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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for October 2015

The Importance of Bringing Your Sign Code Up-to-Date

The Importance of Bringing Your Sign Code Up-to-Date

October 29, 2015  by  Steve Butler
Category:  Sign Control

Practical tips for how to update your sign code in order to address the implications of the recent Reed v. Town of Gilbert case.

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The Christmas Storm Redux: 6 Lessons in Emergency Management

The Christmas Storm Redux: 6 Lessons in Emergency Management

October 28, 2015  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Emergency Management

With winter storm season soon upon us, here are six tips for responding to emergency situations.

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Courts in the Ninth Circuit Decline to Extend Reed v. Town of Gilbert to Commercial Speech

Courts in the Ninth Circuit Decline to Extend Reed v. Town of Gilbert to Commercial Speech

October 23, 2015  by  Robert Sepler
Category:  Court Decisions and AGO Opinions ,  Sign Control

After the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert four months ago striking down that Arizona town’s sign code as being unconstitutionally content-based, some commentators, including one from The New York Times, were quick to raise the alarm that the decision would have consequences far beyond local sign codes. Although the decision has undoubtedly created uncertainty, it has not yet led to any such consequences so far in the Ninth Circuit, the federal circuit that includes Washington State.

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Spokane's Outreach Strategies at the Forefront of Community Policing Efforts

Spokane's Outreach Strategies at the Forefront of Community Policing Efforts

October 21, 2015  by  Josh Mahar
Category:  Law Enforcement

Spokane Police Department's 2015 Community Outreach Strategy shows some innovative community policing techniques.

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Understanding Customers in the Public Sector

Understanding Customers in the Public Sector

October 20, 2015  by  Michael Jacobson
Category:  Guest Author ,  Performance Management-Measurement

It's time to start using the concept of "customer" to help make government more effective, efficient, and people-oriented.

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Lean on Me: The Pitfalls of Performance Measurement

Lean on Me: The Pitfalls of Performance Measurement

October 12, 2015  by  Larisa Benson
Category:  Guest Author ,  Performance Management-Measurement

In my work with teams and organizations, it pains me to witness people being bullied with performance measures, well-intentioned as these efforts may be.

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Water Storage Asset Management Bill a Big Win for Small Cities

Water Storage Asset Management Bill a Big Win for Small Cities

October 9, 2015  by  John W. Carpita, PE
Category:  Water Utilities

New law grants cities and towns the authority to negotiate a fair and reasonable water storage asset management service contract with firms that submit the best proposals for services.

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State Supreme Court Says Advisory Committees Are Not Subject to the OPMA

State Supreme Court Says Advisory Committees Are Not Subject to the OPMA

October 6, 2015  by  Bob Meinig
Category:  Open Public Meetings Act

The Washington State Supreme Court last week, in Citizens Alliance v. San Juan County, finally confronted head-on the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) issue of when a committee of a governing body “acts on behalf of” the governing body so as to have to comply with the OPMA. It did so by adopting, in a 6-3 decision, the reasoning of a 1986 attorney general opinion, concluding, among other things, that the OPMA does not apply to purely advisory committees of a governing body. The court’s opinion also touches on related OPMA issues that merit attention.

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