Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Improving Public Engagement And Public Records Management At The Oregon Department Of Environmental Quality, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Phil Keisling, Dan Marriott, Marcus Ingle, Sara Saltzberg, Andrew Dzeguze

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

In February 2016, researchers from the US Forest Service had detected toxics in moss samples adjacent to several businesses in Portland. This began a series of events that highlighted both the significance of public records requests and the difficulty Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has in responding to complex requests.

The interest in issues related to air toxics put a strain on the capacity of the agency to respond in a timely fashion to the news media as well as citizens groups.

In August 2016, DEQ retained the Center for Public Service (CPS) to provide an outside evaluation of …

Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Study: Marion County, Oregon, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Stephanie Hawke, Aaron Kaufman, Robert Cheney

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Hazardous materials are prevalent in all communities in the United States. They are stored and they are transported. Regardless of the method of transport, (for this study defined as: pipeline, rail, roadway, air, or water) hazardous materials are generally transported without incident. However, consequences of a hazmat transportation incident can be extreme with serious repercussions to public safety, life and wellbeing, the environment, and infrastructure. To plan for and mitigate these consequences, communities may choose to examine the transportation of hazardous materials through high risk areas – areas with sensitive ecosystems or high population – to better develop strategies.

Therefore, …

Report On Compiling And Analyzing Manufactured Housing Tax Records:, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Stephanie Hawke, Robert Cheney, Aaron Kaufman

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

In January of 2016, the Center for Public Service (CPS) was approached by Energy Trust of Oregon to conduct a review of the tax assessor data on manufactured houses in Oregon. The purpose of this review was to find the average age at which manufactured housing units in Oregon are decommissioned. A brief review of the literature on this topic that has been published indicated that this question had not yet been answered in the field.

Energy Trust Oregon is invested in making manufactured housing living more energy efficient, and less costly for occupants. To that end, the organization designed …

Voices From The Region: Connecting Historically Underrepresented Communities To Metro’S Decision-Making Process, Metro (Or.), 1000 Friends Of Oregon, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

In April 2015, Metro and community partner 1000 Friends of Oregon received the Oregon Innovation Award from the Center for Public Service at Portland State University to develop an approach for better connecting historically underrepresented communities* to Metro’s decision-making processes. The award provided 1,000 hours of research, facilitation and consulting services from a Hatfield Resident Fellow and Center for Public Service staff.

Over the course of seven months, sixty-plus representatives from Metro, 1000 Friends, CPS and many other local partners and organizations came to the table to contribute their time and expertise to the innovation effort. See page 23 for …

Brookings Annexation Project, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Kent S. Robinson, Robert Winthrop, Dave Rouse, Paul Manson, Chris Mckee, Priscilla Wagner

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Center for Public Service (CPS) helped the City of Brookings respond to public concerns and opposition to suggestions for a City annexation of the adjacent community of Harbor. The City and CPS agreed to a consulting study in which CPS assessed the public service situation in the City and Harbor area, and then modeled and analyzed two annexation scenarios. Development of the annexation scenarios was especially complex. Annexation law and procedures, urban renewal requirements and assessments, three types of special districts, decaying water and sanitary infrastructure, state revenue shared funds, and unique transient tax and tourism fund use all combined …