giving).

Another priority is to develop a one-stop shopping telephone information and referral system at the local level. When completed, there will be one telephone number to call in each county for all senior services, such as home delivered meals, homemaker services, Medicaid eligibility, information about nursing homes, home health care or assisted living.

For more information contact Nancy Day, Director, Office of Community Programs, Department of Health and Senior Services, state of New Jersey, at (609) 984-6689.

Roadside Memorials

Roadside monuments began as a way to remind drivers of the hazards of the road. They also serve as poignant reminders of lost loved ones. However, memorials to traffic accident victims have proliferated along our roadsides and conflicts over this practiceare growing. Many state and local governments are cracking down on this practice.

Memorials themselves have become a hazard as they attract mourners. Maintenance workers may be placed at risk. Balloons, stuffed animals, wreaths, and other tributes can distract a driver's attention from the road. An inadvertent collision with a monument can cause damage and injury. In California, memorials are carted off as part of routine cleanups.

Religious symbols, such as the Christian cross, are a sensitive issue. The state of Florida, for example, quickly abandoned a program to provide state-issued crosses after protests from Jewish groups and the American Civil Liberties Union. Washington State offers planted shrubs and signs shaped like five-pointed stars, but response has been tepid. It is felt by survivors that government rules and regulations defeat the value of spontaneous grief.

Success Stories

Municipal Court Community Service Program
Pasco - The Pasco Municipal Court operates a community service program for nonviolent, misdemeanor defendants. This program not only serves as a means of punishment for defendants, but also benefits the city of Pasco through the projects and work they perform.

Examples of the work done by community service crews are: painting over graffiti; picking up garbage along city streets; cutting down weeds on city-owned lots; cleaning city parks of glass and debris; assisting the elderly and disabled with yard work; moving furniture for city offices, the elderly or those in need; building shelves for city offices (police, city hall); cleaning the gymnasium and offices at the community center; performing office related work for those unable to perform manual labor; tearing down drywall, remodeling projects at low income housing (HUD); planting a garden and trees at a HUD development; repainting the gym and putting up backboards at the community center.

These tasks were performed at no cost to the city other than the expense of the crew supervisor.

Contact Dot French, Court Administrator at (509) 545-3492 for more information.

Reducing Inmate Incarceration Costs While Addressing Park Maintenance
Ferndale - In an effort to reduce costs to the city for inmateincarceration, while at the same time addressing maintenance issues in city-owned regional, community, and neighborhood parks and open spaces, the city of Ferndale implemented a community service work program in February, 1996.

The municipal court assigns law offenders qualifying for the program to work in the parks in lieu of serving jail time or paying fines that they are not financially capable of paying. Program participants' jail time is reduced by one day for each day worked in the parks, thus saving the city nearly $40 per day in inmate incarceration costs. Program participants with fines are credited $50 toward paying off their fines for each day worked. In one year, the Ferndale community service program has provided nearly 1400 hours (equal to .67 FTE) of labor helping to maintain parks, open spaces, and other public areas.

Encouragement to implement the program from the city council and city manager, and cooperation between the municipal court, probation, police, public works, and parks and recreation departments have contributed to the program's success in its first year of implementation.

Contact Stan Strebel, City Manager, at (360) 384-4302, Coleen Gudbranson, Probation Officer, at (360) 384-5421 or Jerry Hanson, Parks and Recreation Director, at (360) 384-4006 for additional information.

Publication Corner

The new edition of one of our most popular annual publications, Budget Suggestions for 1998, is now available. It features descriptions and interpretations of 1997 legislation that might affect your budget. In addition, it contains revenue and CPI forecasts, a summary and analysis of Referendum 47, which will be on the November 1997 ballot, and an extensive analysis of SB 5867, the bill that amended the hotel-motel tax statutes. This publication may be ordered by contacting our office.

Also, as noted in this issue's lead article, the publication, Infill Development: Strategies for Shaping Livable Neighborhoods, is now available. This publication describes strategies and provides examples of programs local jurisdictions can use to encourage the development of vacant lands within urban areas. View or download it from our Web site at http://www.mrsc.org/textfill.htm, or contact MRSC to order a copy.Business Licensing - May a city require a business license from a person selling homegrown produce within the city limits?

