Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Bond Poll topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City launches polling and outreach for possible 2025 capital bond covering rec center, civic center and service center
Summary
City staff and Magellan Strategies presented a draft poll and outreach plan April 1 to measure voter support for potential revenue options to fund three capital projects: a recreation center renovation, a new civic center, and a service center renovation and expansion.
City staff and pollster Magellan Strategies presented a draft community engagement and survey plan April 1 for a potential 2025 capital bond that would fund three projects: renovation of the recreation center, construction of a new civic center, and renovation and expansion of the city service center. The city plans concurrent public meetings and a statistically significant survey to measure likely voter support for proposed revenue options.
Alex Nelson, assistant to the city manager, said the outreach will run through early May and that staff will return to council at a May workshop to present findings. Ryan Winger of Magellan Strategies described the polling methodology: a text-message invitation to a sample drawn from roughly 12,000 likely voters, at least two reminders, bilingual survey versions (English and Spanish), and weighting to reflect likely-election turnout and demographic composition. The draft survey will present draft ballot language and project needs, and then ask respondents whether they would support proposed revenue options, which include a sales-and-use tax increase or a property-tax (mill levy) increase.
Winger said the firm expects the survey to take about 10–12 minutes and that the poll will test responses before and after showing ballot language and project descriptions. Councilors asked about accessibility (paper surveys and turnaround), Spanish-language availability (confirmed to be provided), adding a question about whether other ballot items would change responses, and whether to include a "prefer not to say" option on demographic questions. Magellan recommended omitting "prefer not to say" on key demographic items used in weighting, but agreed to add that option if council requested it; council asked to include a general question near the end asking whether other ballot issues that increase taxes would change a respondent’s answer.
Staff described a parallel in-person engagement plan that will include community meetings, informational boards at city facilities, a project website and pop-up events. Nelson said polling would begin this month, Magellan would revise the draft survey based on council input, and results would be brought back to the council in May alongside community engagement findings.
No formal council action was required or taken on the poll at the April 1 meeting.
