BACKGROUND:
On January 22, 2022, the City of Cathedral City hosted its annual strategic planning retreat to develop the City Council’s goals for the upcoming year. As part of the goal setting session this year, in addition to discussing the City Council’s goals for 2022, the Department Heads also presented their 2021 achievements and their 2022 planned projects. These operational goals and projects included outstanding initiatives from previous years, state mandated priorities, operational initiatives based on aging infrastructure and/or changing needs, and various others based on numerous factors.
The updated operational priorities identified by City Council in the 2022 Goal Setting Session included:
•Finance & General Government
•Streets & Infrastructure
•Community & Economic Development
•Code Enforcement
•Parks & Recreation
•Public Safety
On February 16, 2022, the City Council formally adopted Resolution 2022-09, memorializing the strategic goals of the City for 2022. Additionally, staff presented a long-term plan that would ultimately correct the City’s structural deficit in a manner that is both transparent, equitable, and sustainable. The framework of this Five-Year Strategic Plan (5YSP) is anchored in the City Council’s established priorities outlined above and will seek to align itself with the needs of the community in every subsequent version thereafter. As currently proposed, this strategic initiative will include the following major deliverables in FY2022-23:
•Development of Department Five-Year Project Pipelines & Organizational Charts •Development of a Community Outreach & Education Campaign oCommunity & Employee Surveys
oCommunity Townhall Events
•Various City Council/Staff Strategy Sessions & Public Meetings oAdopt Community Outreach & Education Campaign
oAdopt Five-Year Project Pipelines and Organizational Charts •Adopt a FY2023-24 & FY2024-25 Biennial Budget that Incorporates the Strategic Planning Efforts Outlined Above
Currently, the Executive Team is working to finalize the first drafts of their respective Five-Year Project Pipelines and Organizational Charts. The next phase of this project includes hiring a community education and outreach survey consultant and a strategic planning facilitator. The City has selected two separate firms to assist with this project, the agreements are being proposed for approval this evening.
DISCUSSION:
On May 17, 2022, the City released an informal Request for Proposals (RFP) for public policy-oriented opinion research services. Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) was the only firm to submit a proposal. FM3 has been performing this type of work since 1981 and has conducted research on behalf of Cathedral City on five (5) ballot measures over the last 12 years, including completing a survey of Cathedral City voters on behalf of the Desert Recreation District. The firms extensive experience conducting resident satisfaction, strategic, and budgetary planning, policy, and ballot measure surveys throughout the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, and the state make them uniquely qualified for the award.
For this specific project, FM3 is recommending a 20-minute survey (English and Spanish) among 500 Cathedral City residents 18 years of age or older using an address-based sampling methodology to collect from a demographically and geographically representative sample of adults. The proposal also includes the option of conducting four (4) focus groups with populations that may feel less heard or less engaged. The final survey sampling methodology and overall research approach will be determined in collaboration with the Cathedral City Executive Team, including the topics of the questionnaire that would solicit optimal feedback on the policy priorities outlined by the City Council at the 2022 Goal Setting Session.
In addition to public policy-oriented opinion research services, the City is also sourcing facilitation services for the 5YSP efforts outlined above. Moore Lacofano Goltsman, Inc. (MIG) was established in 1982 by a community of designers, planners, and engineers who believe communities can plan their own futures using inclusive and participatory planning outreach, which results in better policies, projects, and programs. Today they have over 200 employees, 15 locations, and 37 areas of expertise, including strategic planning and facilitation.
In order to proceed with the 5YSP work plan, staff will need to bring on a community survey and facilitation consultant to complete the upcoming deliverables. Staff is looking to complete the community survey and facilitation work prior to the end of FY2022-23.
The survey is estimated to be completed prior to the end of the calendar year 2022, and results presented to the City Council in January 2023. Both consultants will work in conjunction with one another to cohesively design the 5YSP.
FISCAL IMPACT:
It is recommended that the City Council approve a general fund budget amendment for a total of $95,880 account number 100-130-131-8601 and authorize the City Manager to execute the professional service agreements under his authority, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
The cost associated with each agreement is within City Manager authority, however, these expenditures could not have been forecasted in the FY2022-2023 Biennial Budget, which now requires a budget amendment to accommodate this new Council initiative. Below is a breakdown of the not to exceed contract amounts within the City Manager’s approval authority:
Consultant Services Cost
FM3 500-Adult Resident Sample / 20-minute Survey $ 29,750 Three (3) Focus Groups $ 40,250
Travel Expenses Included
Total: $ 70,000
MIG Project Initiation and Team Meetings $ 7,420 City Council Interviews (5) $ 2,260
City Council Workshops (2) $ 6,190
Executive Staff Workshops (3) $ 5,920
Vision and Goal Development & Documentation $ 4,090 Travel Expenses Included
Total: $ 25,880