We received the following email at City Hall through our City Clerk’s office. We’ve been trained on most of the information before, but it is nice to have it all in one place on the web. Citizens may find it interesting to see how broadly public records are defined, and how much access you have to them. Page 6 of the website also provides a good reminder that “Public records include both records that an agency creates and records that an agency may receive or collect.” This is why we often remind people emailing city hall that their comments are part of the public record, and can be seen by others. (As an example, if you are a developer emailing a council member asking for support of a project, your email is a public record. Likewise, if you email a council member asking for a project application to be denied, this email is a public record.)

As a matter of courtesy, I’ve tried to use discretion over the years when sharing these records, often dropping citizens’ names unless they have told me using their name did not bother them. I’ve also passed on posting many items that have come across our email that did not have public policy value, or were just too personal (such as a thank-you to our emergency services for handling a family crisis).

I suspect that as more and more public controversies get played out on the internet, more of these public records will get posted in their entirety on “Pro” and “Con” websites. So, every citizen (including me) should: (1) strive to be really thoughtful about what we write to each other, (2) have a friend proof-read our writings whenever possible, (3) sleep on anything that we write that we feel emotional about, and (4) most importantly, remember that anything we write having to do with public policy could end up on the front page of the Seattle Times.

Here is the info on the new website:
___________________________________________

On Behalf Of Koziara, Leslie
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 1:47 PM
Subject: New online – “Public Records and Public Officials”

The Office of the Secretary of State and Washington State Archives are pleased to announce the addition of an interactive online resource titled “Public Officials and Public Records.” This new module is intended to introduce newly elected and newly appointed public officials to the new world of public records and their new responsibilities. It will be updated from time to time.

Secretary of State Sam Reed welcomes each participant and emphasizes his connection to public records and stresses the importance of public records in our democracy. State Archivist Jerry Handfield encouraged the development of this online resource to provide information on the ever changing world of electronic records and to provide easy access to the many resources available for the preservation of public records in Washington.

Also, this module reminds everyone of the importance of records management and that “All public records shall be and remain the property of the state of Washington. They shall be delivered by outgoing officials and employees to their successors….” (40.14.020 RCW)

Seasoned public officials may also find it useful as a reference guide.

Here is the link: http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/RecordsManagement/PublicOfficialsandPublicRecords/index.html

Thank you,

Washington State Archives

(Photo credit– State of Washington)

Renton officials have been coordinating with King County, Washington State, and the Federal Government to install charging stations in preparation for the newest chapter in personal transportation; mainstream all-electric automobiles. While the vehicles are expected to have a range of over 100 miles on one charge, enough for most commuters to make it to work and back, there will still be a need for public charging stations for motorists traveling across the state. Ultimately, as more and more drivers opt for all-electric vehicles, we would expect to see private filling stations springing up to help address this need. Note that there are generally three types of charging stations; 110 volt trickle charge, 220-volt faster charge, and high-speed charging. The high-speed charging will be part of a second phase of this plan, and will require public/private partnering.

Our County Executive issued a press-release on the County-wide plan back in September. You can read the press-release here. The press release includes county-wide details on where all of the charging stations are planned.

Thirteen public charging stations have been proposed for Renton:

Two in the Renton Landing Parking Garage

Three at Renton City Hall

Two at Valley Medical Center

Two in the Renton City Center Parking Garage

Two at the Renton School District Headquarters

Two at Renton Technical College

The county-wide project is part of a state-level “Electric Highways” plan that is being managed jointly by the Washington State Department of Commerce and the State Department of Transportation. They are getting their initial funding from federal stimulus dollars. Here is a website with more information in the state-wide program.

The project has been enabled by new legislation enacted in Olympia. You can read the new law on this topic here

Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who worked many years here in Renton as Boeing’s Commercial Airplane Chief, introduced the automaker’s first-ever zero-emissions vehicle earlier this month in his keynote address at the 2011 CES convention in Las Vegas. (Photo owned/hosted by CNET )

My daughter Susie (number 10) watches intently as her shot swirls around the rim before falling into the basket for her team’s second score of the game.

The City of Renton offers a wonderful selection of classes, team sports, outings, and other activities to enrich our lives and keep us at maximum health. For instance, yesterday my wife and oldest daughter were attending city-organized belly dancing class tonight, my youngest was at basketball practice in a city-hosted league.

My daughter’s team played its first game on Saturday. (The Seahawks were stomping the Saints at the same time, so we were glad the Community Center had televisions during the breaks in the basketball action.)

Here are a few photos showing Susie’s first game, as well as the apparent transformation of our Main Community Center into a second Seahawks headquarters.

Susie off the court with my wife Cathy

Meanwhile, the Seahawks are trouncing the Saints!…

Click here for more photos

Renton gained 28 businesses and 161 full-time jobs in 2010. This is not bad performance considering the brutal national economy of 2010.

Our city’s economic development staff worked hard in 2010 to nurture a climate for 423 new businesses to open, exceeding the 395 closures that were primarily victims of the tough financial climate.

The growth in jobs and business is obviously important for helping more of our residents find work. This growth also plays a big role in maintaining our property values and reducing the number of citizens that get “underwater” in their homes– owing more than their home is worth.

In addition to admiration to our city’s economic development team, I greatly appreciate those business owners who have found the courage and capital to invest in our city when the economy is so rough nationally. I also with to extend a parting thank-you and best wishes to the owners and employees of the 395 businesses we lost in 2010– these are businesses that sustained our city and employed 1367 people in 2009, as well as building our city in prior years; I’m hoping you all find new opportunity, and that Renton is at the top of your list.

_________________________________________

From: Linda Weldon
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 9:32 AM
To: Adriana Johnson; Alexander Pietsch; Bill Taylor; Iwen Wang; Jennifer Davis Hayes; Jennifer T. Henning; Kristi Rowland; Mark Santos-Johnson; Neil R. Watts; Patrick Roduin; Sabrine – Chamber; Steven Burke; Suzanne Dale Estey; Tina Hemphill; Vivienne Lietz; Zong Her
Subject: December – 2010

Attached are the new and closed businesses for December 2010.

For the year, we had 423 new businesses and 395 closed – with a difference of +28

For FTE’s, we had 1528.45 new and 1367.07 closed – with a difference of +161.38 FTE’s

Linda L Weldon
City of Renton
Business Licenses/Passports