ABSTRACT
After policy needs have been identified, alternatives analyzed, and recommendation prepared, the analyst must then have the analysis reviewed by staff to insure important facts or other considerations have not been missed. After staff review and possible revision, the policy recommendation is submitted to the legislative body for action. Chapter 6 provides a process organizations can utilize for staff review, as well as for preparing a recommendation to the legislative body. An administrative form titled Request for Legislative Action is included for transmission of the policy recommendation from staff to the legislative body. This chapter concludes at the point the book started, explaining why the public interest should be the centerpiece for policy making in local government, and how comparative and sustainability analyses are tools to identify the public interest. To reinforce this learning objective, elected officials are asked to work with their elected peers and define the public interest. They then recommend changes in their organizational process for identifying and evaluating policy alternatives. Students complete an exercise analyzing the policy setting process used by the organization to which they are assigned. Students are asked to make recommendations for change to that process. Managers complete a practical exercise where they review their organizational policy process, and determine if sustainability and comparative analysis should be used by staff for their policy process. Managers review the comparative and sustainability analysis process, as well as the Request for Legislative Action form provided in this book, and decide how their current system should be modified to incorporate the public interest as the centerpiece that guides legislative action.
