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ACTION CALENDAR May 6, 2014 To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council From: Christine Daniel, City Manager Submitted by: Deputy City Manager William Rogers Subject: Presentation and Discussion of Second Community Survey Results and Direction About Next Steps for Possible Ballot Measure Development RECOMMENDATION Discuss results of the second community survey and provide direction to the City Manager about the drafting of possible revenue measures for inclusion on the November 2014 ballot. SUMMARY At its April 1 meeting, the Council discussed possible ballot measures that were tested in a March community survey and that the Council sought to further test in a second community survey. The results of that second survey, conducted April 9-13 by Lake Research Partners, are included in this report. There is support for a sugar-sweetened beverage tax as both a general tax and a special tax. Several other possible measures -
- a commercial vacancy tax, an increase in the existing Parks Tax, and a Mello-Roos
measure for Parks -- each approached the required two-thirds threshold for passage, but only after respondents were given additional information about the possible measures. If the Council wishes to move forward with placing a revenue measure (or measures) on the ballot in the fall, staff will need direction on the specifics of the measure(s) to allow adequate time to draft final ballot measure language for Council consideration and to meet County Registrar of Voters deadlines for the November 2014 ballot. If Council wishes to keep open the possibility of a Mello Roos Community Facilities District (CFD) for Parks, the Council will need to approve a Resolution of Intention to Form the District at the May 20, 2014 City Council meeting; that Resolution will include a description of the facilities and services to be funded by the CFD. To further discussion of that approach, a draft description of the facilities and services is included as Attachment 7 to this report. FISCAL IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION The cost of placing a measure on the ballot varies depending on the total number of measures on the ballot. The following graphic shows the costs associated with past elections.