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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for March 2019

Finding ‘Missing Middle’ Housing, Part 1

Finding ‘Missing Middle’ Housing, Part 1

March 28, 2019  by  Leonard Bauer
Category:  Guest Author ,  Housing

This 2-part series looks at the City of ​Olympia’s 2-year experience to encourage the growth of missing middle housing. Part 1 examines the formal processes the city undertook, including the creation of a 16-member workgroup to study the issue.

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Roundtable Public Hearings

Roundtable Public Hearings

March 25, 2019  by  Bob Jean
Category:  Guest Author ,  Legislative Body

This blog post provides an overview of the Roundtable Public Hearing process, a tool local governments can use to move the public hearing process from a divisive “win/lose” result to a much preferable “consensus/compromise” result. 

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Financial Management: The “Big Picture,” Part 2

Financial Management: The “Big Picture,” Part 2

March 20, 2019  by  Mike Bailey
Category:  Financial Management

In Part 2 of this 2-part series, Finance Consultant Mike Bailey looks at tools that can help a local government monitor its fiscal progress or setbacks.

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Financial Management: The “Big Picture,” Part 1

Financial Management: The “Big Picture,” Part 1

March 18, 2019  by  Mike Bailey
Category:  Financial Management

This 2-part series will look at how all staff can contribute to the big-picture fiscal health of an agency, from establishing an agency-wide blueprint to finding the right tools to monitor fiscal progress or setbacks.

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Lessons Learned from Snowmaggedon

Lessons Learned from Snowmaggedon

March 14, 2019  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Emergency Management ,  Personnel Policies

This blog post will address a few of the frequently asked questions MRSC received during “Snowmageddon” this past February.

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2020 Census: Ensuring a Complete Count

2020 Census: Ensuring a Complete Count

March 14, 2019  by  Lisa McLean
Category:  Guest Author ,  Tax and Population Data

The 2020 Census begins in mid-March 2020, and this blog post provides both an overview of the process and what your local government can do to facilitate the effort.

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Introducing the PRA & Records Management Technology Guide!

Introducing the PRA & Records Management Technology Guide!

March 7, 2019  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  Public Records Act

MRSC has partnered with the SAO Center for Government Innovation to provide local governments with information and resources for managing electronic public records, and we are proud to introduce the PRA & Management Technology Guide.

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Now Is the Time to Look at Opportunity Zones

Now Is the Time to Look at Opportunity Zones

March 6, 2019  by  Sam Alcorn
Category:  Guest Author ,  Strategies and Programs

This post describes Opportunity Zones, how the zones work, what municipalities are doing to attract investment, and how to make sure investment is in the community’s best interest.

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Past Due Payments and Use of Collection Agencies

Past Due Payments and Use of Collection Agencies

March 4, 2019  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  Accounting ,  Utilities - Billing and Collection

This blog post provides an overview of the requirements for use of a collection agency and will address some frequently asked questions that arise when doing so. 

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