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MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for January 2018

Legislature Addresses Whatcom County v. Hirst

January 24, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management , Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , New Legislation and Regulations , Natural Resources

A new law addressing Whatcom County v. Hirst was recently enacted, providing some clarity and a way in which some development can be permitted in rural areas. Legal Consultant Jill Dvorkin reviews the major points of the legislation in this post.

The “Ins and Outs” of School Impact Fees

January 22, 2018 by Steve Butler
Category: Impact Fees

For many jurisdictions, school impact fees are a potential but underutilized revenue source to help pay for public facilities. This post looks at these fees and the other factors local governments must consider before implementing any.

OPMA and PRA Training Requirements for Government Officials

January 17, 2018 by Oskar Rey
Category: Open Public Meetings Act , Public Records Act

This blog post will provide an overview of the OPMA and PRA training requirements for local government officials
and provide resources to obtain training.

Year-End Personnel Topics Pop Quiz

January 9, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , Leave Policies , Minimum Wage , Termination and Retirement

Take a short quiz to test your memory of some common, personnel-related legal issues as well as new employment laws that came in to or remained in effect in 2017.

December 2017 Land Use Case Law Update

January 4, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Land Use Administration

Legal Consultant Jill Dvorkin reviews the top land use cases from the latter half of 2017. These cases were heard by the State Supreme Court and may impact Washington State local governments in the future.

Ten Traits of an Effective Councilmember

January 2, 2018 by Jon Mutchler
Category: Guest Author , Leadership and Management , Legislative Body , City and Town Officials

In this guest-authored blog post, Ferndale Mayor Jon Mulcher reflects on the traits he has witnessed in his career as a public servant that define truly effective councilmembers.

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