MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Jill Dvorkin

Pop Quiz: Paid Family Medical Leave and the Family Medical Leave Act

February 6, 2023 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Leave Policies

Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provide extended leave, job protection, and other benefits for qualified employees, but the interplay between the two programs can be confusing. Test your knowledge.

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?

Read the Signs: New Ruling Clarifies On-/Off-Premises Sign Regulation

July 25, 2022 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Sign Control

The 2015 ruling in Reed v. Town of Gilbert made on-/off premise sign regulation more challenging for local governments. A new ruling in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising clarifies content-based regulations, giving local governments some breathing room.

State and Local Governments Prepare to Celebrate Newest State Holiday: Juneteenth

June 6, 2022 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Leave Policies

Juneteenth became an officially recognized holiday at the state and federal level in 2021, and some local governments are also choosing to make it a paid holiday and/or sponsoring organized celebrations.

MRSC Releases Results of Local Government Climate Response Survey

October 12, 2021 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: MRSC News and Updates , Climate Change

MRSC's Local Climate Response Project surveyed local government staff about their agency's concerns and actions related to climate change, and the results are available in this blog.

Regulating Signs During Election Season

August 19, 2021 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Elections , Sign Control

This blog will touch on some frequently asked questions regarding the regulation of political signage.

Bringing the Family to Work

April 19, 2021 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Recruitment and Hiring , Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

This blog looks at nepotism and how it applies to local governments.

Regulating Non-Commercial Temporary Signs During Election Season

October 13, 2020 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Elections , Sign Control

This blog post provides a brief refresher on how a jurisdiction may regulate temporary, campaign-related signs in a post-Reed v. Gilbert environment.

Climate Change: What Can Local Governments Do?

October 8, 2020 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Climate Change

This blog explains the basic elements of a Climate Action Plan, provides examples, and shares some of the many resources related to climate policy.

Court Upholds King County Ordinance Requiring Franchise Compensation for Use of Right-of-Way

January 7, 2020 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Utilities , Water Utilities

Can a county charge a fee for allowing a utility to use the county’s right-of-way for placement of utility infrastructure? The Washington Supreme Court ruled recently that it can.

Recounts, Ties, and Other Post-Election Scenarios

October 31, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Elections

This post addresses issues or events that may arise after a general election, such as recounts, ties, election contests, and assumption of office.

Food Waste Reduction and Sustainable Recycling: New Legislation

September 19, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Utilities , New Legislation and Regulations

Two recent pieces of legislation, E2SHB 1114 and ESSHB 1543, are aimed at reducing food waste and creating support for long-term, sustainable recycling programs across the state.

Affordable Housing Legislative Round-Up

June 26, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog post summarizes bills passed in 2019 that address affordable housing issues.

Legislature Paves the Way for Tiny Houses

May 14, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog post covers ESSB 5383, a new bill intended to enable the development of tiny house communities throughout the state.

Lessons Learned from Snowmaggedon

March 14, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Emergency Management , Personnel Policies

This blog post will address a few of the frequently asked questions MRSC received during “Snowmageddon” this past February.

Court Rules that Proposed Initiative Allowing Unfettered Questioning of Immigration Status by City Employees Not Subject to Initiative

January 30, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions

This blog post will summarize the recent decision in Global Neighborhood v. Respect Washington, as well as provide links to resources regarding the power of initiative and referendum for Washington cities and counties.

Let's Talk Winter

December 13, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Governance , Ethics and Conflicts of Interest , Snow and Ice Removal

In this blog post, Legal Consultant Jill Dvorkin compiles existing MRSC resources to address some of the challenging issues jurisdictions routinely face during the winter months.

New Legislation Related to Affordable Housing

August 30, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Housing , New Legislation and Regulations

This post looks at laws from the 2018 Legislative Session that promote the development of affordable housing and address the housing affordability crisis, including 3SHB, 2382, HB 1085, SHB 2538, ESSB 5143, and ESSB 1570.

The Culverts Case: An Overview and Potential Implications for Local Governments

June 20, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Land Use Administration

This blog takes a look at the Culverts Case and potential implications for local governments in Washington State.

Firearms Regulation at the Local Government Level

March 20, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Licensing and Regulation

In the wake of the latest mass shooting, many are asking what their local governments can do to prevent such tragedies.This blog post discusses state preemption of firearms regulation and explores known options available to municipalities.

Legislature Addresses Whatcom County v. Hirst

January 24, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Water Resources , New Legislation and Regulations

A new law addressing Whatcom County v. Hirst was recently enacted, providing some clarity and a way in which some development can be permitted in rural areas. Legal Consultant Jill Dvorkin reviews the major points of the legislation in this post.

December 2017 Land Use Case Law Update

January 4, 2018 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Land Use Administration

Legal Consultant Jill Dvorkin reviews the top land use cases from the latter half of 2017. These cases were heard by the State Supreme Court and may impact Washington State local governments in the future.

June 2017 Land Use Case Law Update Recap

June 29, 2017 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Land Use Administration

On June 15, Phil Olbrechts and Jill Dvorkin presented the first of two annual Land Use Case Law Update webinars for 2017. In this blog post, Jill Dvorkin provides a brief recap of the cases covered in the webinar, as well as a summary of another case decided since the webinar.

Flag Display: What Every Jurisdiction Should Know

May 10, 2017 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Flag Display

There are certain rules and etiquette to follow when flying the U.S. and Washington State flags, but what are they exactly and to whom do they apply? This post summarizes those rules and some important things to keep in mind when flying these flags.

Growing Cities: How Local Governments Can Promote Urban Farming and Community Gardens

March 30, 2017 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Programs

With spring and warmer weather right around the corner (crossing fingers, here), it’s time to start planning and planting our vegetable gardens. This blog post will explore ways that local governments are helping to promote urban and community gardens and farms, and what more could be done to bolster the locally-grown food supply.

Washington Supreme Court Issues Significant Vesting Decision

January 12, 2017 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Vested Rights

On December 29, the Washington Supreme Court issued Snohomish County, et al. v. Pollution Control Hearings Bd., a significant decision interpreting the statutory vested rights doctrine. This blog posts gives an overview of this decision and discusses its effect on local governments.

Grassy meadow with trees, lake, and mountain in background

Land Use Case Law Update Recap

December 21, 2016 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Land Use Administration

In our recent Land Use Case Law Update webinar, Phil Olbrechts and Jill Dvorkin discussed key land use cases decided, for the most part, within the past six months. In this blog post, I will briefly recap the cases we covered during the webinar.

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.

The Common Interest Doctrine and the PRA

August 22, 2016 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Public Records Act

A recent case from Division III of the Washington Court of Appeals (Division III), Kittitas County v. Allphin, provides strong support for the ability of local governments to work with state agencies in enforcing state and local laws, and to have certain communications related to these enforcement actions protected as privileged under the common interest doctrine.

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