County Officials Pessimistic about Nation’s Course (August 28)
Fifty-five percent of county elected officials believe the nation is on the "wrong track," the highest percentage in the four-year history of NACo’s National County Elected Officials Poll. More from NACo's County News.

Mayor Uses Blog as Powerful Communication Tool (August 28)
Bill Gentes – the mayor of Round Lake, Illinois, says starting a blog is the smartest thing he’s done as a local government official. More from MuniNet Guide.

More Than 300 Counties Now "Majority-Minority" (August 28)
Nearly one in every 10 of the nation’s 3,141 counties has a population that is more than 50 percent minority. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Management - Binding Constraints (August 28)
To improve performance, public executives need to identify and fix their organization's one or two binding constraints. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report (204 KB).

Low Income Housing Assistance Reform (August 28)
A recent report from the Urban Land Institute, "Promoting Homeownership among Low-Income Households," (375 KB) argues that the United States’ current system of low-income housing assistance is biased against homeownership and suggests new policies that would allow more low-income families to become homeowners.

Energy - Powering Down (August 28)
Can utilities make money on energy efficiency? More from Governing.

Community Development - Change of Climate (August 28)
Emerging trends in five European cities suggest what could be ahead for the U.S. development environment. More from Urban Land.

Cities Design for Pedestrian Safety (August 28)
Many urban centers are revitalizing their downtown corridors, revamping commercial and entertainment areas and constructing new developments. To handle the increase of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in core areas, cities are introducing street designs that are safer for pedestrians. More from American City & County.

Denser Than Thou (August 22)
Walkability has become a far more huggable notion than density to make the case for healthier, more compact communities. More from Crosscut.

County will Consider Climate Change Impacts of New Projects (August 22)
King County agencies will be considering climate change impacts as part of their project review under Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The new policy, which takes effect on September 1, 2007, applies to any project that requires a SEPA checklist. More from the Marten Law Group's Environmental News.

Rx for Sick Leave (August 22)
It's time for public officials to take a hard look at how sick leave fits into their government's overall compensation and human resources programs, including retiree medical benefits funding. More from Governing.

Changing the World One Block at a Time (August 22)
The neighborhood is a powerful--but often overlooked--tool for social improvement. More from Making Places.

The Internet vs. The Automobile (August 22)
As the Internet revolution moves into full bloom, there is every reason to believe it could have a dramatic impact on the architecture and landscape of communities throughout the world. More from Government Technology.

5 Great Places to Live (and Retire) (August 22)
City living may cost a bit more, but urban communities also deliver peak value—in the form of culture, work options, mass transit, fitness opportunities, and more. AARP lists 5 great places to live and retire. More from AARP.

High-Tech Storage for Old Paper Records (August 22)
In an effort to reduce storage space needed for records and integrate them with searchable computer databases, agencies are turning to electronic document management (EDM) technology to transfer paper records into a digital format. More from American City & County.

Update on LEOFF 2 Pension Rates (August 22)
On pages 40-41 of MRSC's Budget Suggestions for 2008 publication, we have pension rate tables, with a footnote that LEOFF 2 rates would increase from those shown, effective 9/1/2007, due to 2007 legislation. An article in the August 16, 2007 AWC Legislative Bulletin, "LEOFF 2 Board Adopts Supplemental Rate Increase," provides more information on these changes.

Web Sightings - Neighborhood Web Sites (August 15)
Many local governments have developed neighborhood programs to provide funding and technical assistance to neighborhood organizations. This month we have selected a few national neighborhood organizations and a sampling of sites from Washington cities and counties. The topic for this month's Web Sightings is Neighborhood Web Site Resources:

• Bellevue Neighborhood Outreach - Neighborhood matching fund, enhancement program, neighborhood associations, and monthly newsletter
• Bellingham’s Neighborhoods - Information on city neighborhoods
• Northern Neighbors - Private Bellingham area Website
• Clark County Neighborhood Outreach Program - Includes neighborhood association directory
• Everett Office of Neighborhoods - Includes neighborhood grants and links to associations
• Kirkland Neighborhood Services - Links to neighborhood associations, programs and services, and neighborhood toolkit
• Olympia Neighborhood Programs - Links to recognized neighborhood associations and neighborhood recognition program
• Redmond Neighborhood Matching Fund
• Renton Neighborhoods - Program includes grants
• Seattle Neighborhoods on the Net - Links to Web sites of neighborhood organizations and chambers of commerce
• Seattle Neighborhood Matching Funds - This award-winning grant program has funded a wide array of neighborhood projects, plans, and studies since its inception in 1989.
• Spokane Neighborhood Services -
• Spokane City Web sites - Links to neighborhoods and
• Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane County -
• Tacoma’s Neighborhoods
• Vancouver Neighborhoods - Links to neighborhood associations, action plans, neighborhood toolbox, and Office of Neighborhoods
• Wenatchee Neighborhood Program and Neighborhood Matching Grant

Street Wise (August 01)
A study compared how well old-city street layouts handled traffic versus modern approaches. The results set off a firestorm. More from Governing.

How Commuters Get to Work (August 01)
Bike … walk … public transportation … carpool? Recently released Census data shows how commuters get to work. More from MuniNetGuide.

Interpreting Local Government Financial Statements (August 01)
Users of local government financial statements typically approach a government’s finances from three different but complementary perspectives: near-term financing situation, financial position, and economic condition. More from Government Finance Review (2.9KB).

The Blogging Revolution (August 01)
A recent report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government,"The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0, (7.2MB) examines the phenomenon of blogging as a tool for promoting not only online engagement of citizens and public servants, but also offline engagement.

The Great American Migration (August 01)
Americans are abandoning traditional growth centers, placing us in the midst of the greatest population re-distribution since the dust bowl. More from Forbes.

GASB Gone Too Far? (August 01)
In May, Texas passed a law blocking the Norwalk, Conn.-based Governmental Accounting Standards Board's (GASB) new rule requiring governments to disclose their expected costs for retired workers' health care. More from American City & County.

Green Is the New Granite (August 01)
Sustainable features are the hottest thing in master planned communities. More from Planning.

Smart City - How Art is Remaking Cities (August 01)
Guests on a recent Smart City radio show talk about how art and artists are remaking cities. More from Smart City.