No. RCW 36.71.090 prohibits a city from requiring a license from producers and manufacturers of farm produce and edibles. Note, however, that a city may require a license to sell "dairy products, meat, poultry, eel, fish, mollusk, or shellfish."

Ask MRSC

Political Activities by Public Employees - May cities and counties restrict employee political activities such as wearing campaign buttons or circulating referendum petitions at work during work hours?

The rights of public employees to express their opinions on all political subjects and candidates and to participate in political campaigns are expressly recognized in RCW 41.06.250 and protected by the First Amendment and other constitutional provisions. The use of public facilities and resources for these activities, however, is strictly prohibited under RCW 42.17.130 and RCW 41.06.250.

In general, public employees may wear campaign buttons and may display campaign signs on private vehicles, even when parked in publicly-owned lots. However, employees may not display political material in or on publicly-owned vehicles. Campaign activities must take place on the employee’s own time and may not involve public resources or facilities (including phones). Uniformed personnel performing official duties may be restricted from wearing campaign buttons. The state Public Disclosure Commission publishes a brochure titled "Public Facilities and Campaigns - Keeping Them Separate," which may be obtained by calling (360) 753-1111.

Political Campaigning by Elected Officials - May a councilmember or commissioner wear a campaign button for his or her own candidacy while participating in official public hearings?

There are no prohibitions on an individual candidate wearing campaign buttons promoting his or her own candidacy (other rules apply to judges). There are, however, limitations on the ability of an elected official to endorse or oppose ballot measures, at least while on official time. RCW 42.17.130 allows members of an elected legislative body to express a collective decision regarding ballot measures provided specified procedural requirements are followed. Individual elected officials may respond to specific inquiriesconcerning ballot propositions, and they may also state personal opinions on their own time. Factual information on a ballot proposition may be provided if part of the normal and regular business of the jurisdiction. What is appropriate factual information versus improper campaigning depends upon the style, tenor, and timing of the information. The Public Disclosure Commission publishes guidelines on specific topics and can also make "declaratory orders" based on individual fact patterns.

Political Signs - What are the rules on regulation of campaign signs on a public right-of-way, public property, and private property?

Counties and cities may regulate the placement of signs and objects on public property and public rights-of-way for purposes of protecting public health, safety, and welfare. State and federal courts have given greater protection to political and opinion signs than to commercial or non-political signs. Therefore, care should be taken when restricting placement of campaign and opinion signs. Political signs must be allowed if similar signs are allowed.

Municipal and county code provisions on political signs should be reviewed with the city attorney or the prosecuting attorney's office for compliance with the 1993 state supreme court case, Collier v. Tacoma, which addressed the regulation of political yard signs and invalidated a Tacoma ordinance provision that imposed pre-election durational limits on the placement of political signs.

Public Resources and Facilities Use for Campaigning - May city and county buildings be used for candidate forums?

Yes. Although RCW 42.17.130 prohibits the use of public resources and facilities for assisting the election campaign of any person or for the promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition, public facilities may be made available for campaign purposes on a nondiscriminatory, equal access basis. Care should be taken to provide a neutral public forum and to avoid any appearance of promoting or opposing any particular candidate or ballot proposition.

Business Licensing - May a city require a business license from a person selling homegrown produce within the city limits?

Public Works Cost Estimating - Must a city or county include the value of volunteer labor when estimating the cost of a public worksproject for bid purposes?

No. Only the cost to the city or county must be considered when make this estimate. There is no cost to a city or county for the volunteer labor, and so the value of volunteer labor is not included in estimating the cost of the project for bid purposes.

Preference Voting - May a city establish a "preference voting" system for election of its councilmembers?

(In preference voting, the names of all council candidates appear on the ballot without regard to numbered council positions. The highest vote-getters would be elected.)

