SUBJECT:
Title
Ballot Issue Update
Department
DEPARTMENT: Communications & Community Engagement
Parks & Recreation
Presenter
PRESENTER(S): Gabi Rae, Director of Communications & Community Engagement
Luke Bolinger, Director of Parks & Recreation
Jason Neumeyer, Director of Survey Research with Polco
end
Time
TIME ESTIMATE: 45 minutes
end
For time estimate: please put 0 for Consent items.
Fiscal
FISCAL SUMMARY:
N/A
Policy
POLICY ISSUES:
Town Council has the authority to refer items to the ballot via ordinance. By August, the Council will need to determine what items, if any, they want to put on the November 2026 ballot to be considered by the voters.
Recommendation
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Discussion item only.
Body
SUMMARY/KEY POINTS
• Council previously directed staff to conduct a statistically valid survey of residents to determine interest in funding an expansion/renovation of the Erie Community Center.
• The survey consultants, Polco, will present the results of this survey.
• Staff will also provide an update and request Council feedback regarding a possible Lodging Tax for the 2026 Ballot.
BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The Erie Community Center Expansion & Renovations Funding survey included two ways for residents to participate: the Benchmark Survey and the Open Participation Survey. These two surveys had an identical set of questions; the difference is that the Benchmark Survey uses a scientific and controlled method for collecting data from a randomly chosen sample of the community while the Open Participation Survey can be taken online by any interested resident. The results will be presented through a scientific lens by the experts at Polco.
The Benchmark Survey was sent to 4,500 households and was open from March 3-31. This survey received a total of 846 responses. The Open Participation survey was open from March 20 - April 5 and received a total of 803 responses. The representative from Polco will present more details about the survey methods, high-level key findings, and answer questions from the Council.
priorities
.
attachments
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Presentation
2. Results Report