TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Emily S. Lam
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: July 20, 2026
Approved
Date:
7/29/26
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
SUBJECT: Amendment to the Agreement with True North Research, Inc. for Community Survey Services
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager or her designee to negotiate and execute the Third Amendment to the Master Consulting Agreement with True North Research, Inc. to increase the compensation by $300,000 for a new maximum compensation not to exceed $1,250,000, and with no other changes to the agreement, subject to the appropriation of funds.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
This authorization enables the work approved by the City Council for community surveys to move forward. This work includes the Annual Community Opinion Survey and the quarterly Focus Area Community Surveys. Other surveys may be administered under this master agreement. These surveys report outcome and performance data in the City Auditor’s Annual Report on City Services, the City Manager’s Operating Budget documents, and the City Council Focus Area Status Reports and public dashboards.
City Council authorization to negotiate and execute this Third Amendment to the Master Consulting Agreement with True North Research, Inc. would allow staff to move forward and issue additional service orders to continue surveying services.
BACKGROUND
In June 2021, the City conducted a competitive request for proposal to procure services seeking professional survey research consultants to help design, administer, and report on survey projects. The purpose of these services is to better understand the COUNCIL AGENDA: 8/11/26
FILE: 26-820
ITEM: 2.14
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Amendment to the Agreement with True North Research, Inc. for Annual Community Survey Services
community’s satisfaction, behaviors, and attitudes towards a broad range of City services and to gauge the level of community support and interest in potential ballot measures.
On September 8, 2021, the City entered into a Master Consulting Agreement with True North Research, Inc. in the amount of $320,000. The Agreement authorized the City Manager’s Office to request surveys on an as-needed basis. On May 21, 2024, the City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a First Amendment to the Master Consulting Agreement with True North Research, Inc. to increase the budget authority for services by $330,000 for a new maximum compensation not to exceed $650,000, with no other changes to the agreement, subject to the appropriation of funds. On June 3, 2025, the City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Second Amendment to the Master Consulting Agreement with True North Research, Inc. to increase the budget authority for services by $300,000 for a new maximum compensation not to exceed $950,000, with no other changes to the agreement, subject to the appropriation of funds.
ANALYSIS
Staff requests City Council authorize the City Manager or her designee to negotiate and execute a Third Amendment to the agreement to increase the compensation in the amount of $300,000 for a maximum compensation not to exceed $1,250,000, under the same material terms and conditions as the original agreement and subject to the appropriation of funds. Individual service orders will be executed before each survey is conducted.
Past service orders under this Master Consulting Agreement included: 1) implementation of the quarterly Focus Area Community Survey to understand resident perception towards the City Council Focus Areas; 2) implementation of the annual Community Opinion Survey, the results of which are included in the City Auditor’s Annual Report on City Services and the City Manager’s Operating Budget document; 3) implementation of potential ballot measure polling to evaluate community opinion on stormwater funding topics; and 4) community energy needs assessment to inform future customer programs.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
No additional follow-up action with the City Council is expected at this time.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Amendment to the Agreement with True North Research, Inc. for Annual Community Survey Services
BUDGET REFERENCE
The table below identifies the fund and appropriation to fund the next service orders under the master agreement recommended as part of this memorandum.
Fund
#
Appn.
#
Appropriation
Name
Total
Appropriation
Amount for
Contract
2026-2027
Proposed
Operating
Budget Page*
Last Budget
Action (Date,
Ord. No.)
001 3079 Customer
Satisfaction
Survey
$179,000 $300,000 831 06/16/2026
31336
*The 2026-2027 Proposed Operating Budget was approved on June 9, 2026 and adopted on June 16, 2026 by the City Council.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City Council Agenda website for the August 11, 2026 City Council meeting.
BOARD, COMMISSION, COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
No board, commission, or committee recommendation or input is associated with this action.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-003, Agreements/Contracts (New or Amended) resulting in no physical changes to the environment.
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy as defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Amendment to the Agreement with True North Research, Inc. for Annual Community Survey Services
Emily S. Lam
Director, City Manager’s Office of
Administration, Policy, and
Intergovernmental Relations
For questions, please contact Erik Jensen, Deputy Director, City Manager’s Office of Administration, Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations at [email protected].