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Home My WebLink AboutRESPONSE - RFP - P964 PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY 21439Proposal to the City of Fort Collins Proposal No. P-964 Public Opinion Survey November 15, 2004 George K. Baum & Company Investment Bankers Since 1928 Ann Marie Nock, Senior Vice President Doug Houston, Senior Vice President 660 7 Street, Suite 460 717 Seventeenth Street, Suite 2500 Sacramento, CA 95814 Denver, CO 80202 916.443.5525 303.292.1600 nock@gkbaum.com houston@gkbaum.com PROPOSALFORM 4 Please enter the number (#) of respondents that this poll will survey: 400 i Please indicate the methodology that this survey will follow including the methodology for obtaining likely voter lists: • Survey Methodology: Phone Survey/Stratified Random Sampling • Methodology for obtaining voter lists: C; ty lCou ,ty ri Arks (database to be refined by Reiter & Associates) J Please indicate the length of time that this survey will take to conduct: ! Please indicate the timeframe during which this survey will be conducted: Monday -Thursday 5:30-8:30PM or Saturday(s). No Calls• Fr;_ nr Sun. SIGNA 4 Please enter the price of conducting this survey: Not to Exceed „ PRICE $ 15,000 TYPED OR PRINTED NAME AND TITLE George K 1 Baum $ Company 303.292.1600 COMPANY NAME AREA CODE TELEPHONE NUMBER 717 Seventeenth St., Suite 2500 Denver, CO 80202 11/15/04 ADDRESS: STREET CITY STATE ZIP DATE 2 George K. Baum & Company i Investment Bankers Since 1928 November 15, 2004 Ms. Ann Tumquist Council Policy Manager City of Fort Collins 215 North Mason Street, 2nd Floor Fort Collins, CO 80524 Re: Proposal Number P-964, RFP for Public Opinion Survey Dear Ann: George K. Baum & Company is pleased to present our qualifications to conduct a community opinion survey on behalf of the City of Fort Collins. We are proposing a phone survey of 400 individuals, using a stratified random sampling. Our team will work with the City and County clerks to develop a voter list. Rick Reiter, the firm's political affairs consultant, will oversee the database development and will assist in refining the final list to be used for the stratified random sampling. The survey will be conducted over a three-day period (but not executed on a Friday or Sunday). We envision survey development and implementation to be completed within a 30-day period. Depending upon the City's ability to assist in developing the questionnaire, this schedule could be accellerated. The cost of the survey will not exceed $15,000, and will include Ann Nock traveling to Fort Collins to present the findings of the survey in person. Ann, we look forward to your decision. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to perform similar services in the past and are excited about the possibility of conducting this new survey. Very sincerely yours, GEORGE K. BAUM & COMPANY Ann Marie Nock Senior Vice President Dou as Houston Se Vice President George K. Baum & Company 717 Seventeenth Street, Suite 2500 Denver, Colorado 80202 800.722.1670 Table of Contents Section Page FirmOverview..................................................................................................................1 Applicable Qualifications & Approach..........................................................................2 Staffing................................................................................................................................4 References..........................................................................................................................6 ProposalForm...................................................................................................................7 aGEORGE K. BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 PROPOSAL TO THE Cityof Fort Collins Firm Overview Celebrating More Than 75 Years of Service Founded in 1928, George K. Baum & Company is one of the nations oldest privately held investment banking firms. The firm been at the forefront of financing our nations infrastructure for more than seven decades. Colorado Presence George K. Baum & Company has maintained its municipal finance headquarters in Denver since 1990. The firm has the largest and most active public finance, municipal bond sales and trading, and municipal research operations in Colorado, with more than 80 employees located in Denver. A Diverse Services Offering George K. Baum & Company offers a wide range of services to its municipal clients, including survey research. Following the passage of TABOR approximately 12 years ago, Baum aggressively moved forward in developing a top-notch election team. The firm was able to recruit a very experienced survey specialist, Ann Nock, and also teamed up with a seasoned public affairs firm, Reiter & Associates. The firm also expanded its corporate communications department Strong Regional & National Presence George K. Baum & Company maintains public finance offices in 20 U.S. cities. We maintain trading desks in Denver and Kansas City as well as institutional sales offices in Boston, Denver, Kansas City and Philadelphia. Baum maintains its municipal finance headquarters in