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BACKGROUND The City of Pleasanton provides a multitude of services to the public, examples of which include police and fire response and protection; library services; and recreational opportunities. The level of service is also highly dependent on the state of the public facilities that are needed to deliver these services. In 1995 and again in 2001 the City hired a consultant to survey the community on the satisfaction with these services and facilities, to determine what facilities and services were lacking in the community and what facilities and services were of a high priority to the Community in the future. This information was helpful to the City Council and Staff in formulating the annual operating budget, the capital improvement program, and other long range planning efforts. The 2006/07FY Budget included the funds to undertake a similar survey in 2007. On February 20, 2007, the City hired Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates (FMMA) to conduct the community satisfaction survey on behalf of the City. DISCUSSION The City's Bernal Financing Committee consisting of Council members Thorne and McGovern, the City Manager, the City Attorney, the Director of Finance, and the Economic Development Fiscal Officer worked with staff from FMMA to develop the questions for the survey. The questions were drafted to determine public opinion regarding city services and to develop a "baseline" to determine how these services compared with the results from the 1995 and 2001 community satisfaction surveys. The community satisfaction survey (Survey) was conducted between March 15 and March 19, 2007, with a total of 400 Pleasanton voters being interviewed. Length of residency for respondents ranged from less than five years (17%) to more than ten years (64%). A total of 53% of the respondents were female, while 47% were male. Approximately 84% of the respondents owned their own home and 70% had annual incomes in excess of $100,000. Finally, the survey cooperation rate was viewed as being excellent for this type of survey according to FMMA. As a result of this and other demographic information included in the survey, the consultant concluded that the survey fairly represents the opinions of the community. The survey asks a number of questions regarding City services and resident's perceptions about the City. The following are the overall job ratings by department from the highest to the lowest: ^ Park Maintenance - 91 % excellent/good job; 1 % don't know. ^ Fire Department - 90% excellent/good job rating; 5% don't know. ^ Police Department - 90% excellent/good job rating; 2% don't know. ^ Library Services - 85% excellent/good job rating; 7% don't know. ^ Sidewalk maintenance - 78% excellent/good job rating; 2% don't know. Page 2 of 4