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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for May 2015

Contracting – Some General Principles for Cities

When contracting for services, public works, or purchases, what are the responsibilities of the city council and the mayor/administration? This post addresses a few general situations.

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Sign Code Update: Finding the Sweet Spot between Flexibility & Clutter Management

A case study in integrating form-based and street graphic approaches into the sign code update for the City of Lacey.
 

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State Supreme Court Says Cities Can Ban Collective Gardens, but the Legislature is Replacing Them with Medical Marijuana Cooperatives

Cannabis Action Coalition v. City of Kent upheld the constitutionality of the city of Kent’s ordinance banning collective gardens as a valid exercise of the city’s zoning authority. But new legislation is replacing collective gardens with medical marijuana "cooperatives."

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Beyond the Annual Financial Report: Communicating Your Agency's Financial Data

As financial reporting to the State Auditor's Office wraps up, Toni Nelson explains some other types of financial reports you should be providing to management and elected officials.

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Highlights from the 2015 National Planning Conference

Last month, over 6,400 planners from across the country came up to Washington State for the National Planning Conference, which took place in Seattle, April 18-21.  MRSC Planning Consultant Steve Butler joined the wonk-filled activities and shares some of his thoughts and highlights from the four-day event.

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