Menlo Park survey deadline this Monday Menlo Park survey deadline this Monday (September 28, 2005)

** City asks residents to suggest budget priorities.

By Rory Brown

Almanac Staff Writer

Menlo Park residents and business owners have until Monday, October 3, to complete and return a survey mailed by the city to all residents seeking their views on how to create a long-term city service and funding plan.

The survey asks residents to take their best shot at adjusting programs and taxes to eliminate or reduce the city's projected $2.9 million budget shortfall for the 2006-07 fiscal year.

Survey findings will be made public October 27, according to Assistant City Manager Audrey Seymour.

A volunteer Budget Advisory Committee helped craft the survey, and its members have spent the past month urging residents to respond. The committee consists of 15 Menlo Park residents appointed by the City Council; council members Andrew Cohen and Lee Duboc are also members.

Committee members will also help facilitate community budget workshops, scheduled for February.

"We hope to get 200 people over three workshops," Ms. Seymour said. "We're going to break everyone into groups of about 10, and each group will analyze staff's proposals -- like a city council."

But at the budget committee's September 22 meeting, several members questioned how the city plans to conduct the workshops and handle the survey results.

Although the city staff will make suggestions to the council based on survey findings, committee member Chuck Bernstein voiced concern that the council will determine what budget-cutting options are presented at the community workshops.

"If the council already has an expressed view, why deal with the community?" said Mr. Bernstein.

Another committee member, Honor Huntington, said she had not expected the workshops to "be so structured."

In an interview after the meeting, Councilwoman Duboc agreed the concerns were valid. "There is the question, ... why would you pursue something if the council says no, but if the public is for something, why would the council be against it?" Ms. Duboc said. "I'm in favor of keeping every option on the table."

Committee members also voiced concern about how the survey results will be presented.

Community Focus, the San Francisco-based consultant group that conducted the survey, will report survey findings to city staff October 17.

Mr. Bernstein stressed the importance of looking at the statistical data the survey provides rather than interpretation offered by the consultant.

Committee members want access to the survey results before they are announced, and are already anticipating questions and comments the public will have about the results.

"The Budget Advisory Committee is here to help the council do its job," said committee member John Boyle. "We want to see what may surprise people, and look into that. We need to make it clear [the survey results] are publicly available, and they aren't the final decision."

Members Shelly Kilday and Mike Gullard noted that all parties involved in the survey -- the council, Budget Advisory Committee and city staff -- need to be prepared to address business development, as sales-tax revenue has dropped significantly for the last several years.

"Anderson Chevrolet just closed down," said Mr. Gullard. "Does that mean we still have a $2.9 million deficit or is it more?"

By September 26, about 670 surveys had been returned to City Hall. An additional 400 are expected from a controlled survey, and several dozen surveys were submitted via the city Web site, Ms. Seymour said.

The controlled survey involves 400 Menlo Park residents who were randomly contacted by telephone. They were asked to fill out a marked copy of the survey that will be analyzed separately to ensure the results of the main survey accurately represent the views of residents.

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