MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Revenues

Recapping the November 2022 Ballot Measure Results

December 7, 2022 by Steve Hawley
Category: Elections , Revenues , Transportation Finance

As with many past elections, this past November brought voters over 100 local ballot measures across the state, from libraries to bond measures to levy lid lifts. New this year, however, were several measures involving ranked-choice voting and home rule charter propositions.

Funding Local Affordable Housing Efforts

August 24, 2022 by Eric Lowell
Category: Housing , Revenues

It can be difficult for cities, towns, and counties to fund local affordable housing programs, but there are some options available, from taxing options to federal and state grant programs.

Pierce County Offers a Model for Distributing Pandemic-Related Assistance Funding

January 31, 2022 by Leah LaCivita
Category: COVID-19 , Revenues

With just three staff, the Pierce County’s Rental & Utility Assistance Program has distributed $59,100 in overdue rental payments and $14,800 in utility payments to needy households since late 2020. This blog looks at how the program works and what makes it successful.

Washington Supreme Court Finds I-976 Unconstitutional

October 16, 2020 by Oskar Rey
Category: Court Decisions and AGO Opinions , Revenues

This blog provides a brief overview of a recent Washington Supreme Court ruling striking down I-976.

Locating Good Data for Your Revenue Forecasting

August 21, 2020 by Mike Bailey
Category: COVID-19 , Revenues

Traditional approaches to revenue forecasting will not be sufficient during the COVID-19 pandemic. This blog post explores where to find good data and get more accurate ways to predict future revenues.

Changing Forecasts for Transportation Revenues and Other Impacts of I-976

December 5, 2019 by Toni Nelson
Category: Revenues , Transportation Finance

This blog post looks at the impact the passage of I-976 will have on transportation revenues, the state's multimodal account, and transportation benefit districts.

New Guidance in Accounting for and Reporting Leases

November 4, 2019 by Mike Bailey
Category: Accounting , Financial Reporting , Revenues

This blog post looks at the new standards the Governmental Accounting Standards Board has released regarding accounting for and reporting leases.

New City and County Revenue Guides Published!

February 19, 2019 by Toni Nelson , Sofia D'Almeida Mabee
Category: Revenues

For many years, city and county officials have relied on MRSC’s Revenue Guides to better understand their various revenue options. In partnership with the State Auditor’s Office, we’ve completely rewritten and republished these important documents.

Tips for Improving Your Grant Proposal Development Process

September 18, 2018 by Amy Gabriel
Category: Guest Author , Public Works Finance , Revenues

From providing feedback on draft grant guidelines to employing an outside consultant, this post offers tips on how municipalities can improve the grant development process.

My Can of Coke Costs What?!!!

March 1, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Revenues

Since January 1, 2018, Seattle residents and visitors have found that drinking sweetened drinks cost a little bit more. Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan looks at the city's new sweetened beverage tax, one that is projected to raise almost $15 million in 2018.

Ballot Measures Part 1: Affordable Housing Taxes, Revenue Measures, and Low Voter Turnout

November 9, 2017 by Steve Hawley
Category: Elections , Revenues

Senior Communications Coordinator Steve Hawley recaps some of the local funding measures in this year’s general election, including the state’s first affordable housing sales tax, the failure of a voted REET 2 measure, and low turnout causing problems for bonds and levies.

Keeping Up with Inflation: Strategies for Increasing Revenue to Keep Up with Cost Increases

May 31, 2016 by Shawn Hunstock
Category: Guest Author , Revenues

For the most part, cities in Washington have very little influence on the amount of revenue that is generated from property taxes, sales taxes, and utility taxes. So how can cities keep up with inflation?

Multimodal Transportation Funds Released To Cities and Counties on April 15

April 14, 2016 by Toni Nelson
Category: Revenues

The initial distribution of this new fund should include the first two quarters of the state biennium that were missed (September 2015 and December 2015) along with the March 2016 distribution.

Small City Perspective: Is State Shared Revenue a Necessity or Burden?

January 15, 2016 by Randy Hinchliffe
Category: Guest Author , Revenues

Randy Hinchliffe from the City of Waitsburg provides his perspective on dealing with the lack of local control of state shared revenues.

Tax Changes for Recreational Services and Athletic/Fitness Facilities

December 29, 2015 by Toni Nelson
Category: Revenues

Recent legislation has changed the definition of a retail sale and the new change becomes effective on January 1. Here is some guidance on what this change may mean for your 2016 tax report.

Are You Calculating Your City Utility Tax Correctly?

July 10, 2015 by FCS GROUP
Category: Guest Author , Revenues

While reviewing city utility finances, we often notice a discrepancy between the city code and how the utility tax is calculated. As a result, many cities collect less money from their utility taxes than is allowed under their city code.

Not to Be Too Alarmist, but, Being a Realist …

January 27, 2015 by Jim McEntire
Category: Guest Author , Revenues

Aside from locally derived tax revenues, cities and counties with slow-to-no economic growth coupled with higher-than-state-average unemployment can expect scant additional financial help from the State and Federal budgets.

Important New Court Decision on a City's Utility Tax Authority

May 20, 2014 by Bob Meinig
Category: Revenues

In a decision issued today (5/20/2014), Division III of the state court of appeals decided that a code city has the legal authority to impose its utility tax on the revenues of a public utility district's provision of water service to customers within the city limits, except to the extent that the district's revenues "were derived from governmental activities." The court's decision in

Are Local Government Revenues Lagging Behind the Economy?

June 17, 2013 by Tracy Burrows
Category: Revenues

Using past recessions as a guide, the rule of thumb is that the recovery in local government revenues will lag 18 to 24 months behind the low point of a recession, but in Washington the lag may be shorter for some jurisdictions.

Are Donations to Local Governments Tax Deductible?

March 27, 2013 by Bob Meinig
Category: Revenues

Most donations to local governments are deductible from the donor's federal income taxes. So what information does the local government need to provide to the donor for IRS purposes?

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