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Home My WebLink About04/17/1990, C-8 - REQUEST FOR $3,000 FOR AN EXPANDED PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS A SALES TAX INCREASE �� i ►�IIIII��p ��U city or San LUIS OBISpo 4-17-90 COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT FROM: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer SUBJECT: Request for $3,000 for an expand is opinion survey of attitudes towards a sales tax increase for transportation and open space. CAO RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the CAO to disburse $3,000 to the Area Coordinating Council to augment the budget for a survey of transportation, parks and open space. DISCUSSION: The San Luis Obispo Area Coordinating Council has hired a professional survey consultant to solicit public opinion on a 1/2 cent sales tax increase. Initially the survey was to focus on transportation issues only. The City and other interests have asked that the survey include questions about attitudes toward open space and parks. City representatives have worked with the Area Council staff and consultants to add questions about parks, open space and environmental protection. These questions now make up about 20 percent of the survey. The original budget for the survey was $25, 000. In order to include questions related to other issues an additional $8,000 has been requested by the consultant. The County and each city in the county has contributed funding to the Area Council for this survey. The County is going to contribute $5,000 more for the augmented study. The City has been asked for $3,000 toward the additional survey costs. I recommend that we contribute the additional funds because the questions on open space and parks will assist the City in formulating its own plans and implementation programs for active and passive recreation. The survey sample will be proportional to population and statistical methods will allow us to break out responses for the City of San Luis Obispo separate from other cities and County residents. The small additional expense will avoid the need for the City to fund a separate opinion survey at a later date. By asking questions about transportation and open space in the same survey, better information will be derived than if opinions are solicited about only one issue at a time. The survey will also ask questions about other funding sources and assess attitudes of various community groups and development interests toward these issues. Knowing which constituencies support or oppose funding for transportation and/or open space will assist in formulating funding and implementation strategies that are essential to the success of programs that the City may wish to pursue. ��H�i�i►i�iIIiIIIIfIP° ��Uill city of San tuts OBISpo COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT FISCAL IMPACT As discussed above, the City is being requested to provide an additional $3, 000 toward the survey. It is appropriate that the City assume responsibility for this cost since it is the City which has played the leadership role in assuming that the survey balances transportation and open space needs. Adequate funds are available in the Administration Department's budget for Planning and Research Services. ATTACHMENTS 1. Area Coordinating Council letter 2. Contract addendum i' San Luis Obispo Area Coordinating Council Arroyo Grande ran e Grover City Morro Bay - �'`�► and Regional Transportation Planning Agency Paso Robles Pismo Beach Paul C. Crawford, AICP, Executive Director San Luis Obispo - Ronald L. De Carli, Program Monoger San Luis Obispo County April 2, 1990 John Dunn, City Achninict,a City of San Luis Obispo P. O. Box 8100 San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-8100 Re: Contribution to Increased costs of a Public Opinion Poll i Dear Mr. Dunn, As you are aware the San Luis Obispo Area Council has cmntracted with a firm to conduct a public opinion .poll that may lead to a local option sales tax proposal. A task force of elected officials from each jurisdiction has been advising the consultant on the content of the survey. From the beginning of this effort the city of San Luis Obispo has been requesting that the scope. of the survey be expanded to include questions on open space and park improvements. I have stated that was could expand the poll subject to approval of the Task Force and budgetary constraints. the County of San Luis Obispo has similarly requested that the survey be expanded beyond transportation issues to be more comprehensive in nature. After several meetings, the task force expanded the scope of the survey to include these concerns 'providing there are no additional costs to member jurisdictions. You have previously stated that the City would be Willing to fund a portion of such costs if the survey was so expanded. We rived the attached contract ame dumt from our consultant requesting an additional $8,000 to do this work. In a meeting with Randy Rossi of your staff, a representative from SIA County agreed to fund $5,000, if the city would fund the $3,000 balance. If this meets with your approval please forward a check in this amount to the San Luis Obispo Area Coordinating Council to supplement our contract to include questions on open space preservation and parks improvements. I have included a copy of the final version of the survey for your information and a copy of the oontract amen&ent. If you have any questions please give me a call at 549-5714. M mnk You. Sincerely, 1Q ,gaG�4141 Ronald L. DeCarli Program Manager C-g-3 County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 (805) 549-5612 ADDENDUM TO CONTRACT FOR PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY BETWEEN SAN LUIS OBISPO AREA COORDINATING COUNCIL AND TOWNSEND & COMPANY The San Luis Obispo Area Coordinating Council (Area Council) agrees that the scope of the questions to be included on the voter opinion survey and the size of the voter sample to be conducted by Townsend & Company (Contractor) or its subcontractors should be expanded. In addition to questions on transportation, the poll now will include questions on taxpayer financing of a county jail, hospital care and acquisition of parks and open space. Area Council shall pay to Contractor an additional $8,000 to cover the added cost of the additional questions and sample size. Total compensation under the original contract for services plus this addendum is thus modified to $33,,000 plus compensation for travel, long distance telephone calls, copying charges, postage and other normal reasonable expenses. SAN LUIS OBISPO AREA COORDINATING COUNCIL ' 1 . By• Title: _ Date: v TOWNSEND & COMPANY A 01 DAVID J TO D, President Date: �� C-g• �f