A preference voting system would not be consistent with state election laws, with which all cities must comply. RCW 29.15.130 requires that positions be designated by number and that they be dealt with as separate offices. Under this scheme, candidates must file for a specific designated position. Preference voting would be contrary to this scheme.

Purchasing - May a city or county purchase a used truck at an auction?

Yes. RCW 39.30.045 authorizes municipalities, including cities and counties, to purchase supplies, materials, and equipment at auctions conducted by governmental agencies or private parties, without regard to bidding requirements.

Records Retention - How long must a city retain job applications and other personnel records?

The Records Management Manual and General Records Retention Schedule for Cities and Towns adopted by the Secretary of State (1986 edition) provides that job applications (when the applicant is not subsequently hired) are to be kept for two years. Job applications and other personnel records for those employed by a city or county are required to be kept during employment and for six years after the termination of employment.

Videotaping Meetings - May a member of the public videotape council or commission meetings?

It is consistent with the Open Public Meetings Act, chapter 42.30 RCW, to allow members of the public to record a meeting by either video or audio tape. A city or county probably may not prohibit the public from using video or tape recorders at a public meeting, as long as the taping is done in a manner that does not disrupt the meeting.

Watch Vancouver Grow

On January 1, 1997, the city of Vancouver grew from Washington’s seventh largest city to the fourth largest city in the state. Vancouver annexed a large portion of Clark County that increased the size of the city from 68,282 residents and 26.7 square miles, to 126,453 residents and 44.3 square miles.

The annexation is significant not only because of its extraordinary size, but also because of the unprecedented intergovernmental cooperation between the city of Vancouver and Clark County.

Clark County may differ from other counties in that the Growth Management Act (GMA) did not initiate its efforts to solve urbanization problems. Instead, a long period of relative political stability since 1980 has given city and county leaders a chance to build relationships, define issues, and share common visions for solving problems. Urbanization is among the issues these leaders considered.

The motivation to form a strategic partnership between the city and county was generated in 1992 with the annexation of the area surrounding Vancouver Mall. This was a pivotal annexation because the city and county realized that they could more effectively serve the community by working together rather than by competing for revenues. The city needed the county because it could not immediately provide all needed services in the newly annexed areas. The county needed the city because it would have been a financial hardship on the county if it immediately lost all of the sales tax revenues from a commercial area such as Vancouver Mall. The solution was an agreement between the city and county that outlined specific financial and structural solutions for service transition.

A crucial outcome of the Vancouver Mall annexation was a recognition that annexations would continue to occur and that cooperation and collaboration were essential to finding creative solutions to better serve all citizens in the community. This set the stage and formed the foundation for the cooperative annexation in January 1997, that doubled the size of the city without any disruption of service to residents.

Karyn Wubbena, Annexation Manager
City of Vancouver

Resource Sharing
Information Partnership Program

Summer was surprisingly late in arriving for most of us, but we more than made up for it by cramming three months of activity into seven weeks of glorious weather, vacations included! The Information Partnership had its best response ever, with 37 out of 51 cities (as of this writing) returning requested documents. That is an incredible return rate. We also welcome six new cities to the Information Partnership. They are Airway Heights, Centralia, Gig Harbor, Goldendale, Stanwood, and Wilbur. We look forward to making their fine work available to Washington's local governments.

The Information Partnership Program seeks current materials from the cities, towns, and counties of Washington. The materials received provide answers and support to the challenges faced by local governments every day. You may order the materials below by contacting the MRSC library at 1-800-933-6772 or (206) 625-1300, fax (206) 625-1220, or e-mail us at mrsc@mrsc.org.

We encourage you to make this list available to those departments who would benefit from its contents.

