Published February 5th, 2020
Orinda polls residents on renewing/increasing sales tax; attitude toward private roads
By Sora O'Doherty
Selected Orinda residents will be polled early this month on a potential ballot measure to renew the current half-cent sales tax and perhaps raise it to one cent. A subcommittee of the city council consisting of Mayor Darlene Gee and Vice Mayor Amy Worth approved the poll questions after a subcommittee meeting where they heard opinions from the public. The questions were accepted with minor modifications in response to comments.
The poll will reach registered voters in Orinda through email and phone calls only. In order to get a statistically significant response, the poll needs to receive 400 responses from randomly selected respondents to minimize the standard deviation of less than 5%. FM3 Research, the same company who has done the polls for Orinda in the past, will be conducting the poll.
The city is looking for public opinion on a variety of potential uses for tax revenue, including, for example, provision of city services, creek related improvements, parks and safety. Respondents will also be asked for a general appraisal of life in Orinda and how the city is doing in providing services in general. The last quarter of the poll will ask questions regarding private roads and private storm drains, trying to find out where the public stands on the city repairing and accepting private roads and drains.
City Manager Steve Salomon and Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Larry Theis attended the meeting, in addition to Dave Metz of FM3, Bob Burt, and four residents who have been advocates for the private roads, Cathy Finch, Charles Porges, Steve Cohn and Melissa Roeder.

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