Abstract:
In order to prepare for incoming industry and economic growth opportunities, local
government and private interests alike must receive guidance from a host of state
agencies regarding land use, water resources, building codes, and the like. The Economic
Revitalization Team (ERT), consisting of ten state agencies, was created in 2003 by
House Bill 2011 to streamline state and local efforts and coordinate state resources for
economic development projects around the state of Oregon. The purpose of this study is
to look into how the ERT’s efforts at streamlining and coordination contribute to its goal
of better serving local and regional government through a comparative case study of two
Willamette Valley ERT projects, one in Newport, Oregon, and one in Junction City,
Oregon. While customer satisfaction surveys serve as one assessment of the ERT’s
efforts, this study compares and collates the perceptions of both service recipients
(customers) from the public and private sector as well as representatives from the ERT
member agencies. The results include an analysis of the primary themes that comprise the
ERT’s streamlining and coordinating efforts as well as recommendations for enhancing
these efforts going forward.