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Focus - February 2003

		Final 2003 Budget Comes Up Short for First Responders (February 25) Cities came up short last week when the long awaited $3.5 billion for local first responders was funded at less than $1 billion in new money in the 2003 Omnibus spending bill passed by Congress. More from Nation's Cities Weekly
		Directory of County Officials (February 25) MRSC has assumed annual publication of the "Directory of County Officials in Washington State." Use our publication order form to order your copy of the 2003 edition.
		What the IT Revolution Means for Regional Economic Development (February 25) The latest report from the Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, "What the IT Revolution Means for Regional Economic Development," gives readers a look inside companies to see how they are using IT, and discusses what regional leaders can do to support technology-based development.
		ICMA Performance Measurement Forum in Tacoma (February 25) The International City/County Management Association's (ICMA) Center for Performance Measurement (CPM) Fourth Annual Forum will be held March 23-25, 2003, in Tacoma, Washington. The forum offers an opportunity for city/county managers and staff to share ideas on using performance data to improve local services. This year the CPM forum is also open to employees of local governments that do not participate in the Center.
		Public Safety Communications Interoperability Report (February 25) The National Task Force on Interoperability recently released "Why Can't We Talk? Working Together to Bridge the Communications Gap to Save Lives" discussing barriers to the interoperability of public safety voice and data communications systems and suggesting some initial steps for bridging the communications gap.
		Fire Chief's Guide to Smallpox Vaccination (February 25) The International Association of Fire Chiefs' (IAFC) report, "Fire Chief's Guide to Smallpox Vaccination", gives local fire chiefs a basic understanding of the upcoming smallpox vaccination program and its impact fire departments.
		Adapting to Alternative Fuels (February 25) City and county fleet departments have several options for minimizing the costs of converting their vehicles to operate on fuels other than gasoline and diesel. More from American City & County
		Fiscal Conditions Forcing Cities to Cut Public Safety Positions (February 18) One in four cities has cut police positions or expects cuts in the near future due to poor fiscal conditions according to a recent National League of Cities survey of 322 cities and towns. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.
		Web Page for Newly-Elected County Officials (February 18) Our "Newly-Elected County Officials" page includes information on county government organization, key legal issues, leadership and policy-making roles, and effective communication.
		ODP Listserv Offers Daily Updates on Global and Domestic Terrorism (February 18) State and local government employees can receive daily updates on terrorist activities around the world by subscribing to the Domestic Preparedness Support Listserv, maintained by the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP). To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listproc@lists.aspensys.com. In the message text, write "Subscribe ODPS First name Last name." Also include agency name and full address.
		Economic Development - Small Community Case Studies (February 18) The Thriving Hometowns Network is a compilation of more than 50 community economic development case studies drawn from small communities (most less than 10,000 population). The fully searchable database is maintained by the National Center for Small Communities.
		West Nile Virus - The Public Health Role (February 18) Mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus have been identified in every Washington county. In other places this has been followed by a disease outbreak including bird deaths, sick horses and a few cases of human encephalitis. County health officials should be planning their response now. More from the Courthouse Journal.
		Local Government 101 - Conflicts of Interest (February 18) Washington law governing conflicts of interest limits elected officials who set their own salaries, prohibits them from having financial interests in certain contracts and from voting on matters in which they stand to benefit financially.
		Initiative 776 Declared Unconstitutional (February 11) King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu declared on February 10 that Initiative 776, the "$30 car tab" ballot measure approved by the voters in November 2002, is unconstitutional. The judge's decision, which will undoubtedly be appealed to the state supreme court, was that the initiative was unconstitutional because it contained more the one subject, because the ballot title was insufficient, and because it impaired contracts (Sound Transit bonds). Judge Yu's decision concluded: "Initiative 776 is unconstitutional in its entirety and therefore, cannot be enforced; the State and its subdivisions are hereby permanently enjoined from taking any action to implement or enforce any section of Initiative 776."
		The Way We Tax (February 11) A new report from Governing magazine, "The Way We Tax," evaluates the 50 states' tax systems on the adequacy of their revenue streams, fairness to taxpayers and how efficiently they are managed. The study finds many states have inadequate, unfair state tax systems that compound state financial crises, and threaten devolution of power to states.
		Law Enforcement - Mentoring in Small Police Departments (February 11) The International Association of Police Chief's report on "Best Practices for Institutionalizing Mentoring into Police Departments" (328 KB) provides chiefs from smaller police departments with a step-by-step method for institutionalizing mentoring to enhance recruitment and retention efforts.
		Law Enforcement - Lynnwood's Citizens Patrol (February 11) Lynnwood Police Department "citizens patrol" volunteers contributed an estimated $300,000 worth of service to the city by working more than 20,000 hours for free last year. More from the Everett Herald.
		Initiative & Referendum (February 11) The Initiative & Referendum Institute is a non-profit non-partisan research and educational organization that analyzes, promotes, and defends the initiative and referendum process in America. Check the institute's map for a quick look at initiatives and referendums across the nation. The Washington Secretary of State's Office also tracks ballot measures.
		L&I's Ergonomics Ideas Bank Debuts t (February 11) The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has launched the Ergonomics Ideas Bank, a searchable collection of ideas for preventing workplace injuries and improving job safety and health.
		States Facing Unprecedented Budget Shortfalls (February 5) State budget gaps have grown by an alarming 50 percent in the last two months with even greater shortfalls expected in the months ahead according to a report just released by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
		Counties Join States in Slashing Budgets (February 5) The word from counties across the country is also grim, according to Larry Naake, Executive Director of the National Association of Counties. Counties, like the states, are slashing their budgets. More from NACo's County News.
		Zoning: Ready to be Rezoned (February 5) Are the zoning codes that shaped America's great 20th century suburban boom ready for a retread - or a replacement? More from the NLC's Nation's Cities Weekly.
		New MRSC Publication - Hiring Employees (February 5) Our new Research Brief on "Hiring Employees" (135 KB) explores a municipality's ability to hire employees, including who has the authority to hire and procedures for protecting the municipality's and the applicant's interests.
		Local Government 101 - Public Hearings (February 5) Public bodies, such as city councils and boards of county commissioners, are sometimes required to hold public hearings. Since the issues addressed in these hearings are frequently contentious, may involve due process rights of private parties, and generate litigation, it is important to know and follow proper hearing procedures.
		Bridging the Digital Divide (February 5) The Center to Bridge the Digital Divide at Washington State University in Pullman, has as one of its goals the "speedy deployment of telecommunications infrastructure to rural and underserved communities." If you are struggling with how to get broadband services to your community, the Center may be able to help you merge onto the information superhighway.
		Court Upholds Authority to Revoke Preliminary Plat (February 3) On January 23, the state supreme court in HJS Development, Inc. v. Pierce County upheld the authority of cities and counties under state subdivision laws to revoke preliminary plat approvals if a local ordinance provides that authority. The court noted that "[w]hen conditions of approval of a preliminary plat cannot be satisfied or are deliberately violated, remedial action, such as revocation, may be the only remedy." MRSC recommends that cities and counties that have not provided in their platting ordinances for revocation of a preliminary plat where appropriate should consider doing so.