New Bill Provides Incentives for Washington Cities to Increase Residential Capacity

July 26, 2019 by Steve Butler
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations , Development Regulations and Zoning

This past legislative session saw the passage E2SHB 1923, a bill intended to encourage more residential development capacity and increase local governments’ emphasis on affordable housing. 

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New Workplace Protections for Washington Public Employees

July 22, 2019 by Sarah Doar
Category: Recruitment and Hiring , New Legislation and Regulations

With recent changes in statutes and caselaw, now is a good time for Washington State public employers to review their personnel policies and ensure that they are up to date.

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2019 Legislative Outcomes for Procurement and Contracting - Part 2

July 19, 2019 by Judy Isaac
Category: Purchasing and Contracting , New Legislation and Regulations

In Part 2 of this series covering new bills impacting local government procurement and contracting, this blog post covers ESSB 5418, ESB 5958, ESSB 5035, and SSB 5017. 

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SHB 1406: Understanding the Affordable Housing Sales Tax Credit

July 17, 2019 by Toni Nelson
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations , Sales and Use Taxes

SHB 1406 will provide a new affordable housing revenue stream for those counties, cities, and towns that choose to participate; But to do so, those entities must act fast. 

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2019 Legislative Outcomes for Procurement and Contracting - Part I: ESSB 5418

July 10, 2019 by Judy Isaac
Category: Purchasing and Contracting , New Legislation and Regulations

This post provides details for ESSB 5418, a complicated bill from the 2019 Legislative Session that impacts unit-price contracts, bid thresholds, and other topics involving municipal procurement. 

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Financial Policies: Travel, Expense Reimbursement, Credit Cards, and More

July 8, 2019 by Mike Bailey
Category: Accounting , Financial Management

MRSC has partnered with the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) Center for Government Innovation to expand the Financial Policies Tool Kit we first launched two years ago. This blog post covers some of the highlights.

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The Hidden Power of the Government Form Letter

July 5, 2019 by Dana Howard Botka
Category: Management , Guest Author

Your routine letters and forms may be creating more internal costs and constituent frustration than you realize. This post shows how reducing the jargon, simplifying the message, and talking to the reader can, instead, win over citizens.

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Seven New Election Laws Promote Citizen Participation, Increase Transparency

July 3, 2019 by Linda Gallagher
Category: Elections , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog post covers seven new election-related laws that promote transparency in the process and candidate funding, as well as make it easier for Washington State citizens to participate in local, state, and federal elections. 

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