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SUBJECTS › GOVERNANCE › Candidate Information Resources for Washington City and County Elective Offices
 
 Created 6/05

Candidate Information Resources
for Washington City and County Elective Offices

Contents

Introduction

The Municipal Research & Services Center of Washington (MRSC) has created this Web page especially for local government elective office candidates. There are a host of issues that will require your attention in the upcoming months as you begin your campaign and, if you are elected, as you prepare to assume the duties of your office. We hope you will find these resources to be helpful. Good luck in your campaign!

Election Campaign Guidelines and Requirements

Links to the Secretary of State's and the Public Disclosure Commission's Web sites offer information on elections and voting, and various forms, compliance manuals and other resources for office candidates:

Legal Resources

MRSC offers links to all of the basic state laws affecting cities and counties as well as to locally-adopted codes and ordinances. You'll find our "Knowing the Territory" publication particularly useful for learning about basic legal guidelines affecting Washington city and county officials.

Handbooks for Elected Officials

MRSC has prepared several handbooks specifically for new councilmembers, commissioners and mayors:

  • Councilmember's Handbook, MRSC Report No. 48, January 2000 - A brief overview of the structure of municipal government in Washington State and the role of the councilmember in that structure. The primary focus is on the council meeting. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (648kb)
  • Mayor's Handbook, MRSC Report No. 44, February 1999 - This handbook is intended to serve as a guide for mayors in Washington cities and towns operating under the mayor-council form of government. There are also materials on issues which directly concern mayors in council-manager cities and all mayor pro tems: presiding over council meetings, conducting public hearings, etc. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (452kb)
  • New Commissioner Handbook, MRSC Report No. 43, September 1998 - Designed to assist newly elected county commissioners in the state of Washington. The handbook addresses many issues that are specific to the commission form of government; however, elected councilmembers in charter counties will also find sections of the handbook useful. View this publication in HTML on the Web or View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (474kb)
  • Code City Handbook, MRSC Report No. 37, March 1997 - Provides essential information for code city officials and incites their powers, duties, and alternatives that are available under the applicable forms of municipal government. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (298kb)
  • Town Handbook - Handbook for Washington Town Officials - Municipalities of the Fourth Class, MRSC Report No. 24 (Revision of Report No. 20), December 1992 - Provides essential information for town officials and indicates their powers, duties and alternatives that are available under applicable forms of government. Available on loan from MRSC Library. Library Loan Request Form 

Roles of Elected Officials

It is essential for effective local government that municipal officials understand the roles of their respective offices and their interrelationships with others. We offer several publications and articles that discuss this important issue:

Policy-Making

One of your primary responsibilities as an elected official will be to discuss, develop and adopt local laws and policies. Information on the drafting and adoption of ordinances and resolutions is available in our handbooks on "Local Government Policy-Making" and "Local Ordinances." Some local ordinances, however, are adopted or reviewed directly by the public; information regarding the local initiative and referendum process is available in our handbook on "Initiatives and Referendums":

  • Local Government Policy-Making Process, MRSC Report No. 45, February 1999 - The purposes of this publication are to describe the local government policy-making process, outline effective roles for local officials, and to provide practical tips to make the local policy-making process for satisfying and productive. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (511kb)
  • Local Ordinances for Washington Cities and Counties, MRSC Report No. 50, May 2000 - To assist Washington county, city, and town officials in the drafting and adoption of ordinances, resolutions, motions, and related devices. The report replaces Report No. 15, Local Ordinances: The Drafting, Compilation, Codification, and Revision of Ordinances. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (452kb)
  • Initiative and Referendum Powers of Cities and Towns in the State of Washington, MRSC Report No. 28, January 2006 - Reviews the powers of initiative and referendum as they are exercised in cities in the state of Washington. It includes information on how to adopt these powers and which types of municipal activities are subject to these powers. View this publication in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Document 306kb) on the Web

Open Government

Openness and accountability are critical to the health of our democratic system of government. MRSC offers several resources dealing with the state open public meetings act, public records disclosure laws and strategies for connecting citizens and government:

  • The Open Public Meetings Act - How it Applies to Washington Cities, Towns and Counties, MRSC Report No. 39, September 1997 - Covers who is subject to act, procedural requirements, executive sessions, exemptions, penalties and selected classes. View this publication in HTML on the Web or View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (424kb)
  • Public Records Disclosure for Washington Cities and Counties, Report No. 61, June 2004. Discusses all of the statutory disclosure exemptions relevant to cities and towns in Washington, as well as the mandatory procedures for responding to public disclosure requests. Many of the public disclosure questions that are frequently asked are included. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (435kb)
  • Open Government Internet Manual - Attorney General's Open Government Internet Deskbook - Washington State Attorney General's Office
  • Governments are from Saturn...Citizens are from Jupiter - Strategies for Reconnecting Citizens and Government, MRSC Report No. 42, June 1998 - This publication briefly explores evidence and sources of the growing distrust between government and citizens, and highlights valuable benefits that government provides. View this publication in HTML on the Web or View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat ( 870kb)

Local Government Finance/Budgeting

Paying for government is always a challenging issue. See MRSC's city and county revenue guide and budget suggestions publications for more information on city finance issues:

  • Budget Basics, From Councilmember's Handbook, MRSC Report No. 48, January 2000
  • MRSC's Finance Web page
  • MRSC's Budgets Web page
  • A Revenue Guide for Washington Cities and Towns, MRSC Report No. 46, August 1999 - Contains information on revenue sources available to cities and towns for general government purposes, including the relevant statutory references and court decisions. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (743kb)
  • A Revenue Guide for Washington Counties. Report No. 53, July 2001. A Revenue Guide for Washington Counties is intended primarily to assist county policymakers and administrators in understanding the array of revenue sources available for the various programs and services they provide. It is not a comprehensive listing of all the revenues available, but is rather an attempt to describe and explain the more important sources. We hope others with a more general interest in county government will also find the information useful. View this publication in HTML on the Web
    View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (409kb)
  • Budget Suggestions for 2005, Information Bulletin No. 519, August 2004. This publication contains budget calendars; information on 2004 legislation; and CPI, IPD, and state-shared revenue forecasts. In addition, there are articles on telecommunications taxation, pay advances and employment taxes, budgeting and beginning and ending cash balances, the Washington State Supreme Court decision on ambulance service charges, and miscellaneous other items. View/Download this publication in Adobe Acrobat (266kb)
  • Budget Suggestions for 2006

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