TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
David N. Carmany, City Manager
FROM:
Bruce Moe, Finance Director
SUBJECT:Title
Request for Proposal for Community Survey.
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Request for Proposal to select a firm to perform a statistically valid community survey.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The funds necessary to perform a survey are not allocated in the fiscal year 2013-2014 budget. If after receiving proposals the City Council wishes to proceed with the survey (estimated cost of $25,000) an appropriation will be necessary. Potential sources include the City Council Contingency account, or General Fund balance. Funding sources will be included in the staff report recommending the award of a contract to the selected firm.
BACKGROUND:
At the July 10th Strategic Plan meeting, the City Council added an objective to create a Community Satisfaction survey with a due date for completion of January 1, 2014. The City previously performed biennial surveys from 2000 through 2006, but discontinued the practice due to budgetary constraints.
At the August 3rd meeting, the City Council created a Survey Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Howorth/D'Errico) to work with staff to craft the Request for Proposal for the new survey. The RFP included with this report reflects those efforts.
This agenda item was pulled from the Consent Calendar at the September 3, 2013 City Council meeting and continued to the September 10, 2013 Adjourned Regular City Council meeting.
DISCUSSION:
The survey will address effectiveness of, and satisfaction with, the City Council, Executive Management, departmental staff, and city services. It will also gauge residents' priorities for resource allocation (financial and human) on facilities and services (e.g., new pool vs. better maintained storm drains and streets). The survey will drive priorities, provide results which are actionable, measure community's trust of their local government, identify the top issues from the residents' perspective, and provide a current view against which future progress may be measured.
Gathering statistically valid data requires the assistance of a firm experienced in performing surveys. As a result, staff will solicit proposals from qualified firms utilizing the attached Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP seeks to distinguish firms offering this service based on their approach to and methods for the project; experience; references; and total cost (value).
The tentative timelines for the survey are as follows:
Distribution of Request for Proposal September 6, 2013
Submittal deadline October 4, 2013 - 5:00 PM
Proposals evaluated by Subcommittee/Staff October 7-18
City Council consideration November 5, 2013
Survey conducted To Be Determined
Results presented to the City Council To Be Determined
The timing of the actual survey will be determined in consultation with the selected firm in order to maximize participation (i.e., avoid holidays or other challenging timeframes). The survey results will be presented to the City Council as soon as possible after survey completion. The data may then be used constructively during the budget process for Fiscal Year 2014-2015.
City Employee Survey
The City Council also expressed interest in conducting a survey of City employees concomitant with the resident survey. Such survey would be utilized to gain information on subjects including job satisfaction, employee participation in organizational effectiveness, and understanding of roles and responsibilities.
After discussing the goal of the survey, the Survey Ad Hoc Subcommittee determined that a separate process should be utilized for the employee survey, that will likely involve a separate firm with a different approach and perspective than the resident satisfaction survey firm. The Subcommittee believes that the development of pertinent questions, and gauging opinions and needs of employees would best be served by a firm focused on human resources. As a result, the Subcommittee will work with City staff, including the Human Resources Director, to develop that survey RFP, and will return to the City Council with a draft RFP for consideration.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the distribution of a Request for Proposal for conducting a statistically valid community satisfaction survey.
Attachment:
1. Request for Proposal for Community Survey 2013