Appendix D

Survey of City Departments

Instructions: The following questions have been developed as a by-product of the briefings which the Regionalization Committee has had from several city departments. It would be helpful to the Committee if you would respond to them as a written questionnaire -- this may obviate the need for a formal briefing, or at least reduce the time required in a Committee meeting. As an alternative, please use these questions to help organize your presentation, so that the briefing session will be as efficient and productive as possible.

1. (a) What services which are presently centralized in your department could/should be decentralized? Why? Consider potential benefits in terms of (i) administrative efficiency, (ii) service effectiveness, and (iii) citizen satisfaction.

(b) Why should the other services remain centralized? (For example, what problems would decentralization cause in administration? How could they be overcome?)

2. (a.) What is the optimal size service area for the services in your department which are, or could be, decentralized?

(b.) What is the feasible range of service area sizes?

(c.) What factors determine this?

3. How many citizen requests for service which now involve a personal visit could be handled adequately by mail, telephone, or computer link? (If you have data, please provide. Otherwise estimate the number or percentage.)

4. What methods does your department use to disseminate information to the public about the services you provide?

5. (a.) What methods does your department use to solicit citizen input which could improve service efficiency, effectiveness, or consumer satisfaction?

(b.) How could citizen input be obtained (e.g., volunteers, advisory committees, hearings, etc.)?

6. What other services (including those provided by other city departments or other local governments) should be located in the same facility, or in close proximity to your department? Why?

7. What other services should not be located in or near the same facility? Why not?

8. Do you have any plans "on the shelf" for any sort of decentralization? What is their status? If they are not currently active, why not?

9. What legislative changes might be needed in order to accomplish decentralization?

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