August 2017

Recent Changes to Washington’s Land Use and Planning Laws

August 31, 2017 by Steve Butler
Category: Land Use Administration , New Legislation and Regulations

The most recent Washington state legislative session resulted in changes to the Growth Management Act and tweaks to other land use/planning-related statutes. This blog post will provide a summary of some of those recently passed bills.

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Interview Tips

August 30, 2017 by Marci Wright
Category: Recruitment and Hiring

Employee hiring involves some of the most important decisions a manager will make. HR Consultant Marci Wright looks at ways employers can develop and implement effective interview questions and techniques.

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New Open Government Legislation: The Odds & Ends

August 28, 2017 by Robert Sepler
Category: Open Public Meetings Act , Public Records Act , New Legislation and Regulations

In addition to some big changes to the PRA, the legislature also made a number of other, relatively minor, tweaks to both the PRA and the OPMA this session. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Robert Sepler gives a quick overview of these odds and ends.

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Election Season is Upon Us! Do You Remember the Election-Related “Dos” and “Don’ts”?

August 25, 2017 by Jim Doherty
Category: Elections

There are many election issues that arise each year. Fortunately, we have addressed many of them in the past. In this post, MRSC Legal Manager Jim Doherty gives a refresher on some of the common issues faced by public agencies in Washington State.

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Rules of the Road: Incorporating Bicycles into Your Municipal Code

August 24, 2017 by Nick Quijas
Category: Cycling and Walking

Bicycles are increasingly being recognized as a legitimate and important form of transportation in Washington State. As such, municipalities need to consider how bicycles should be addressed in their municipal code. This blog post explores some potential “gaps” that cities and towns may have in their code provisions addressing bicycle use.

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The Power of Public Space

August 21, 2017 by Mark Hinshaw
Category: Design

In this post, guest author and architect Mark Hinshaw looks at the power, and growing popularity, of public spaces.

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Sustaining the Change Agent

August 14, 2017 by Michael Jacobson
Category: Performance Management-Measurement , Government Performance Advisor

In this post, Government Performance Advisor Michael Jacobson argues that change agents working within local government must also make time for reflection, self-care, and building community connections for personal, not just work-related, reasons.

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Confidentiality and Executive Sessions

August 10, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Open Public Meetings Act , Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan gives an overview of the new formal Attorney General Opinion (AGO 2017 No. 5), issued on August 3, 2017, which provides instruction on the confidentiality of information learned in executive sessions.

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