Marijuana, Lean management and public records best practices

No, that's not the opening line of a joke but instead an example of how the (now misnamed) Washington State Liquor Control Board (LCB) is improving access to public records. According to Governor Inslee's Results Washington process, the Liquor Control Board has made progress using Lean management to improve its response time to growing public records requests as a result of the state's legalization of marijuana . . . READ MORE

Benton County Proposition 14-5: Sales tax increase but no performance audits?

My prior posts discussing Benton County Proposition 14-5 (0.3% sales tax increase for public safety spending) looked at the details of the proposal along with the recommendations of a Citizen Advisory Committee that was created to study the county's public safety programs. Along with proposing the 0.3% sales tax increase that was placed on the August ballot, the Citizen Advisory Committee also recommended Benton County pursue performance audits saying . . . READ MORE

Benton County Citizen Advisory Committee Recommends Sales Tax Increase and Performance Audits

In my prior post I highlighted the details of Benton County Proposition 14-5, a proposal on the county's August ballot to increase the local sales tax rate by 0.3% raising approximately $9 million per year for public safety spending. The proposed sales tax increase came from the recommendations of a Citizen Advisory Committee that was created to study the county's public safety programs . . . READ MORE

Public safety sales tax increase on ballot in Benton County

In August voters in Benton County will consider Proposition 14-5 and whether to increase the local sales tax rate by 0.3% raising approximately $9 million per year for public safety spending. The tax increase would sunset on December 31, 2024. The revenue would be split between Benton County and the cities of Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, and Prosser for law enforcement staffing increases and various public safety programs (such as gang prevention and intervention) . . . READ MORE

Should candidates verify their background for voters?

Voting for candidates for elected office is an important decision. Unfortunately at times there is little information available about candidates to help us make an informed decision. While county auditors and the Secretary of State produce voter pamphlets with information self-provided by those running for office, is the information actually truthful? That’s where the new CandidateVerification.org in our state has the potential to bring clarity . . . READ MORE