HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3592
City of Palo Alto (ID # 3592)
Committee for Potential Infrastructure Finance Measure
Staff Report
Report Type: Meeting Date: 3/7/2013
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Update on Infrastructure Strategic Planning and Timeline
Title: Update on the Schedule for Conducting a Baseline Public Opinion
Survey to Evaluate the Community’s Support for a Potential Finance Measure
to Fund Infrastructure Needs, and Making Decisions about Next Steps,
Including Recommendations for Preliminary Community Outreach
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation and Draft Motion:
Draft Motion: I move that the Committee:
Accept the updated strategic planning process and timeline included as
Attachment A for evaluating the feasibility of a potential finance measure to fund
infrastructure needs.
Background
On September 18, 2012, the City Council approved a high level plan and schedule
for evaluating a potential infrastructure finance measure for the November 2014
ballot. Since last September, staff has proceeded with retaining assistance of
outside experts in two areas: 1) public opinion research and 2) public
communications and educational outreach. In December 2012, the City hired the
public opinion research firm, Fairbank, Maslin , Maullin, Metz and Associates
(FM3) to assist the City with its opinion research. In February 2013, the City
retained the communications firm, TBWB Strategies (TBWB) to help evaluate the
feasibility of a finance measure and develop communications, messaging, and
community engagement strategies.
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Discussion
FM3 and TBWB, in collaboration with staff, have updated the near-term strategic
planning process and timeline, and provided some preliminary recommendations
on community outreach (included as Attachment A) for the Committee’s review.
It is anticipated that the baseline public opinion survey questionnaire will be
developed by the end of March 2013 and data will be collected in early April
2013. Data analysis will be complete in late April 2013 and recommendations will
be presented to the Infrastructure Committee in May 2013 and the City Council in
early June 2013. A detailed communication and outreach plan will be developed
and ready for implementation by the end of June 2013, pending Council’s
direction and appropriate timeline for a target election for a potential finance
measure.
Attachments:
Attachment A. Strategic Planning Process and Timeline (PDF)
TO: City of Palo Alto
FROM: Charles Heath and Joy Tatarka, TBWB Strategies
Dave Metz and Shakari Byerly, FM3 Research
RE: Strategic Planning Process and Timeline
DATE: February 27, 2013
_________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for the opportunity to work with the City of Palo Alto to develop funding
strategies to meet the community’s infrastructure needs. In many respects, Palo Alto is
the benchmark for forward thinking, thoughtful community planning and collaborative
decision making. We are excited by the opportunity to help a community with such a
proud tradition develop a plan for the years and decades ahead.
Like many of the cities with whom we work, Palo Alto has a wide‐ranging set of needs
that generally fit under the heading of “infrastructure.” The combination of decades‐old
fire stations, police facilities, roads, sidewalks, parks, community centers and other
“infrastructure” along with a recent period of lean capital improvement budgets has
resulted in pent up needs that directly impact public safety, the quality of available
services, traffic and efficient city operations. You also have a variety of potential funding
sources that may be used to address these unfunded needs. Some of these funding
sources require voter approval and must be backed by broad community consensus
regarding the appropriateness of the funding source and the intended use of funds.
Other funding sources are available now or in the future at the Council’s discretion, but
may face competition for use from other service or facility needs.
Unlike most cities with whom we work, the City has already completed a thorough
process of collecting information and obtaining community and stakeholder input on the
identified needs. The Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission (IBRC) Final Report provides
an excellent framework for understanding the priority needs and potential solutions.
Given that voter‐approved funding is an essential component of tackling any significant
portion of Palo Alto’s identified needs, a careful strategic analysis must be performed to
narrow the scope of projects being considered for voter‐approved funding to those that
closely align with the Palo Alto electorate’s highest priorities for use of taxpayer dollars.
