01 - Laserfiche WebLink

MOTION: It was m\s by Pentin/Cook-Kallio to waive first reading and introduce Ordinance No. 2061 amending various Chapters of Title 18 of the Pleasanton Municipal Code to comply with California Government Code Sections 65583 and 65589.5 and with the 2012 Pleasanton General Plan Housing Element pertaining to emergency homeless shelters and supportive and transitional housing Motion carried by the following vote: Ayes: Councilmembers Brown, Cook-Kallio, Pentin, Mayor Thorne Noes: None Absent: One Vacancy 16. Accept Report on Business Retention Survey Director of Economic Development Ott presented the staff report, stating that the survey was included in the work plans of both the City Council and Economic Vitality Committee (EVC). The intent of the survey was to measure the extent to which businesses are satisfied with their presence in Pleasanton and to assess their expectations for the future. The survey was conducted in 3 phases, including a focus group of small and medium sized companies that helped to develop the survey instrument, a telephone interview component that was designed to be statistically valid, and an online questionnaire that is not statistically valid but did provide responses that warrant merit and further consideration. The survey team completed 376 telephone interviews and received 176 online submissions. Ms. Ott provided a highlight of the data findings, stating that 9 out of 10 respondents report being happy with their location in Pleasanton. 50% consider this an "excellent" place to do business, 40% consider it "good." Their satisfaction related primarily to the City's central location, which provides access to the regional market, and the friendly and supportive community. When asked to assess Pleasanton's location relative to attracting qualified employees, retaining employees, attracting and accessing customers, accessing vendors and finding appropriate business space all rating were above "good." Additional key findings include a "good" rating of the City's infrastructure and services, with the exception of telecommunications primarily related to cellular service and then public transportation options. Respondents also felt the City offered "good" amenities including public schools and community events but felt there were a lack of entertainment options. All general services that they survey team tested for were perceived as important but received varied ratings — "good to excellent" for public safety services, community beautification and property appearance standards but "fair to good" ratings for permit processing and business recruitment. Upon further questioning, about half of respondents said the permit process was "somewhat easy to very easy" and half said "somewhat difficult to very difficult." Interactions with staff throughout the permit process ranked "very high" to "high." Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said she has received a number of phone calls relating to the web page and how cumbersome it is to access certain features. She noted that something as basic links which are typically blue can be confusing because they are gold on the City's site. She asked if the team received any comments about making the site more user-friendly. Ms. Ott said she has heard similar comments and there are plans to revamp the site in the future. In terms of the issues related to businesses and economic development, one of the projects being discussed at the EVC is the creation of a business portal to aggregate that information into one centralized location. Councilmember Pentin noted it is a somewhat mixed assessment with regards to the permit process and asked how this compares throughout the state. Ms. Ott said they did not prepare a comparison. City Council Minutes Page 8 of 11 February 19, 2013