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The Council is advised to make the distinction of what a survey is and what it isn't. A community survey is i i��i an individual performance evaluation. A survey is a;�t a referendum, nor is it a mandate. A survey is an informational tool, a management tool, and a planning tool. Finally, with regard to the costs of performing a community survey, two observations can be made. First, the cost of a survey will be funded from cable franchise fees - revenues which are legally restricted. Among the limited uses of these revenues is to gather citizen input. Secondly, it is strongly held that most of the information being sought in the survey would be obtained elsewhere over the next year or so, in piecemeal fashion. The costs associated with gathering this information would be spent regardless. Acquiring Assistance from Professional Research Firms � Within Staffs evaluation of why a community survey was a preferred tool, Staff also looked at _ whether it's advantageous for an outside party to assist the City in preparing and conducting a community survey. While Staff has a fair amount of expertise in this area, we have concluded that a professional research firm with experience in community surveys, statistical modeling, and survey-specific database software would be advantageous and should be used. A�"� party firm would preserve greater integrity in capturing the public's interests and allow the City to take advantage of their expertise. Over the past few months, Staff has been compiling a list of professional research firms experienced in performing community surveys or customer satisfaction surveys. Staff has been in contact with those firms to see if they might be interested in assisting the City in this process. Based upon our preliminary discussions, Staff believes a selection process among these firms would produce a highly-regarded partner that would deliver high-quality results. — To keep overall costs down, Staff would do the majority of the advance preparations needed to — conduct a community survey, relying on the research firm to finalize the questions, perform the — survey, and present the findings to the City Council and general public. � Citywide Issues and Concerns As noted above, one of the purposes of a community survey is to gauge the public's interest on a variety of subject matters. Certainly, an assessment of the relevant issues needs to take place before a survey can be conducted. Included below is a list of citywide issues that in Staffs judgment identify the most pressing or pertinent issues that are in need of a comprehensive review. Staff arrived at these issues through a process of assessing the needs of the community and assigning a general ranking or priority. An assessment of future opportunities was also made. This process included the utilization of the information tools currently available, as well as drawing upon Staffs experience and expertise.