To complete this assignment, consider the following scenario: One practice embraced by a growing number of local governments is surveying citizens to assess the community’s opinion on a number of issues. Municipalities inquire about the perceived quality of various publicly provided services (such as garbage collection, police presence, and parks and recreation programs) as well as support for new initiatives (such as the construction of a new park or the expansion of a senior citizen center). A city could even “test the waters” by asking about how individuals would vote on a tax hike to support the public schools, or an increase in wastewater collection fees before the scheduling of a referendum. Elected officials can then use the survey information to make decisions about the future direction of the city and to set goals and priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. You are the newly appointed assistant city manager of the city of Spendthrift. The city manager has come to you to ask for some help. The city council members are fighting among themselves on how to prioritize a number of large-scale and expensive projects including the construction of a soccer complex, the expansion of the city’s public library, and installation of new bike lanes throughout the city, among other things. Budget dollars are limited, and there is no consensus among the bickering council members on what project or projects to pursue. The city manager knows that you are in the MPA program at Indiana Wesleyan University, and she has come to you for ideas. She would like your recommendation on her desk by the end of the week. This is your first “big” assignment since you have been hired, and you want to make a good impression. However, if the city manager goes forward with your recommendation and it does not work out, both of your jobs could be on the line. You remember reading about cities using information from citizen surveys to make decisions like this, and you decide to make that the basis of your recommendation to the city manager. Compose a clearly written memo that sets forth your recommendation to the city manager. This memo will explain why you recommend that the council approve the consider the use of citizen surveys as a way to collect information on citizen preferences regarding upcoming projects. (If you do not know how to format or write a memorandum, research it on your own.) Pay attention to the organization of the memo so that it is clear, logical, and concise. You may want to use bullets or numbers to facilitate understanding. Organize your memorandum with the following headings: – Overview – Recommendation – Rationale for recommendation – Benefits – Conclusion Demonstrate to the city manager that your recommendation is supported by the academic community by including properly formatted APA in-text citations of supporting studies and/or scholars as well as a reference list at the end of the memo. The entire body of the memo (including references) should be 750 to 1000 words long. Respect this word count. Be creative and use your imagination as you analyze the political complexity, the critical nature of the situation, the decision, and your recommendations. Your memo should include at least one reference to the Rainey textbook and three in-text citations of sources other than the textbook. Rainey, H. G., Fernandez, S., & Malatesta, D. (2021). Understanding and managing public organizations (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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