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Commission authorizes staff to negotiate a citywide resident survey with scope and budget guardrails
Summary
After reviewing two vendor quotes (Cobalt and Mitchell), commissioners directed staff to negotiate a household mailed survey and to return with a finalized contract; commissioners suggested a target not-to-exceed range around $14,000'$15,000 while asking staff to seek cost savings by shortening the questionnaire.
The commission reviewed two quotes for a citywide citizen survey: a comprehensive mailed and online proposal from Cobalt ($24,001.25 full scope) and a smaller, less-detailed quote from Mitchell (about $4,950). Staff said Cobalt had been responsive and offered scope-reduction options that could lower cost (for example, moving from a six-page to a four-page questionnaire).
Commissioners expressed preference for mailed household delivery (one per household), suggested shortening the questionnaire to improve response rates, and asked staff to negotiate with the preferred vendor on scope and price. Commissioners discussed a negotiating range and mentioned figures between roughly $13,818 and $15,000 as practical upper bounds for a negotiated contract; staff said there is room in miscellaneous professional-services budget to cover the work.
A motion carried authorizing staff to negotiate the survey contract within the discussed budget guardrails, with the understanding that staff would return with a finalized agreement and schedule. Staff noted that Cobalt recommended sending survey mailings after school resumes (fall schedule) to improve response rates.
