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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for September 2016

New Rule Requires Notice When Transporting Oil

New Rule Requires Notice When Transporting Oil

September 28, 2016  by  Paul Sullivan
Category:  Hazardous Materials and Substances ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The Department of Ecology (DOE) recently adopted a new regulation, chapter 173-185 WAC, requiring that the DOE receive advance notification when crude oil is moved to certain facilities in the state by railroad car, as well as biannual reports from the owners of certain oil transmission pipelines regarding the volume of crude oil transported through their pipelines. Local governments can, upon request, get this information from the DOE.

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Regulating Political Signs in Election Season: Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign…

Regulating Political Signs in Election Season: Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign…

September 26, 2016  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Elections ,  Sign Control

Reed presents a significant problem for local governments because most, if not all, sign codes adopted before that decision regulate categories of signs based on content, such as a category for political or real estate signs. Even though the Reed decision was issued over a year ago, local governments are still struggling with how to revise their sign codes to comply with its holding. Today’s blog post will consider how Reed may affect the regulation of political and other types of temporary signs going forward.
 

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Electronic Signatures, Submissions, and Bids for Local Governments

Electronic Signatures, Submissions, and Bids for Local Governments

September 21, 2016  by  John W. Carpita, PE
Category:  Purchasing and Contracting

SHB 2427 has significantly expanded the ability of local governments to send and receive electronic signatures, submissions, and bid documents. But what exactly are electronic signatures, and how do you use them?

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PRA Performance Audit: The Costs of Fulfilling PRA Requests

PRA Performance Audit: The Costs of Fulfilling PRA Requests

September 14, 2016  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Public Records Act

This blog post is the first in a series analyzing the State Auditor’s Office’s (SAO’s) PRA performance audit: The Effect of Public Records Requests on State and Local Governments, and will provide a general overview of the audit with a particular focus on the SAO’s findings related to the costs incurred by public agencies, with future blog posts focusing on other aspects of the audit.

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Spokane County Uses Lean to Improve Its Job Application Process

Spokane County Uses Lean to Improve Its Job Application Process

September 13, 2016  by  John Dickson
Category:  Guest Author ,  Performance Management-Measurement

Spokane County COO John Dickson shares another story about how the county is using lean principles to improve its services - this time, an account from Linda McGlocklin about how the HR department switched to NEOGOV software for its job application process.

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New Federal Rules Governing Commercial Drones

New Federal Rules Governing Commercial Drones

September 8, 2016  by  Robert Sepler
Category:  New Legislation and Regulations

On August 29, 2016, new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) drone regulations came into effect that govern the operation of certain “small unmanned aircraft systems” (sUAS) operated for commercial purposes (“sUAS” is what the FAA calls drones weighing less than 55 pounds).

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Regulating Uber, Lyft, and Other Transportation Network Companies

Regulating Uber, Lyft, and Other Transportation Network Companies

September 7, 2016  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Planning ,  Business Licenses and Taxes

Cities and counties in Washington have begun to regulate "transportation network companies" such as Uber and Lyft, and some jurisdictions have taken a more regional approach.

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