Department Review Program

About the Program

Category: Volunteers (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The Departmental Review Program provides citizen volunteers with the opportunity to enhance citizen participation in county decision-making and learn more about the services the county provides. The program was develop and implemented by the Office of Citizen Involvement that houses two Multnomah County staff, managed by the Citizen Involvement Committee, a committee of citizen volunteers. The office is responsible for coordinating the reviews and facilitating the discussion between citizens and county departmental staff. Senior management staff from each department is asked on an ongoing basis to explain the activities conducted and policy decisions made over the past year and how they involve citizens in those activities. Department staff also report on their plans for the coming year and the citizen participation for the future. The in-depth evaluation of departments results in a two-way learning experience. The review committee learns new information about a particular county department’s programs, policies, challenges, and how citizens impacted decision making while the department benefits from the suggestions and recommendations that create new opportunities for citizen involvement or change current citizen involvement plans to enhance public involvement currently in place.