Information, Training, and Assistance Needs of Municipal Governments

A fundamental task of local government is to develop and maintain sufficient capacity with which to address people's reasonable expectations and needs. From the perspective of the public manager, this means being able to perform effectively in three critical areas: (1) organizational maintenance, or keeping the internal workings running smoothly, (2) organizational representation, or interacting with the external environment, and (3) organizational planning, or dealing with future needs (Rehfuss, 1989). Capacity building, therefore, requires an ever-expanding organizational tool kit (Hood, 1986); government must acquire the necessary and appropriate expertise, or tools, to handle its tasks effectively and efficiently.