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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for Forms of Government-County

Close up of newspaper with headline, "Changes coming in 2023."

County-Focused Bills from the 2022-2023 Legislative Session

July 24, 2023  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Administrative and Elected Officials-County ,  Forms of Government-County ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The 2023 legislative session saw a number of bills that specifically impact counties, including amending the process to appoint members to a salary commission in noncharter counties and removing the deadline by which counties may choose to join the Voluntary Stewardship Program.

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Why Are There so Many Types of Cities and Counties? A Guide to Municipal Classifications and Forms of Government

Why Are There so Many Types of Cities and Counties? A Guide to Municipal Classifications and Forms of Government

September 6, 2022  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  Classification ,  Forms of Government-City ,  Forms of Government-County

Washington State has a broad array of local governments that vary in terms of classification as well as form, and these concepts highlight the parameters under which cities, towns, and counties operate and govern.

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How Local Ballot Measures Fared in the 2021 General Election

How Local Ballot Measures Fared in the 2021 General Election

November 10, 2021  by  Steve Hawley
Category:  Courts and Criminal Justice System ,  Elections ,  Transportation Finance ,  Forms of Government-City ,  Forms of Government-County ,  Inclusive Communities

From changes in governance to funding for criminal justice, libraries, and transportation, this blog covers many local ballot measures across the state and how these issues fared in the recent general election.

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Ballot Measure Results from the 2020 General Election

Ballot Measure Results from the 2020 General Election

November 12, 2020  by  Steve Hawley
Category:  Parks and Recreation Finance ,  Elections ,  Fire Protection ,  Transportation Finance ,  Forms of Government-County ,  Law Enforcement

This blog post recaps some of the local ballot measure results from the November 2020 general election and discusses why the record-breaking turnout may make ballot measure validation tougher next year.

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2018 General Election Part 3: Non-Revenue Edition

2018 General Election Part 3: Non-Revenue Edition

November 13, 2018  by  Steve Hawley
Category:  Annexation ,  Cannabis Regulation ,  Elections ,  Forms of Government-City ,  Forms of Government-County

In this blog post, we examine non-revenue local ballot measures, including city and county charter changes, a city adopting the council-manager form of government, fire district annexations and mergers, and advisory votes on marijuana and downtown plazas and stadiums.

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A Brief History of the Development and Passage of Clark County's Home Rule Charter

A Brief History of the Development and Passage of Clark County's Home Rule Charter

April 28, 2015  by  Nan Henriksen and Steve Foster
Category:  Guest Author ,  Forms of Government-County

This post summarizes how Clark County’s citizens developed and passed a home rule charter in the 2014 general election.

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Do We Have Too Many Local Governments in Washington?

October 1, 2012  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Forms of Government-City ,  Forms of Government-County

We recently had the pleasure of meeting with some staff members from the Governments Division of the U.S. Census Bureau who were visiting the state to talk with local government officials about the 2012 Census of Governments. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census of all state and local government units every five years, for years ending in 2 and 7, as required by Title 13, United States Code,...

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