Potential voter‐approved funding sources must be narrowed to those that have sufficient
voter support to reach the approval threshold required for passage and those that are
deemed appropriate given the intended use of the funds. Furthermore, potential
election dates must be assessed to identify the opportunity that maximizes the chances
for success and minimizes competition with other controversial issues that could
undermine support.
The centerpiece of this strategic assessment will be a statistically reliable survey of Palo
Alto voters aiming to answer the basic strategic questions identified in the prior
paragraph. By taking an accurate read of the community’s attitudes and opinions related
to infrastructure and taxes, we are confident that this survey will help significantly
narrow and refine the scope of projects, funding sources and potential timelines under
consideration. In addition, we will benefit from a clearer understanding of the existing
levels of community awareness for community infrastructure needs and the most
compelling themes that must be at the center of an infrastructure proposal.
With this information in hand, TBWB will develop a focused plan for building community
awareness, engaging key constituencies and building consensus around a viable
proposal. This plan will include the recruitment of a community advisory committee with
membership aligned to the focus of the funding proposal. It will also include a plan for
direct communication with residents, voters, stakeholders, and opinion leaders. In
addition to an outbound messaging plan, we will also advise on a process for collecting
community feedback so that a broad consensus can be developed through engagement
and dialogue. Throughout the process, our progress will be measured with tracking
research that can be compared against the baseline opinion survey. Messaging may be
tested and refined with qualitative research methods such as focus groups.
Due to the importance of this strategic assessment to the overall framing and focus of a
potential infrastructure funding proposal, we recommend carefully pacing community
outreach on this topic to preserve all available options until reliable data on community
priorities and opinions can be collected and recommendations formulated. With an
election occurring in June of 2014 at the very earliest, we have sufficient time to
complete this assessment and complete a thorough outreach program that lives up to
Palo Alto’s high standards for community engagement.
Given that a wide variety of projects, funding sources and election dates will be
considered as part of the assessment, TBWB Strategies is quickly reviewing any current
or planned city communication that could impact an infrastructure proposal to ensure
that all potential options are preserved. Messaging in this interim period, while the
strategic assessment is being completed, will focus on the process completed to date to
inventory the city’s needs as well as the process going forward to develop and reach
consensus on a proposed solution. TBWB will develop and distribute key messages that
may be used consistently across all city departments and bodies until we are ready to
embark on the next phase of more focused messaging related to a specific infrastructure
proposal. TBWB will also provide input and advice on messaging on related infrastructure
projects.
FM3 Research and TBWB Strategies are currently completing a detailed review of
projects and funding sources to develop concepts and messages to be tested in the
public opinion survey. We anticipate that the survey questionnaire will be drafted by late
March, finalized by mid‐April and data will be collected in early April. Data analysis will be
complete in late April and recommendations will be presented to the Committee in May,
and the Council in early June. A detailed communication and outreach plan will be
developed and ready for implementation by the end of June, assuming this timeline is
appropriate given the recommended target election for a potential ballot measure.
The following timeline details how the process will unfold over the coming weeks:
February 2013 to June 2013 Infrastructure Committee/Council Timeline
Week of March 4
Infrastructure Committee update on infrastructure projects, research timeline
and process
Week of March 11
Consultants develop proposed research objectives
Week of March 18
Infrastructure Committee review and approval of research objectives
Week of April 1 & April 8
Consultants finalize survey and prepare for data collection
April 2013 – Public Opinion Survey Data Collection and Analysis
Week of May 13
Infrastructure Committee review of survey results and draft consultant
recommendations
Week of May 27
Infrastructure Committee approval of research findings and recommendations
June 2013
City Council review of research findings and Infrastructure Committee
recommendations
Pending City Council approval to proceed with next phase of communication and
outreach related to an infrastructure ballot measure, consultants will:
o Prepare Communication and Outreach Plan with recommended initial
messages, targets and media
o Identify key community leaders and stakeholders to participate on an
advisory committee to assist with strategic planning and outreach