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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 7b. Hermann and Harnett - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: November 10, 2026 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager Prepared By: Natalie Harnett, Policy and Project Manager VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM #7B - 2027-29 FINANCIAL PLAN – SETTING THE STAGE Staff received the following questions, regarding the 2027-29 Financial Plan – Setting the Stage item. The questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics: 1. The Community Forum is currently scheduled for January 21 2027, before Cal Poly and Cuesta students are back in town. Would postponing it to January 28 be feasible? Postponing the Community Forum to January 28, 2027, or January 26, 2027, would be feasible provided the Council is available. The January 21 date was originally selected to allow sufficient time to synthesize and analyze forum input before the Goal-Setting Workshop on February 6, 2027. The forum has typically been scheduled two weeks apart from goal-setting to allow adequate time for processing results, but staff could work within a compressed timeline if necessary. However, Council should be aware that the summarized forum results may not be available until only a few days before the Goal-Setting Workshop. At this time, postponing the Goal-Setting Workshop is not an option due to facilitator scheduling constraints. 2. Why are neither the Benchmark Study listed on the posted agenda as Exhibit 7(F), nor the Community Priorities Survey (Exhibit 8(G) listed as documents to be discussed as part of the staff recommendation on the first page of this item The Community Priorities Survey discussed in the report and included as an attachment is listed as an item for discussion as that survey has not been distributed. The Resident Benchmark Survey discussed in the report and included as an attachment was not listed as an item for discussion as that survey has already been distributed, but staff would be happy to answer any questions from Council. 2027-29 Financial Plan – Setting the Stage Page 2 3. When is the Community Priorities survey planned for distribution? The City will conduct an open Community Priorities Survey from November 16 through December 13. 4. We received some communication from community members that the time period for the Community Forum is not consistent with Cal Poly student ability to participate because it is on January 21 and they have not returned from Winter Break by this time. Are there still ways to participate in the Forum without attending in person? Also, can you please explain the difference between the Community Priorities Survey and what will happen at the Community Forum? Community members who are unable to attend the Community Forum in person will still have opportunities to participate. In compliance with new SB 707 requirements, the forum can accommodate virtual participation if it remains scheduled for January 21, allowing people to engage remotely. Additionally, the interactive polling component can be configured to allow participants to provide input online without attending in person. The Community Priorities Survey and the Community Forum are designed to serve complementary purposes. The Community Priorities Survey (Attachment G) asks community members to rank a list of identified community priorities, building on issues that have historically been identified as most important to residents. The survey is intended to provide broad, community-wide input on which priority areas residents believe should receive the greatest focus. The Community Forum builds on the survey results by providing an opportunity for more detailed discussion and feedback on specific projects, programs, and initiatives within those priority areas. The forum will be organized around approximately 10 stations representing the highest-ranked priorities identified through the survey, allowing participants to share more targeted input on how those priorities should be advanced. Where appropriate, related topic areas will be combined to ensure community members can still provide input on priorities that may not rank among the very highest categories. The forum also serves an educational purpose by providing residents with an opportunity to learn about existing programs, services, and initiatives already underway to advance these priorities, with City staff available to answer questions and provide additional context. 2027-29 Financial Plan – Setting the Stage Page 3 5. With regard to the statistically significant survey, is there any flexibility to add or slightly tweak any of the questions or optional answers to the questions? At this time, there is no flexibility to modify the survey questions or response options. The survey launched on October 30, 2026, and responses are already being collected. Because this is a pilot effort and the first of this type of statistically significant community survey conducted by the City, we intentionally kept the questions closely aligned with the established survey framework to ensure consistency and allow for meaningful benchmarking with other communities, which use a consistent set of questions. One of the primary objectives of this initial survey is to establish a baseline dataset. After reviewing the results and evaluating the usefulness of the information gathered, the City and Council will have the opportunity to consider refinements to future surveys, including adding, removing, or modifying questions to collect more targeted and actionable feedback. This approach allows us to maintain the integrity of the benchmark survey while preserving flexibility for future iterations.