TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Josh Eggleston, Chief Financial Officer
SUBJECT:
title
Revenue Task Force charter and member selection
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Good Governance.
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SUMMARY:
summary
The City Council voted to form a Revenue Task Force on November 27, 2023 and provided additional direction at the December 4, 2023 meeting. Based on that direction a draft Revenue Task Force charter is attached (attachment 1).
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ISSUE:
Shall the City Council approve the attached Revenue Task Force Charter?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Approve the attached Revenue Task Force Charter.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The City Council provided direction at their December 4th meeting regarding the Revenue Task Force charter, membership selection, and timeline. The draft Revenue Task Force charter is attached for City Council review and approval.
Member Selection Process:
The City Council discussed the member selection process at the December 4, 2023 meeting. A preliminary process is outlined below, and a draft calendar is included as attachment 2 to this report. A draft application is included as attachment 3.
1. Residents and business owners submit applications electronically
2. Upon application period closure:
a. City staff and the consultant will review applications to screen for Council priorities, including volume of applications and diverse representation
i. If targeted outreach is necessary, the consultant and City staff will notify Council, extend the application period, and conduct additional community outreach
b. Council members will be provided all applications for residents of their ward, and the Mayor will be provided all applications
c. Each Council member will recommend one applicant from their ward for the task force; the Mayor will recommend one applicant to serve as an at-large member
3. The City’s Boards and Commissions Committee will convene to review applications
a. The Committee will endeavor to assemble a task force for 20-30 based on representation from identified community groups, diversity of representation, and Council appointees
b. The Committee will recommend a slate of task force members to Council for approval
BACKGROUND:
The City Council has held multiple work sessions this year on the topic of continuation of services in the General Fund. At the last work session held on October 25, 2023, the City Council discussed the formation of a Revenue Task Force and approved the formation on November 27, 2023. Staff recommend engaging with Moss Adams as there is not staff capacity to facilitate the task force.
The scope of work includes:
• Project management
• Revenue consulting
• Task force facilitation
• Community engagement
In addition to Moss Adams, City staff recommend engaging with consultants for community engagement, Parachute Strategies, and statistically valid polling from DHM, who will contribute to and collaborate with the project team on community engagement strategies, community education and community surveying. Findings from this work will inform task force decision making at key milestones.
The cost estimate for DHM covers poll design, surveying, and analysis. The survey tool, available in Spanish and English, may be used following the statistically valid poll for community outreach and engagement purposes. Polling costs are driven by sample size and questionnaire length. Poll length is estimated at 12-minutes with Spanish translation and an appropriate sample size.
The cost estimate for Parachute Strategies includes consultation on the community engagement approach, synthesis of community input results at each stage, and development and implementation of a strategy to reach those who do not typically engage with the City, to provide important context and information to the task force.
Preliminary Estimated Cost Summary:
$120,000 - Moss Adams (Project management and facilitation)
$ 45,000 - DHM (Statistically valid polling and surveys)
$ 55,000 - Parachute Strategies (Communications and community engagement)
$ 30,000 - Stipend for Task Force Participants ($100 per meeting)
$ 45,600 - Translation services for meetings (Spanish and ASL)
$ 7,200 - Food and meeting support
$302,800
This cost summary has been updated to reflect an estimate 25 members and 12 meetings.
Budget Action:
The City Council approved the formation of a Revenue Task Force on November 27th. A separate staff is included on the City Council agenda for December 11th for approval of General Fund contingency for the facilitation and management of the Revenue Task Force and community engagement process.
City Council has been engaged in an ongoing conversation about next steps for the city’s budget and five-year financial forecast since August 1, 2023 when a petition was submitted containing over 10,000 signatures asking for a referendum vote on the payroll tax.
Attachments:
1. 2024 City of Salem Revenue Task Force Charter DRAFT
2. Revenue Task Force Member Selection Calendar DRAFT
3. Revenue Task Force Member Application DRAFT