Business License Application Forms

Airway Heights[3 p.], 4/97; Anacortes [1 p.], n.d.; Auburn n.d. License applications for: adult entertainment establishment (LR 2.6000); adult entertainment establishment manager (LR 2.6000); amusment device (LR 7.0000); ambulance service (LR 6.0000); business registration (F 5.2100); carnivals, circuses, shows and exhibitions (LR 7.4500); cabaret (LR 24.0000); dance (LR 24.0000); fire extinguisher service (LR 35.0000); fireworks permit (LR 34.0000); home occupation (F 5.2150); motor vehicle wreckers (LR 59.2000); outdoor musical entertainment (LR 7.6000); pawnbrokers/sEcondhand dealers (LR 79.4000); tow truck (LR 59.1000); solicitor (LR 68.0000); Bellingham [2 p.], n.d. Centralia [2 p.]n.d.; Deer Park[1 p.], 1997; Des Moines [25 p.], n.d.; DuPont [1 p.], n.d.; East Wenatchee [1 p.], n.d.;Ellensburg [2 p.]n.d.; Federal Way [3 p.], 1991; Friday Harbor [1 p.], 6/96; Gig Harbor [2 p.], n.d.; Grand Coulee [12 p.] City business license application; temporary license app.; business license exemption; temporary bazaar of community affairs master license, transportation passenger services, and street use application; itinerant merchant license app. n.d.; Kirkland [4 p.], 1995; Leavenworth [1 p.], n.d.; Monroe [4 p.], n.d.; Ocean Shores [1 p.], n.d.; Olympia [2 p.], n.d.; Omak [2 p.], n.d.; Port Townsend Ambulance license application (LR 6.0000); Application for charitable/religious solicitation permit (LR 68.3000);Application for dancehall license where intoxicating liquor is sold (LR 24.0000); Dance permit application (LR 24.0000); Fire extinguisher service (LR 35.0000);Fireworks stand license application (LR 34.0000); Hotel/motel license application (LR 46.0000); Peddler's license application (LR 68.0000); SEcond hand dealer/junk dealer/pawn broker license application (LR 79.3000); Tattoo license application (LR 87.0000); Taxi/horse taxi driver's license application/renewal (LR 88.0000); Taxicab/for-hire license application (LR 88.0000); Transient merchant license application (LR 68.0000), n.d.; Soap Lake [1 p.], n.d. ; South Cle Elum [1 p.], n.d.; Spokane [3 p.], 1994; Stanwood [2 p.], n.d. ; Steilacoom [6 p.], n.d.; Tumwater [1 p.], n.d. ; Vancouver [2 p.], n.d.; Wilbur[ 2 p.], n.d.; Permit application home occupation business [3 p.]; Winthrop [2 p.], n.d.

Civil Service Rulebooks

Anacortes 1994, Auburn, 1996, Centralia 1994, Kirkland 1997, Steilacoom 1992, Tumwater 1993, Vancouver 1993, Port Angeles 1989 (PE 5.2410); Bellingham 1991, Spokane 1997 (PE 5.2110); Camas 1995, Coupeville 1994, Des Moines 1997, DuPont n.d., Ellensburg 1996, Federal Way 1996, Gig Harbor 1996, Goldendale 1992, Monroe 1995, Ocean Shores n.d., Omak 1995, Soap Lake n.d. (PE 5.2310)

Development Agreements

Bellingham - Subdivision ordinance [58 p.], June 1997. (PL 7.2000)
Olympia - Agreement for City of Olympia utility service [5 p.], n.d. (U 3.5000)
Monroe - Development regular administration (Monroe Municipal Code, Title 21) [22 p.], 7/97. (PL 2.1110)
Omak - Development agreements between City of Omak and Orchards Commercial Center, Shellrock Point Partnership, & North Omak Properties [8 p.], 1995. (G 3.1120)
Port Angeles - Pre-annexation agreement between City of Port Angeles, WA and Supermarket Development Corporation [7 p.],1997. Pre-annexation agreement between City of Port Angeles, WA and Wal-mart Stores, Inc. [7 p.], 1997. (G 3.1120)
Vancouver - Developer agreement between Davis and City of Vancouver [5 p.], 1997. (PL 2.1400)

Employee Feedback Surveys, Organizational Health

Bellevue - City of Bellevue perception survey report [39 p.], (PE 8.3000)
Gig Harbor - Personnel regulations [33 p.], 1997. (PE 6.0500)

