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I <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: February 5, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Contract for Public Survey for Local Revenue Options Referendum <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Proposed Contract <br />Telephone Survey <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Greg Wilder or Rod Visser, 919-245- <br />2300 <br />PURPOSE: To approve a contract with Hertzog Research, LLC, to conduct a telephone survey <br />of likely Orange County voters regarding their attitudes towards the possible implementation of <br />an additional one-quarter cent sales tax or a .4% land transfer tax on real property transactions. <br />BACKGROUND: As part of a comprehensive and complicated "swap" of county and state <br />revenue sources approved by the North Carolina General Assembly during its 2007 Session, <br />the legislature authorized county Boards of Commissioners to enact one of two new local <br />revenue sources, subject to voter approval in each county considering implementation of the <br />new revenue source. Commissioners may conduct a referendum on a land transfer tax (of up to <br />four-tenths percent, in one-tenth increments), a one-quarter cent additional sales tax, or both. <br />Commissioners can only implement one of the two taxes if voters approve both. In Fall 2007, <br />the Orange County Commissioners indicated their intention to place one or both revenue <br />options on the May 2008 ballot for voter approval. <br />During their January 16, 2008 work session, the Board of Commissioners discussed the <br />potential utility of arranging for a survey regarding the level of voter support at this time for each <br />of the available revenue options. Polling data could assist the Board in determining which <br />revenue option, or both, to include on the May ballot. The current timeline for the Board to make <br />a decision on what to include as the subject of a May 6, 2008 referendum is at the February 19, <br />2008 regular meeting. <br />In coordination with the Chair, Vice Chair, and Manager, staff have solicited a proposal to <br />conduct a 5-minute telephone survey of approximately 400 likely Orange County voters from <br />Hertzog Research, LLC, based in Carrboro. The firm's principal, Dr. Mark Hertzog, did similar <br />research and a presentation of the results on behalf of Durham County in August 2007. Dr. <br />Hertzog's work comes highly recommended by Durham County staff. The quoted cost of the <br />research and presentation is $9,985. <br />Because of the extremely tight timeframe involved in obtaining timely and meaningful polling <br />data for the February 19 BOCC meeting, the final version of the survey (copy attached) had to <br />be established, following review and comment by the Manager, Chair, and Vice-Chair, on