As 2008 winds to a close, the city's development and construction bureaus are generally providing improved services over past years, according to the latest Service Efforts and Accomplishments report by the city auditor's office.

The annual report, which Director of Audit Services Drummond Kahn calls a "snapshot or thumbnail sketch," is not filled with policy recommendations per se; instead, it presents concise glimpses of where city bureaus are at the end of 2008.

"This is really intended to be a 20,000-foot view of the city's performance," Kahn said.

For bureaus related to development and infrastructure, such as the Portland Development Commission and the Bureau of Development Services, the perception from afar is rosy.

So too is it for bureaus such as Portland Environmental Services, Kahn said, as the Willamette River continues to get cleaner. [Read full article]

By Tyler Graf,

DJC Oregon - December 9, 2008