Public Relations Guidelines Relating to City Publications

Bellingham - [2 p.], n.d.; Port Angeles - [3 p.], 1997; Steilacoom - [1 p.]; 1997- Newsletter guidelines memos (PR 1.0000)

Security Procedures for City Hall

Auburn - Workplace violence policy and procedures [8 p.], 10/96. (PE 4.6310)
Bellingham - Evacuation of city hall policy [6 p.], 8/90. (PS 7.1400)
Des Moines - Bomb threat checklist [1 p.], n.d. (PS 7.1400)
Gig Harbor - Guidelines for use of Gig Harbor City Hall Facilities [1 p.], n.d. (PP 3.700)
Port Angeles - Security procedures memorandum [1 p.], 1997. (PS 7.1400)
Spokane - City council/city manager report on city hall security (includes security procedures, recommended improvements, telephone bomb threat information sheet) [22 p.], 1997. (PS 7.1400) Steilacoom - Safety procedures memorandum [1 p.], 1997. (PS 7.1400)

Erica Zwick, Coordinator
Information Partnership Program

New Acquisitions

The MRSC library prepares a list of new acquisitions each month which is posted on our bulletin board and on our Web site at http://www.mrsc.org/library/newacq.htm. If you would like to borrow one or more of these publications, contact Julie Penny in our library at (206) 625-1300.

The Benchmarking Book, by Michael J. Spendolini, New York, AMACOM, American Management Association, 1992; xiv, 207 p., ill. An introduction to the process of benchmarking including the 5 steps of benchmarking. [G 9.7050 B449 1992]

Brownfields Redevelopment: Selected References, ULI Information Service, Washington, D.C., Urban Land Institute, 1996, 1 vol. (various pagings). A collection of selected articles, reports, project descriptions, and book sections focused on Brownfield redevelopment. [PL 5.6200 B66 1996]

Business Improvement Districts: Tool for Economic Development, by M. Bradley Segal, International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Management Information Service, Washington, D.C., ICMA, 1997, 22 p. Examines how Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are formed by business and property owners, and used to finance the Economic vitality of downtowns, Main Streets, and other chosen business locales in response to declining levels of municipal services. [ED 5.3100 MIS 29:3**]

Citizen Participation Handbook for Public Officials and Other Professionals Serving the Public, 10th ed., Monterey, CA, Institutefor Participatory Management and Planning, 1997, 1 v. (various pagings, loose-leaf). [G 1.6000 C555 1997]

County Guide to Welfare Reform Implementation, Washington, D.C., National Association of Counties, 1997, 34 p. [H 4.5000 C68 1997]

Designing and Conducting Survey Research: A Comprehensive Guide, by Louis M. Rea & Richard A. Parker, 2nd ed., San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1997, xviii, 254 p. A practical guide to conducting sample survey research, statistics, analysis, and the reporting of results. [G 9.3200 D47 1997]

E-mail and Internet Use in Local Government [in Issues & Options], Washington, D.C., National League of Cities, 1997, 19 p. [PE 6.7100 I8 v.5:4**]

Federal, State and Local Tax Implications of Electric Utility Restructuring, by Deloitte & Touche LLP, Denver, CO, National Conference of State Legislatures, 1996, 63 p. [UE 1.4000 F43 1996]

Gambling, Economic Development, and Historic Preservation, by Christopher Chadbourne, Philip Walker, and Mark Wolfe, Chicago. APA, 1997, 56 p., ill. Presents the conclusions of a study of the relationships between gambling, Economic development, and historic preservation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Planning Association. [LR 10.0000 PAS469]

Getting a Volunteer Program Started [workshop packet], City of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 1995, booklet, pamphlets & flyers, ribbon, sticker, neighborhood newsletter. A packet of materials designed to help municipal agencies create and maintain a volunteer program. [H 6.2000 AZ G48 1995]

Graffiti Abatement: Programs That Work [in Issues & Options], Washington, D.C., National League of Cities, 1997, 21 p. [PS 7.1100 I8 v.5:3**]

