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 Keynote speaker announced for AWC City Action Days
January 24 | Olympia
Join us for lunch on Jan. 24 at City Action Days to hear Attorney General Bob Ferguson address cities about legal and legislative issues that impact cities across the state. AG Ferguson’s keynote address will highlight his strategies to combat the opioid epidemic, his perspective on Washington State and the Trump Administration, and how cities can work most effectively with the Attorney General’s Office to advance 2018 City Legislative Priorities. Register now!
Get involved! Recruitment open – State boards and commissions
Want to make a difference by joining a statewide board or committee? Recruitment is now open through January 12 for the following state boards and commissions:
- Transportation Improvement Board
- Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety
- Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board
Learn what each board does and how you can apply. More
Department of Revenue releases 2018-19 local business licensing partnership plan
State law requires all cities with business licenses to partner with either the state’s online business license service for business license administration by 2027 or the city-operated FileLocal system for local tax and license administration by 2020. DOR released its implementation plan for 2018-19 and has started working with cities on potential implementation timelines. Under this plan, nine cities will be onboarded to the business licensing service in 2018 and 15 in 2019. More
 2018 Tools for Funding Infrastructure Projects 
February 7 | Camas
March 7 | Port Angeles
April 11 | Moses Lake
May 16 | Walla Walla
Does your community have an infrastructure challenge? If so, staff from various state and federal agencies invite cities to attend these one-day mini workshops. Bring your prospective projects and get expert technical assistance. Sessions include state and federal funding programs overview, value planning, rate setting, and asset management. More
 2018 legislative session starts Monday!
Legislators return to Olympia on Monday, January 8 to kick off the 60-day legislative session. Are you wondering what you can do to get more involved at the state level? Familiarize yourself with AWC’s 2018 Legislative Priorities, register for our City Action Days conference, and contact your legislator to schedule a meeting or phone call during session.
Information on implementing public records law changes: data collection and grant program
The major public records bills that passed in 2017 created a new data collection requirement and a new grant program for some local governments. JLARC recently updated their FAQ document for the new public records data collection metrics. The Secretary of State also released information on the Local Records Grant Program. The grants application process will open mid-January and can be used for technology, file room organization, and digital imaging.
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Congratulations to all the new mayors and councilmembers. Welcome to the city family! Through trainings, resources, and publications, AWC is here to help you develop as a municipal leader. For your first 100 days, we’ll highlight some of your AWC Elected Officials Essentials here in CityVoice.
 Knowing the legal territory
Did you miss AWC’s Elected Officials Essentials training in December? We have it! Hear from Foster Pepper’s Steve DiJulio about city authority, governance, open government, ethics, and more.
 Register for City Action Days!
January 24-25 | Olympia
AWC's popular winter legislative conference is back and packed full of valuable information for cities. Attend this conference to meet with and educate legislators about city priorities, advocate for your city, discover how the legislative process works, engage in the state's policy and budget development process, and ultimately make a difference in your community at the state level. Register today!
Running great meetings using parliamentary procedure
January 25 | Olympia
It is critical that city elected officials actively participate at council meetings. Learn parliamentary procedure with tips and insights to create great meetings. Get a solid foundation for success in your principal job: discussing and deciding the key issues for your community. More
PRA case law update
January 17 | Webinar
MRSC reviews significant Public Records Act (PRA) court decisions from the past year, focusing on cases that matter most to local governments. This webinar helps inform local governments about cases that may affect an agency’s compliance with the PRA. More
Making your job easier with MRSC’s services
January 23 | Webinar
The Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) provides a comprehensive overview of their tools, resources, and information — all designed to help you do your job better. This includes MRSC’s one-on-one inquiry service, extensive Sample Document Library, the Local Ballot Measure Database, and online budgeting and contracting tools. More
DOJ grants to address violence against women in rural areas
Victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities face unique challenges to receiving assistance due to geographic isolation, transportation barriers, economic structure, particularly strong social and cultural pressures, and lack of available services in rural jurisdictions. This Department of Justice (DOJ) program provides grants to prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in rural jurisdictions. The award ceiling is $750,000 and applications are due January 31. More
NLC technical assistance for connecting children to nature
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative offers local officials in cities with more than 75,000 residents the guidance and support needed to establish more equitable connections between children and nature. Applications are due January 31. More
DHS FEMA assistance to firefighters (AFG) program
Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Assistance (DHS FEMA) announced a 9-million-dollar grant program to help fire departments gain critically needed resources to protect the public, train emergency personnel, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. Application deadline is February 2. More
SAMHSA adult treatment drug courts
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a grant program with an award ceiling of $400,000 to expand substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services in existing adult problem solving courts, which use the treatment drug court model in order to provide SUD treatment (including recovery support services, screening, assessment, case management, and program coordination) to defendants/offenders. Applications are due February 21. More |
