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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for October 2022

Legal Publication Requirements and the Decline of the Local Newspaper

October 31, 2022  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Legislative Body

Cities, towns, and counties must designate an “official newspaper” to meet certain publication requirements. Other statutes require notice or publication in a “newspaper of general circulation.” What happens when there are fewer qualified newspapers to choose from?

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Using Levy Lid Lifts to Finance Public Salaries and Services

October 27, 2022  by  Eric Lowell
Category:  Property Taxes

Local governments looking to use levy lid lifts to help with increased costs should carefully consider several issues, such as type, duration, future fiscal need, capacity, and how to best frame the lid lift for a successful vote.

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Annexing Non-Contiguous Territory Outside City or Town Limits

October 23, 2022  by  MRSC Insight
Category:  Annexation

The Municipal Purpose Method of annexation is the only method available for a city or town wishing to annex territory non-contiguous to its jurisdictional boundaries. 

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Parking Reform: Part 2

October 19, 2022  by  Lisa Pool
Category:  Climate and Sustainability ,  Parking ,  Housing

Increasingly, many local governments are shifting away from requiring too much off-street parking, citing social, economic, and/or environmental reasons. What tools can these communities use to better manage existing parking supply and to anticipate future needs?

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Parking Reform Advances Climate Action, Housing Affordability, and More: Part 1

October 12, 2022  by  Lisa Pool
Category:  Climate and Sustainability ,  Parking ,  Housing

While parking is an important commodity for a community, too much parking can prevent the land from being used for another purpose, encourage excess car travel, and possibly make other forms of transportation, like biking or walking, both more complicated and dangerous.

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Washington’s COVID-19 State of Emergency Ends October 31: What Does this Mean for Local Governments?

October 6, 2022  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  COVID-19 ,  Open Public Meetings Act

Washington's state of emergency and remaining emergency proclamations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are scheduled to be lifted on October 31, 2022. What impact will this have on open public meetings, vaccine mandates, and requirements related to masking and disease tracking?  

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Elections Integrity and Security: Part 2

October 3, 2022  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  Elections and Voting

In the second part of our series on election security measures, we look at how elections offices verify and tabulate votes to ensure a complete result, and under what conditions and how a recount happens.

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