TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Josh Eggleston, Chief Financial Officer
SUBJECT:
title
Revenue Task Force discussion and information
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 at their meeting on November 27, 2023. After the vote, the City Council discussed next steps and directed staff to bring back information and an opportunity to provide direction at their next meeting on the:
• Charter
• Membership selection process
• Timeline
Additional information will be presented at the meeting.
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ISSUE:
Information only.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
body
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The City Council provided direction at their November 27th meeting include a discussion of the Revenue Task Force charter, membership selection, and timeline at the December 4th, 2023 meeting. Moss Adams will be facilitating a discussion of these topics.
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 also discussed the formation of a Revenue Task Force. Staff recommend engaging with Moss Adams as there is not staff capacity to facilitate the task force. Moss Adams has prepared a scope of work (Attachment 1).
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)
$ 10,000 - Stipend for Task Force Participants and meeting support
$220,000
Budget Action:
The City Council approved the formation of a Revenue Task Force on November 27th. A separate staff report will be 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. Moss Adams Scope of Work