Public Administration Directed Research
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/17200
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Browsing Public Administration Directed Research by Author "Alexander, Jason"
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Item Deliberative Democracy in Action: Exploring the 2012 City of Austin Bond Development Process(2013-05) Painter, Kimberly; Shields, Patricia M.; Alexander, JasonThis applied research project aims to accomplish three things. First, this study identifies key components of an effective deliberative process. Second, it explores the City of Austin's efforts at public engagement by determining whether these key components were present in the 2012 Austin bond development process deliberations, and finally, this paper utilizes these findings to provide recommendations to better engage Austin citizens in meaningful future deliberations. Scholarly deliberative democracy literature was reviewed to identify three key components of an effective deliberative exercise. These key features are an appropriate mix of participants, appropriate issue, and an appropriate deliberative structure. Interviews were conducted and documents were analyzed to determine whether these key elements were present in the City of Austin's 2012 bond development process. The research findings indicated that while the City's deliberative exercises exhibited some of the key elements of an effective deliberation, some elements were not evident. This study makes several recommendations of ways to better engage citizens in future deliberations. The City of Austin is advised that it should work to engage a sample that is more representative of the community at large, should utilize a trained facilitator for future task force deliberations and technological connections to the deliberations should be made available for citizens.Item Park and Recreation Impact Fees: Describing the Attitudes and Current Practices of Texas Cities(2012-12) Houtman, Troy; Longoria, Thomas; Balanoff, Howard; Alexander, JasonThe purpose of this research is to describe the current uses of parkland impact fees that support parks and recreation activities in Texas cities. It is important for parks and recreation professionals to learn and understand the tools they have available to finance new parks and repair old infrastructure. This research uses existing literature to develop a conceptual framework based on four categories: Collection of Impact Fees and Land Dedication, Attributes of Impact Fees, Management of Impact Fee Revenues, and Managing Unintended Consequences. The method of this study is an electronic survey that was sent to city managers and parks and recreation professionals in Texas with the support and endorsement of the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS) and the Texas City Management Association (TCMA). These organizations provided contact lists of appropriate professionals to respond to the electronic questionnaire. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings provided critical information on "best practices" in finance and insight on how Texas cities use impact fees as a tool in the parks and recreation field. Attitudes of citizens, elected officials and professionals help shape the criteria used for the collection of parkland impact fees, and the study found that cities in different areas of the state use this tool differently. The study also confirmed some of the basic attributes of impact fees and the steps used to most effectively use these fees, such as leveraging them with other revenues, master planning and citizen engagement.Item The Alarm Has Sounded: A Descriptive Study of Performance Measures of Fire Department ESDs in Travis County(2014-12) Fogley, Damon; Longoria, Thomas; Alexander, JasonPurpose: The purpose of this research is to describe how the thirteen Emergency Service Districts (ESDs) in Travis County meet critical performance measures taken from national ISO, NFPA, CFAI and municipal benchmark standards. These recognized performance measures ensure effectiveness in protecting and preserving the life and property of citizens. Professional, scholarly and empirical literature was reviewed in order to determine “best practices” for the fire service. Fire service measures were divided into three descriptive categories: Fire (suppression) performance, staffing and training, and fire prevention. Thirteen ESDs in Travis County with varying budgets and sizes were evaluated. Methods: This study uses survey research, interviews and content analysis. A survey instrument was developed and distributed to all 13 ESDs in Travis County. A total of 10 surveys were completed followed by interviews with 15 ESD Chiefs, Commissioners, and various other emergency service administrators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results of the survey. Findings: The majority of ESDs in Travis County are facing critical financial challenges and threats to their viability. The findings suggest that the fragmentation of ESDs in Travis County has played a significant role in the failure of the majority of ESDs to meet nationally recognized standards.