Click here to skip to main content.
scenic picture from Washington state
focus headerLocal News and Government Information Header

Focus Archive by Subject or Month | MRSC Updates by E-mailSign Up to Receive MRSC's Web Site Update and Quarterly Newsletter by E-mail | MRSC In Focus RSS Feed

Budget Suggestions for 2009 (Jul 18)
MRSC's Budget Suggestions for 2009 (Adobe Acrobat Document 1.2 MB), MRSC Information Bulletin No. 531, is now available online. It contains budget calendars for cities and counties; summaries of 2008 legislation; revenue and inflation forecasts; and articles for those interested in city and county financial issues.

Quick Links to City/County Information (Jul 17)
MRSC recently expanded the types of key documents (e.g., budgets and comp plans) and services (e.g., council broadcasts and online service request forms) that we track in our "city profiles" page. Use these profiles for quick access to city and town documents and services. For county information, see our "county profiles" page.

Finance Advisor header image

Budgeting for Capital Improvements

In this month's Finance Advisor column, Mike Bailey, Finance Director, City of Redmond, offers an overview of the capital improvement planning and budgeting process including a discussion of how it is affected by requirements in the state growth management act.
 

Home Prices Drop More Steeply Outside Cities (Jul 17)
In some parts of the country, house prices are dropping faster outside cities rather than inside them. NPR's Morning Edition Co-host Ari Shapiro talks to William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the housing markets that are cooling fastest, and why.

Soaring Fuel Costs Draining Government Budgets (Jul 17)
With soaring fuel costs, local government budgets are being gouged and concerns of negatively impacting service levels are at the forefront of our daily operations. More from the Alliance for Innovation Newsletter.

Parks & Recreation - Climbing-Wall Creative (Jul 17)
Indoor climbing walls are no longer a recreation center oddity. Have your programming ideas kept pace with this ubiquitous amenity? More from Parks & Recreation.

GIS - More than Mapping (Jul 17)
From the basic to the complex, GIS is helping communities in a variety of ways. It is even saving lives. More from Planning Magazine.

Financial Insight: Key for Tough Times (Jul 17)
Knowledge is power: State and local officials are handicapped by their lack of good financial data. More from Management Insights.

Revolution in the Stacks (Jul 17)
To appeal to a new generation, some libraries are positioning themselves as places to create content. More from Governing.

Zero-Carbon Cities (Jul 17)
As cities around the world look to slash their carbon emissions, several new cities provide a glimpse of the strategies and challenges of designing cities for the post-carbon age. More from Urban Land.

A New ‘Metropolitics’ — Are We Ready? (Jul 17)
The time may be ripe for a new metropolitics, a radical new “deal” between the federal government and America’s metropolitan regions. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Cracks are Showing (Jul 17)
America’s tradition of bold national projects has dwindled. With the country’s infrastructure crumbling, it is time to revive it. More from The Economist.

Local Governments in the News
Local Governments in the News by Subject or Month

Here are the latest news clippings from around the state highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts:

Also in Focus