Fremont City Council Meeting: 07/15/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: City Manager's Office
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5509) DOC ID: 5509
Updated: 7/11/2025 11:25 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
GENERAL-PURPOSE REVENUE MEASURE VIABILITY SURVEY - Authorize the City Manager to Commission a Baseline Survey Regarding Viability of a General- Purpose Revenue Measure
Contact Persons:
Name: Karena Shackelford
Title: City Manager
Div/Dept: City Manager's Office
Phone: 510-284-4063
E-Mail: [email protected]
Executive Summary: To support the City’s long-term fiscal sustainability, staff recommends conducting a public opinion poll to assess the community’s budget priorities and evaluate support for a potential general purpose revenue ballot measure. The poll will provide statistically valid data to inform the City Council’s decision-making and guide potential outreach and fiscal planning efforts.
BACKGROUND: At City Council’s direction, a Work Session was conducted on July 10, 2025, to review best-practices used by other California cities to successfully enhance their local funding and revenue. Alameda County-based and long-time city consultants Catherine Lew, Co-Founder of the Lew Edwards Group, and Curtis Below, Partner of FM3 Research, provided the City Council with an overview of the topic and responded to Council questions regarding successful revenue measures, sustainability planning, and approaches and steps that may be effective for the City of Fremont. Members of the Council expressed a general interest in exploring the viability of a general -purpose revenue ballot measure.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: Polling is a widely used best practice to assess voter sentiment and ensure that any proposed ballot measure is viable, worthwhile, and reflects community priorities. Results can also help determine the type and structure of a revenue measure, preferred ballot timing, and key messaging for outreach efforts.
Following the discussion at the recent City Council Work Session regarding this topic, staff proposes to contract with a professional polling firm with experience conducting local government revenue measure polling. The survey will:
• Assess voter awareness of City services and financial condition • Test support for potential general purpose tax options (e.g., sales tax, utility user tax, transient occupancy tax)
• Identify top community budget priorities and concerns • Evaluate messaging effectiveness and ballot measure viability
Survey methodology will include interviews with a statistically valid sample of likely voters in the City of Fremont. The process will be conducted by a qualified vendor in a neutral and transparent manner to gather reliable data for Council consideration.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5509) Meeting of July 15, 2025 Updated: 7/11/2025 11:25 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
FISCAL IMPACT: The estimated cost for this action is estimated to be approximately $55,000 and sufficient funding is available in the FY 2025/26 Operating Budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: N/A
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to retain and contract with a qualified public opinion research firm to conduct a general-purpose revenue measure baseline survey.