Denver. oS. Arod° a GEORGE K BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 Poge I PROPOSAL TO THE City of Fort Collins Qualifications, Scope & Approach Extensive Survey Research Experience George K. Baum & Company has developed and implemented numerous surveys on behalf of municipalities, special districts and school districts in Colorado, other Intermountain West states and California. In fact, our firm has previously assisted the City of Fort Collins in connection with several community opinion surveys. Both Ann Nock and Rick Reiter have been involved with hundreds of community opinion surveys during their careers, most of which have focused on defining voter attitudes and opinions in connection with ballot measures. We envision the survey addressing the following types of information: • Community support for proposed capital improvement projects (funded by a sales tax renewal package). • The demographic groups and subsets that express the greatest degree of support for proposed capital improvement projects. • The demographic groups and subsets that express the greatest degree of opposition for proposed capital improvement projects. • Issues and concerns voters possess regarding the proposed capital improvement projects, timing and scope of the tax package. • Minimum and maximum tax thresholds voters will tolerate. • Correlation of community response to political ideology and party registration. • Registered community response groups and subsets which express the greatest degree of support for the proposed capital improvement projects, timing and scope of the tax package. • Registered community response groups and subsets which express the greatest degree of opposition for the proposed capital improvement projects, timing and scope of the tax package. • The appropriate time to present the issue to the voters. There may obviously be other issues that the City wishes to address in connection with the community opinion survey. Our team will work with the City in developing questions that effectively address all of the City's voter information needs. Similar to the previous survey conducted on behalf of the City, we will use a four -phase survey process: Assessment. The initial stage involves the assessment of the City's voter information needs and the details of the proposed capital projects. Survey Specifications. To provide statistical accuracy at the 95% confidence level, a random sample of 400 individuals will be surveyed. It is likely that the quality of the database is good and that a stratified random sampling can be performed. However, if the quality of the database is poor, a cluster sample approach would be performed. The telephone interviews will be conducted over a three-day period. However, interviews will not be conducted on a Friday or Sunday. Before beginning the survey pre -testing, we will provide the City with a copy of the survey script for review. Time will be allocated for review and any necessary script revisions. All telephone interview schedules are pretested on a small sample by experienced interviewers to identify unclear wording and unproductive questions. Time is allocated for preview of the pretest results with the client and revisions before beginning data collection for the survey. • GEORGE K. BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 Page 2 PROPOSAL TO THE City of Fort Collins Survey Technique & Data Collection. Sample selection is a critical factor to ensure accurate survey results. We will use stratified random sampling. Trained and experienced interviewers conduct the survey from a single site with a supervisor monitoring the work at all times. Interviewers receive specific training with special instructions for difficult questions and probing. Lack of response is a concern in telephone surveys. The low response rates found in a recent study, The No Response Problem in Consumer Telephone Surveys (performed by 182 commercial marketing research firms), were the result of minimal callback efforts and refusal to participate by respondents. These problems will be addressed by calling a number three times at different hours and on different days before listing the sample elements as nonresponsive, and employing interviewers who have been trained in specific techniques for getting and maintaining participation in the call. Statistical Analysis. Following the conclusion of the survey, the City will be provided scientific statistical analysis (including a graphic analysis through cross - tabulation) and an explanatory narrative. The analysts will provide the City a benchmark measure of attitudes toward the proposed capital improvements and tax package (as well as other data required). The data will be summarized using statistical analysis software (SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences) which will create qualitative classifications and responses for the various demographic variables surveyed. We will work closely with the City to determine the focus and approach of the city-wide survey and to oversee the survey proceedings. The City will receive bound copies and a master of the survey results. Ann Nock will present the findings of