Center for Public Service

Local Government Services & Resources

 

The Center for Public Service offers a wide range of on-demand services and resources for Oregon’s local governments. Take advantage of interactive training or custom consulting assistance in any of these areas:

group of people around a map

Community-Building and Community Engagement

  • Techniques for community-building sessions to deal with difficult challenges
  • Establishment of citizen involvement plans
  • Encouraging input and involvement by hard-to-reach communities
  • Developing a Citizens Academy
  • Getting things done through collaboration and partnerships
group of people in a conference looking at the speaker

Governing Board Effectiveness

  • Owning and implementing the board’s policy agenda
  • Strategic planning and goal-setting
  • Effective team and interpersonal relationships
Image of gears as a symbol of partnerships

Service Delivery and Governance

  • Intergovernmental agreements; consolidation, and contracting 
  • Annexation; extension of municipal services
  • Creation/modification of regional agencies and cooperative agreements
person writing a sticky note to put on a board of organized notes

Managing the Organization

  • Customized program analysis research and consulting
  • Process improvement
  • Development of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion plans
  • Cultural competence training
  • Managing cybersecurity risks
  • Municipal code updating (removal of bias, elimination of outdated sections, improving clarity of language)
two people working on a document

Human Resources

  • Compensation studies; updating compensation and classification systems
  • Addressing pay equity
  • Updated and useful job descriptions
  • Recruiting top talent
  • Alternatives to the traditional annual review process
  • Advanced topics in HR
Compensation Studies
calculator and a pen laying on top of finance documents

Budget and Finance

  • Development of general fund forecasting models for strategic financial planning
  • Implementation of Expenditure Control Budgeting and other alternatives to top-down budget management
woman standing next to a pile of trash that was picked up

Environment

  • Solid waste reduction and recycling
  • Development of climate action plans

Useful links:

CPS Consulting Services
Public Service Fellowships
Executive Master of Public Administration
Professional Certificate Programs
--Collaborative Governance

CPS Centers and Units
--Mark O. Hatfield Center for Cybersecurity
--Community Environment Services (solid waste research, climate action plans)

Other Centers:
National Policy Consensus Center
--Oregon Solutions
PSU Population Research Center
Center for Women's Leadership
Institute on Aging
Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative

CPS services complement the member services provided by these organizations:
The League of Oregon Cities
The Association of Oregon Counties
The Special Districts Association of Oregon

SDAO and LOC have entered into "umbrella agreements" with PSU that allow their members to contract for work by the Center for Public Service through a simplified process. Please contact us for more information.

 

For more information on the services and programs of the Center for Public Service, please contact:

Sara Saltzberg, Director, Center for Public Service, ssaltz@pdx.edu