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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for September 2017

Understanding Municipal Rights-of-Way: From Centerline to Edge (Part 1)

Understanding Municipal Rights-of-Way: From Centerline to Edge (Part 1)

September 27, 2017  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  Streets and Sidewalks

MRSC gets a lot of inquiries about street rights-of-way. In this multi-part series, we cover the fundamentals of rights-of-way and the duties of local government and abutting owners.

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Safe Injection Sites and the Opioid Crisis

Safe Injection Sites and the Opioid Crisis

September 21, 2017  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Health and Human Services

Claiming the lives of 142 Americans every day by drug overdose, the opioid crisis has been called a “Killer Drug Epidemic” and each level of government is reacting. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Flannary Collins gives a brief overview of the steps that federal, state, and local governments have taken so far to address this crisis. 

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Communications in 10-5-1

Communications in 10-5-1

September 18, 2017  by  Bob Jean
Category:  Guest Author ,  Public Participation

Just as in our personal relations, communications are essential for fostering good community relations. Council/Commission Advisor Bob Jean looks at the role of the message, messenger, and media in local government communications efforts. 

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Legislature Enacts Paid Family Leave

Legislature Enacts Paid Family Leave

September 13, 2017  by  Paul Sullivan
Category:  Leave Policies ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The state legislature has adopted a bill that provides most employees in Washington State with paid leave to care for their health conditions, the health condition of a family member, or for the birth or placement of an adopted or foster child. This post summarizes the new legislation and some of the differences between it and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

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Building Consensus for Bellevue’s Affordable Housing Strategy

Building Consensus for Bellevue’s Affordable Housing Strategy

September 11, 2017  by  Michael Kattermann
Category:  Guest Author ,  Housing

According to a 2015 survey, a lack of affordable housing was cited as a major challenge for Bellevue businesses. Guest author Micheal Katterman talks about the city's successful effort to build an affordable housing strategy— by building consensus among a variety of stakeholders. 

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Emergency Planning 101

Emergency Planning 101

September 7, 2017  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Emergency Management

Does your community have an emergency plan? Is it strong enough and written in a way to serve as an organizing document during what is likely to be a tumultuous time? Consultant Lynn Nordby urges readers to follow the Scout motto and “Be Prepared”— for anything.

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Paid Sick Leave Starts January 1

Paid Sick Leave Starts January 1

September 5, 2017  by  Paul Sullivan
Category:  Leave Policies

Starting January 1, 2018, all employers in the state, including all local government agencies, must provide paid sick leave for their employees. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan responds to some possible questions about the new paid sick leave requirements.

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Preparing for Small Cell Deployments

Preparing for Small Cell Deployments

September 1, 2017  by  Elana Zana
Category:  Guest Author ,  Telecommunications

In this blog post, guest author Elana Zana discusses small cells and gives some recommendations on preparing for small cell deployment. 

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