the survey to the City. a GEORGE K. BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 Page 3 PROPOSAL TO THE City Of Fort Collins Staffing The professionals assigned to this engagement include Ann Nock, Senior Vice President and manager of the firm's Strategic Planning Department, Doug Houston, a senior banker in the firm's Colorado Public Finance Department, and Rick Reiter, a principal with the Denver -based public affairs firm of Reiter & Associates. Ann Nock will serve as the lead advisor and primary contact in connection with the City's public opinion survey. She will oversee all services provided by George K. Baum & Company to the City. Doug Houston will provide assistance, as needed, and serve as a local contact to the City. Rick Reiter will assist in developing the database to be used for the random sampling. Ann Nock will perform approximately 80 percent of the work in connection with the community opinion survey, with the other 20 percent performed by Doug Houston and Rick Reiter. Ann Nock, Senior Vice President, manages George K. Baum & Company's Strategic Planning Department. Ms. Nock is responsible for the overall management, coordination and execution of the firms community opinion surveys and consults with clients on the viability of bond funding. Ms. Nock brings a wealth of hands-on experience with all types of campaigns, with special expertise in developing and implementing successful voter -approved funding strategies. She served as the lead advisor from Baum on a previous community opinion survey conducted on behalf of the City of Fort Collins. Ms. Nock provides many services to the firm's clients, including development and implementation of community opinion surveys, staff development, training program development, message development, development and execution of community education plans, staff training and press management. Ms. Nock is involved in a number of educational and local organizations. She holds an Honors Master's Degree in Politics and Economics from Oxford University, Oxford, England, and a Bachelor's Degree from California State University at Chico. Douglas Houston is a senior vice president with George K. Baum & Company with more than 30 years of municipal and governmental finance experience gained both as an investment banker and municipal official. Mr. Houston s specific areas of expertise include financial advisory services, certificates of participation/lease revenue financings, municipal utilities, airports, redevelopment, mass transit projects and credit evaluations, escrow restructurings and refundings. His clients have included the cities of Fort Collins and Colorado Springs; the Colorado Springs Utilities; El Paso County, Pikes Peak Library District; Thompson and Estes Park school districts; the cities of Billings and Great Falls, Montana; the City of Bakersfield, California; the City of Las Vegas, Nevada; and the Regional Transportation District (Denver). Mr. Houston previously held a variety of positions in local government, including serving on the Regional Planning Commission of Champaign County, Illinois; director of community development for the City of Rock Island, Illinois, and executive director of the City of Boulder's Urban Renewal Authority. Mr. Houston is a graduate of the University of Illinois (Department of Urban and Regional Planning). a GEORGE K. BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 Page 4 PROPOSAL TO THE City Of Fort Collins Rick Reiter, founder and principal of Reiter & Associates, serves George K. Baum & Company as a political affairs consultant. Reiter & Associates specializes in managing public issues commonly resolved through governing bodies and electorates as applied to state, municipal or district levels of government. Mr. Reiter is well versed in a variety of political applications throughout Colorado, ranging from managing statewide ballot issues to organizing local government issues pertaining to education funding measures, land -use planning, economic development, residential development and transportation. In addition to political campaigns, media training seminars, and corporate grassroots lobbying efforts, Mr. Reiter has been credited with leadership roles in many of Colorado's landmark policy initiatives, including building public support for Denver International Airport, Coors Field, the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, the Downtown relocation of Elitch Gardens, the defeat of Amendment 12, and multiple school district financing measures. a GEORGE K BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 Poge 5 PROPOSAL TO THE City of Fort Collins References Mr. Dave Zobell Finance Director City of West Jordan 8000 South Redwood Road West Jordan, UT 84088 801.569.5100 801.565.8978 davidz@wjordan.com Dr. Julie Hadden Superintendent Alhambra Unified School District 15 W. Alhambra Rd. Alhambra, California 91802 626.308.2255 626.281.4020 - Fax haddenjulie@alhambra.kl2.ca.us Ms. Ann Turnquist Mr. Alan Krcmarik City of Fort Collins 215 North Mason St. 2nd Floor P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6788 0 GEORGE K BAUM & COMPANY I Investment Bankers Since 1928 Poge 6