Making Government Work Attractive

June 23, 2022  by  Leah LaCivita ,  Tracy Burrows
Category:  Administration and Management

This blog looks at how local governments can build a strong workplace culture that engages current staff and is a powerful tool to attract and retain new workers.

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Preserving Affordability Through Manufactured Home Park Zones

June 21, 2022  by  Steve Butler
Category:  Housing ,  Development Regulations and Zoning

Manufactured homes are often overlooked yet can be an important affordable housing option. Local governments can protect them by creating new zones (or strengthening existing regulations) that designate areas specifically for manufactured home parks. 

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Expectations of Confidentiality and OPMA Executive Sessions

June 16, 2022  by  MRSC Insight
Category:  Open Public Meetings Act

How confidential is information discussed during an executive session, and what are the expectations that those involved in the discussion should keep this information private?

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2022 Legislation About Public Safety

June 13, 2022  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  Law Enforcement ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Among other items, 2022 legislation related to public safety clarifies use-of-force provisions for law enforcement and makes slight changes to what could be considered military equipment.  

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Does the Contract Need to End, or Can It Live Forever?

June 9, 2022  by  Josh Klika
Category:  Purchasing and Contracting

Contracts come with terms which sometimes cover a long period of time. This blog will explore what to consider when choosing the term of a contract.

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State and Local Governments Prepare to Celebrate Newest State Holiday: Juneteenth

June 6, 2022  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Leave Policies

Juneteenth became an officially recognized holiday at the state and federal level in 2021, and some local governments are also choosing to make it a paid holiday and/or sponsoring organized celebrations. 

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Donations and Local Governments: The Basics of Giving and Receiving

June 2, 2022  by  Eric Lowell
Category:  Financial Reporting ,  Gift of Public Funds

This blog looks at how a local government can receive donations and how it can make a donation without violating the gift of public funds prohibition. 

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Speaking Versus Regulating — The Government Speech Doctrine

May 31, 2022  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  Governance ,  Court Decisions and AGO Opinions

Government speech is analyzed differently by the courts than government regulation of the speech of others. This blog looks at government speech case law, including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shurtleff v. City of Boston.

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JLARC Public Records Program Reporting Deadline Coming Up Fast

May 26, 2022  by  Ashley Elliott
Category:  Public Records Act ,  Guest Author

The JLARC Public Records Program reporting deadline is July 1. This guest blog covers major findings from the 2020 report as well as answers to frequently asked questions regarding the reporting process. 

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Recruiting for Local Government Positions

May 23, 2022  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Recruitment and Hiring

Many employers are finding employee recruitment challenging. This blog explores some out-of-the-box approaches to attracting new talent, from signing and referral bonuses, telecommute options and other incentives, as well as what to consider if you hire out-of-state staff. 

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HB 1329: Answers to Your OPMA Questions

May 19, 2022  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Open Public Meetings Act ,  New Legislation and Regulations

MRSC has gotten a lot of questions from local governments about HB 1329 and how it impacts remote public meetings, public comment, adjournment, and more. This blog address some common concerns.

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Agencies Relate Successes, Challenges to VMT Reduction

May 16, 2022  by  Alon Bassok
Category:  Climate Change ,  Transportation and Land Use ,  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Guest Author

Across the state, local governments have been looking at how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled in their communities. This blog looks at some successful strategies and common challenges. 

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Continued Use of the Public Right-of-Way for Outside Dining

May 12, 2022  by  Steve Butler
Category:  Streets and Sidewalks ,  COVID-19

This blog examines the key components of local parklet/streatery programs that were established during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and how Washington’s local governments are now evaluating the future of those programs.

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Understanding and Defending Against Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

May 9, 2022  by  Stevens Fox
Category:  Cybersecurity ,  Guest Author

This guest blog focuses on Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, including how to identify them, types of attacks, and some tips on protecting your mission-critical services against them. 

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Revisiting C-PACER Two Years Later (Part 2)

May 5, 2022  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Strategies and Programs

In 2020, Washington counties were offered the chance to adopt a C-PACER program that would encourage capital improvements for commercial properties in order to increase water and energy efficiency. This blog follows up on program implementation two years later.

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OPMA/PRA Emergency Proclamation Will Expire June 1

May 2, 2022  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Open Public Meetings Act ,  Public Records Act ,  COVID-19

Pandemic-related restrictions on public meetings and the processing of public records will no longer be in effect this coming June, per the newly released Proclamation 20-28.16. 

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2022 Legislation Impacting Public Works Contracting

April 28, 2022  by  Josh Klika
Category:  Purchasing and Contracting ,  New Legislation and Regulations

SB 5693 includes funding for a new partnership between MRSC and the Washington Procurement and Technical Assistance Center to bring expanded training, outreach, and technical assistance on public works contracting for  Washington local governments. 

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A How-To Guide to Sponsoring Summer Celebrations

April 26, 2022  by  MRSC Insight
Category:  Streets and Sidewalks ,  Gift of Public Funds

Summer is coming and with it, the possibility of public celebrations! But a local government should plan carefully to both make the event a success and be sure that it does not unintentionally violate the constitutional gift of public funds prohibition. 

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Using Affordable Housing Overlay Zones to Reduce the Risk of Displacement

April 21, 2022  by  Steve Butler
Category:  Housing

Increased zoning can sometimes result in gentrification of a community and the displacement of vulnerable populations. Affordable housing overlay zoning is a tool that can help to increase density without triggering the unintended consequences of gentrification and displacement.

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Tapping the Power of Emerging Leaders for Climate Resilience

April 19, 2022  by  Kif Scheuer ,  Mackenzie Bolger
Category:  Climate Change ,  Leadership ,  Guest Author

CivicSpark is a service program that pairs talented young adult Fellows with local governments, state agencies, Tribes, and nonprofits to tackle climate-related projects, research, and programs. It is expanding to Washington State and accepting applications for the 2022-23 year. 

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