The Hearing Examiner System in Washington State: A Compilation of Articles and Ordinances [compilation], by Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC) Library, Seattle, WA, MRSC, 1997, 1 vol. (various pagings). [PL 2.4000 H455 1997]

Implementing Performance Measurement in Government: I llustrations and Resources, by Joni L. Leithe, Chicago, Government Finance Officers Association, 1997, 55 p. [G 9.7000 I56 1997]

Juvenile Curfew and Parental Responsibility Ordinances, by Peggy Slavick with Steve Aos, Olympia, WA, Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 1996, 15 p. [PS 7.4271 J88 1996**]

Managing Employee Involvement and Participation, by Jeff Hyman and Bob Mason, London: Sage, 1995, viii, 216 p. Examines how employee influence can be articulated in the workplace. [PE 8.3000 M35 1995]

Parliamentary Procedure: A Programmed Introduction, by Richard G. Rea & John W. Gray, Dubuque, IA, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, c1990, 121 p. A textbook designed to teach basic parliamentary procedure by means of a self-teaching device...divided into ten sets. [G 4.2100 P31 1990]

System Integration: Issues Surrounding Integration of County-level Justice Information Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Washington, D.C., USGPO, 1996, v, 34 p. Describes issues surrounding the development of integrated computer systems to serve more efficiently and effectively the information needs of all participants in the justice system at the county level. [PS 7.2000 S98 1996]

Wireless Facility Siting: Sample Policies and Ordinances, International City/County Management Association, Washington, D.C., ICMA, 1997, 154 p. [PL 8.3725 W563 1997]

New Acquisitions

Selected acquisitions are listed in a monthly acquisition list posted on MRSC's bulletin board as well as on our Web site at http://www.mrsc.org/library/newacq.htm. A database of ordinance summaries is also posted. All cities and towns are directed to send a copy of their ordinances to MRSC for inclusion in our ordinance pool. If you would like copies of the items listed below please contact Julie Penny in our library at (206) 625-1300.

Adult Business

Marysville Ordinance No. 2134, passed 7-97. Gig Harbor Ordinance No. 743, passed 12-96 (LR 2.4000). Bothell Ordinance No. 1697, passed 6-97. (LR 2.3000).

Ambulance Operator Regulations

SeaTac Ordinance No. 97-1012 adds a new chapter to the municipal code, passed 7-97. (LR 6.0000)

Credit Cards

Authorizing Payment of Travel Expenses - Wapato Ordinance No. 1011, passed 5-96. Cited in "Can You Pass Muster, WA. St. Auditor's Office." (F 1.1150)

Authorizing Acceptance - Oak Harbor Ordinance No. 1098, passed 7-97.

Authorizing Purchases - Toppenish Ordinance No. 97-2, passed 3-97. Cited in "Can You Pass Muster, WA. St. Auditor's Office." (F 1.1150)

Curfew and Cruising

Longview Ordinance No. 2657 revises a previously passed cruise control ordinance and Longview Ordinance No. 2656 imposes a curfew, passed 5-97. The two ordinances are designed to reduce a problem of weekend visitors coming to cruise streets. (PS 7.4271)

Fire Impact Fees

Mill Creek Ordinance No. 97-418 provides a fire mitigation formula and fees under SEPA, passed 5-97. (PS 3.1050)

Latecomer Agreements

Sewer and Water -Provisions Adopted - Lynnwood Ordinance No. 2147, passed 7-97. (U 4.3000)

Sign Code

Downtown - Issaquah Ordinance No. 2152 provides a downtown sign code which applies to the cultural and business district zoning and the downtown city facilities site, passed 4-97. (LR 82.2000)

Stormwater Regulations

Groundwater Removal - Wilbur Ordinance No. 314 provides for the installation and maintenance of sump drainage system for the removal of ground water under certain circumstances; provides for costs of maintaining sump pumps; designates critical groundwater discharge area, recd MRSC 7-97. (US 5.0000)

Water Service Outside City

Wilbur Ordinance No. 315 provides for delivery of water service outside town limits, establishes a "grandfather" right to present water users and establishes a procedure for applications for future water users, passed 5-97. (UW 4.4000)