Local Government Webmasters Meeting (February 23)
Join us at the next Local Government Webmasters meeting to be held in Seattle on Thursday March 22, 2007. We'll be discussing some "Web 2.0" technologies, adding maps to your site and the value of proxy servers. We'll also set aside some time to share information about any new features you may have added to your sites and to discuss Web performance metrics. See complete agenda and registration form.

Smash Hit (February 22)
It’s not just for the young and hip. State and local IT officials are tapping into a cool Google tool to create maps with new, improved uses. More from Governing.

Web Sightings – Citizen Boards and Commissions (February 22)
Web Sightings – Citizen Boards and Commissions Local governments appoint citizen boards, commissions, task forces, and committees to advise their legislative bodies on a wide range of policy issues. Citizen Boards and Commissions are the focus of this month's Web Sightings.

• Boards and Commissions, new MRSC Web page
Youth Commissions, MRSC Web page
• Planning Commissions, MRSC Web page and Planning Commissioners Journal, Planners Web
• Creating Volunteer Opportunities, MRSC Web page
• Advisory Committees, MRSC Web page
• Local Design Review Boards, MRSC Web page
• Successful Citizen Advisory Boards and Commissions - Materials from a workshop developed by Florida League of Cities, Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium, and Florida Institute of Government

• Clark County Advisory Boards and Volunteering - http://www.clark.wa.gov/citizen-guide/advisory-boards/index.html
• Kennewick City Boards and Commissions
• Kent Advisory Boards and Commissions
• Olympia Advisory Committee Roles and Expectations
• Seattle Get Engaged Program for ages 18-29 serving on city boards and commissions
• Redmond Boards and Commissions
• Spokane Boards and Commissions
• Links to more local boards and commissions from Washington State

IRS Taxable Fringe Benefits Guide (February 22)
The Internal Revenue Service's Taxable Fringe Benefits Guide (382KB) explains which employee fringe benefits related to travel and non-travel issues are taxable and reportable under the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, and procedures.

State-Wide Franchise Legislation Introduced (February 22)
HB 1983 would provide for state-wide franchising of companies that want to offer competitive video services, removing the authority of local governments to issue such franchises. This legislation is being pushed by telephone companies and other telecommunications providers that want to compete with traditional cable companies, minus the same requirements and obligations.

Serving Constituents, Saving Dollars (February 22)
The service delivery and process efficiencies that can be gained from a Constituent Relationship Management system can increase a government's savings beyond the hard-dollar savings from call center consolidation. More from Government Finance Review (5KB).

The Role of IT in Disaster Management (February 22)
A recently released report by the National Academies, Improving Disaster Management: The Role of IT in Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, suggests that information technology has unrealized potential to improve how communities and the nation handle natural disasters and terrorism. More from the Transportation Research Board.

The Next Generation of Homeland Security (February 22)
A free web cast sponsored by the Leadership for a Networked World Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, will focus on the key strategies and tactics underpinning the next generation of homeland security: networked people and processes. The web cast is scheduled for March 1, 2007. More from the Government Innovators Network.

Delivery of Benefits in an Emergency (February 22)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Delivery of Benefits in an Emergency: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina, focuses on the delivery of emergency financial benefits, such as pensions and Social Security, as well as disaster-related payments such as emergency food stamps, unemployment insurance, and emergency cash assistance. More from the IBM Center for the Business of Government.

Best Practices - Vermont's Reparative Probation Program (February 22)
The Vermont Department of Correction's pioneering reparative probation program, steers criminals convicted of minor and nonviolent offenses away from jail to community boards that craft creative sentences. A new U.S. Department of Justice study confirms that the program works.

2007 Take Me Fishing™ Community Initiative (February 22)
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have developed the Take Me Fishing™ Community Initiative to support local park and recreation agencies eager to improve the quality of their community fishing and boating programs. More from the NRPA.

EPA Funding Available to Reduce Toxic Exposure (February 22)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is offering funding to support community-based partnerships in reducing risks from toxics in local communities. More from EPA.

Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) Guidebook (February 14)
The draft version of a report, Small Cities Critical Areas Ordinance Implementation Guidebook (1583KB), is now available from the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development’s Growth Management Services Division. Comments on the draft guidance document are welcomed through March 2007.

