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June 16, 2026
ITEM TITLE
Agreement Amendment: Approve an Amendment to the Agreement with Cityzen Solutions, Inc., Doing Business As Public Input, for an Online Public Engagement Platform Report Number: 26-0199
Location: No specific geographic location
Department: City Manager
G.C. § 84308 Regulations Apply: No
Environmental Notice : The activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act State Guidelines. Therefore, pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3), no environmental review is required.
Recommended Action
Adopt a resolution approving an amendment to the agreement with Cityzen Solutions, Inc., doing business as (“dba”) PublicInput, for the continued use of the City’s online public engagement platform, extending the agreement term through June 30, 2029, and authorizing the City Manager to exercise up to four additional one-year options to extend the agreement through June 30, 2033. (4/5 Vote Required).
SUMMARY
The City of Chula Vista prioritize s accessible, equitable, and transparent public engagement in City operations and decision -making processes. Since implementation in 2023, the PublicInput platform has supported centralized community engagement efforts across departments through surveys, project webpages, multilingual outreach, meeting participation tools, and data reporting features. Staff recommends approval of an amendment to the agreeme nt with Cityzen Solutions, Inc., dba PublicInput, to extend the current agreement through June 30, 2029, and authorize the City Manager to exercise up to four additional one-year extensions through June 30, 2033. The requested extension is consistent with the original solicitation and procurement framework contemplated in Request for Proposals (“RFP”) P09 -2023. The amended agreement also includes enhanced meeting management, accessibility, and integration features that support the City’s operations.
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ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed activity has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and it has been determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines because the proposed activity consists of a governmental fiscal/administrative activity which does not result in a physical change in the environment. Therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
Not Applicable
DISCUSSION
On August 8, 2023, the City Council approved an agreement (Attachment 1) with Cityzen Solutions, Inc., dba PublicInput, for an online Software as a Service (“SaaS”) public engagement platform following a competitive procurement process through RFP P09-2023. The original agreement included an initial term through June 30, 2026, with optional extensions.
Since implementation, PublicInput has become the City’s centralized public engagement platform supporting community outreach, surveys, public meetings, multilingual engagement, reporting, and accessibility efforts across multiple City departments.
The City of Chula Vista continues to prioritize public engagement in City ope rations. PublicInput supports centralized community engagement efforts by providing tools that encourage public participation in City projects, programs, and initiatives while improving access to information and opportunities for input.
The platform is currently used to support surveys, project webpages, multilingual outreach, public meeting participation, data reporting, and community engagement efforts citywide.
Since adopting the platform in 2023, the City has launched more than 30 public surveys suppo rting a wide range of initiatives, including major citywide efforts such as the Citywide Strategic Plan and other long-range planning and master plan initiatives. Through these engagement efforts, the platform has supported participation from approximately 6,881 contributors and collected more than 11,691 data points of public input.
PublicInput will also support the City’s ongoing efforts to improve digital accessibility and equitable community participation. The platform will provide features that support accessibility requirements, including multilingual engagement tools, captioning capabilities, ADA -supportive meeting participation features, and enhanced opportunities for two-way communication with community members.
The amended agreement includes expanded functionality and integration that support operational efficiency and accessibility goals, including Single Sign -On (“SSO”), enhanced meeting management tools, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) -supported transcription and translation services, live polling , speaker queue management, reporting dashboards, and integration capabilities with external systems and platforms.
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These tools support the City’s continued efforts to modernize public engagement practices, improve consistency across departments, expand participation opportunities, and reduce barriers to engagement for residents.
Staff recommends extending the agreement through June 30, 2029, (Attachment 2) to ensure continuity and stability for the City’s centralized engagement infrastructure , preventing disruptions to ongoing public engagement initiatives and departmental workflows. In addition, staff is requesting authority to exercise up to four additional one -year extensions through June 30, 2033, which would provide flexibility for future operational needs while maintaining Council oversight through the annual budget process.
Through negotiations associated with the extended agreement term, staff secure d a reduced annual escalation cap of five percent (5%). Under the original short -term agreement structure, annual increases were approximately ten percent (10%).
The revised pricing structure is anticipated to result in an estimated cost savings of approxim ately $11,000 through 2029, with an estimated additional savings of approximately $13,000 if all optional extension years are exercised through 2033. This negotiated pricing structure provides greater long-term cost predictability and fiscal stability for the City while maintaining continuity of service and expanded platform functionality.
Continued use of the platform reduces the need for multiple standalone engagement tools and supports a standardized, centralized approach to public engagement across City operations that incorporates the community’s voice.
DECISION-MAKER CONFLICT
Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is not site-specific and consequently, the real property holdings of the City Council member s do not create a disqualifying real property-related financial conflict of interest under the Political Reform Act (Cal. Gov't Code § 87100, et seq.).
Staff is not independently aware, and has not been informed by any City Councilmember, of any other fac t that may constitute a basis for a decision-maker conflict of interest in this matter.
CURRENT-YEAR FISCAL IMPACT
There is no current-year fiscal impact as this amendment will be effective next fiscal year.
ONGOING FISCAL IMPACT
Compensation under the amended agreement for the guaranteed term through June 30, 2029, totals approximately $227,913. If all optional extensions are exercised, total compensation through June 30, 2033, would total approximately $588,634.
Contract Year Amount
FY 2026-27 $72,296
FY 2027-28 $75,911
FY 2028-29 $79,706
Extension 1 FY 2029-30 $83,691
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Contract Year Amount
Extension 2 FY 2030-31 $87,876
Extension 3 FY 2031-32 $92,270
Extension 4 FY 2032-33 $96,884
Total $588,364
The funding for this agreement for fiscal year 2026-27 is included in the adopted budget that was approved by the City Council on May 19, 2026. Funding for future years will be identified and appropriated through the City’s annual budget development process.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Existing Service Agreement with PublicInput through June 30, 2026
2. Amendment to the Service Agreement with PublicInput
Staff Contact: Karla Mendez, Community Engagement Specialist John Cihomsky, Chief Communications Officer