MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for May 2016

Keeping Up with Inflation: Strategies for Increasing Revenue to Keep Up with Cost Increases

May 31, 2016 by Shawn Hunstock
Category: Guest Author , Revenues

For the most part, cities in Washington have very little influence on the amount of revenue that is generated from property taxes, sales taxes, and utility taxes. So how can cities keep up with inflation?

Franchising - An Essential Tool for Right-of-Way Management

May 18, 2016 by Jim Doherty
Category: Utilities

Many city and county attorneys and public works directors are familiar with utility franchising issues, but many other city and county elected officials and staff are not, even though they may encounter them as part of their public duties. Understanding the basics of franchising will help in approaching these issues and in appreciating the complexity of the often unnoticed utility systems providing services to your residents and businesses.

4 Takeaways from the 2016 National Planning Conference

May 17, 2016 by William Simpson
Category: Guest Author , Planning

Last month over 4,300 planners, policymakers, and students attended the American Planning Association conference in Phoenix. I’ve selected a few takeaways that might be of interest to planners and community leaders throughout Washington.

On the Quest for a Performance Culture: Where to Start?

May 13, 2016 by Michael Jacobson
Category: Guest Author , Performance Management-Measurement

Today, governments wanting to embark on performance management have a plethora of approaches which they follow. This profusion of approaches is both exhilarating and terrifying. So where should you start?

2016 Legislature Adds to the Monetary Penalty for an OPMA Violation

May 11, 2016 by Bob Meinig
Category: Open Public Meetings Act

A violation of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) can result in a number of consequences, one of which is a monetary penalty for each member of a governing body who attends a meeting knowing that it is being held in violation of the OPMA. To deter OPMA violations, the Legislature increased the existing $100 civil penalty, effective June 9, 2016, to $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for each successive violation.

What is an Agency's Obligation When a Records Request May Suggest Requester's "Commercial Purpose"?

May 9, 2016 by P. Stephen DiJulio
Category: Guest Author , Public Records Act

A summary of the court's decision in SEIU Healthcare v. DSHS and Freedom Foundation and what that means for public records disclosure requests.

Records Requests for Judicial Records

May 6, 2016 by Robert Sepler
Category: Public Records Act

It’s been about four months since the new court rule governing administrative judicial records, GR 31.1, became effective, so here's a quick refresher on the law governing records requests for judicial records.