Cities Consider Amending Digital Billboard Regulations (February 14)
Although there are currently only around 400 digital billboards in the United States, their numbers are expected to grow tenfold within the next decade. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

County Creates Comprehensive, Regional Health Care Solution (February 14)
If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, King County is making tons of progress with its revolutionary approach to its health care system. More from NACo's County News.

Locals Prepare for the Silver Tsunami (February 14)
Cities and counties are preparing for a "silver tsunami" of retiring baby boomers by taking a closer look at their service needs — including housing, transportation, health, safety and volunteer opportunities — and adding programs and facilities to meet them. More from American City & County.

'Thumbs Down': NACo Verdict on Bush FY08 Budget Proposal (February 14)
President George W. Bush’s FY08 budget, at best, can be characterized as not "county-friendly." More from the National Association of County Officials' (NACo) County News.

President’s Budget Cuts Programs Important to Cities (February 14)
The $2.9 trillion budget for fiscal year 2008 submitted by the President would balance the budget by 2012, and continue to cut taxes, by eliminating or severely reducing billions of dollars in spending for programs critical to the nation’s cities. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Implications of Service Offshoring for Metropolitan Economies (February 14)
A report by the Brookings Institution examining the impacts of service offshoring—the movement of service jobs overseas—forecasts higher than average job losses in many U.S. metropolitan areas between 2004 and 2015. Information technology jobs, and the areas where they are concentrated, will be hardest hit. More from Brookings.

Running a Railroad (February 14)
Its schedules are undependable, prices high and on-board service of middling quality. Yet demand for Amtrak’s inter-city service grows. More from Governing.

Weighing In on City Planning (February 14)
As scientists investigate the relationship between sprawl and obesity, a compact style of city development sometimes called smart growth might become a tool in the fight for the nation's health. More from Science News.

Information Technology - Avoiding Fitful Starts (February 14)
Armed with a well-crafted plan that identifies organizational and end users' needs, IT department officials can successfully replace a legacy computer system with a large enterprise resource planning or geographic information system that is widely endorsed by elected officials and staff. More from American City & County.

Free Resources for Smaller Police Agencies (February 06)
Where should a chief look for free and reduced-cost resources? Here are a few suggestions. More from The Police Chief.

Public Outreach Makes County’s Recycling Program a Success (February 06)
Less has turned out to be more when it comes to Pierce County's curbside recycling program. More from NACo's County News.

Less Oversight Not Good for Consumers (February 06)
Despite the telephone and cable industry’s poor reputation for customer service and pricing, lobbyists have been working overtime to convince state and federal legislators that less oversight of their clients’ businesses will be good for consumers. More from ICMA.

Understanding Employer-Assisted Housing (February 06)
Employer-assisted housing has the potential to deliver benefits to several sectors of the community making it ideal as a stand-alone approach or one incorporated into a larger community housing strategy. More from The Commissioner.

The Responsibility to Craft Purposes (February 06)
Leaders, whether by exercising formal authority or by taking the intitiative, mold people's beliefs, thoughts, and desires into a coherent whole--a strategy that they can collectively pursue. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Homeland Security - All Together Now (February 06)
The National Incident Management System was introduced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March 2004 to help responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines collaborate when responding to disasters. More from American City & County.

Personnel - Paying for Promises (February 06)
After the shock of the big numbers, states and localities are finding ways to deal with the costs of their retirees’ health care. More from Governing.

Local Governments Benefit by Participation in the 2010 Census (February 06)
The U.S. Census Bureau has begun mailing informational booklets to all state, local and tribal governments asking for their assistance in providing updated addresses for their communities, part of an early, concerted effort to make the 2010 Census as accurate as possible. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

EPA's Wastewise Communities Program (February 06)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Wastewise Communities Program will support local governments' efforts in residential municipal solid waste reduction and the related climate change impacts.

New Search Technology from MRSC (February 01)
MRSC now offers the latest search technology for city and county codes. If we currently host your code, we’ll be contacting with you the updated link to add to your Web site. If we don’t yet host your code, contact us to find out how this technology can provide your staff, businesses and the public at large with easy access to land use and zoning regulations as well as to the rest of your code.