Citizen Satisfaction Survey Results Released
Results of a Citizen Satisfaction Survey recently conducted by the City of Edmond indicate that most residents report a good quality of life and positive feelings about the city as a whole. The majority of respondents would recommend living in Edmond to friends or family.
"We are very pleased with the positive results of the recent two-year survey, as it clearly indicates the City of Edmond is maintaining a strong partnership with our community that we exist to serve through our internal mission of ‘trustworthy service and continuous improvement'," said City Manager Larry Stevens.
"The strong ratings also reflect the valuable efforts of our City employees, the women and men who actually provide and deliver City services."
The survey was conducted by the National Research Center (NRC) out of Boulder, Co. Three thousand randomly selected Edmond households were mailed the 2008 survey earlier this summer. Thirty-six percent, or 1035, responded to the questionnaire.
Stevens said one of the advantages of working with the NRC is that it allows the City to compare Edmond services with other cities of similar demographics across the country.
An overwhelming majority of respondents (93%) rated the overall quality of life in Edmond as "excellent" or "good." The highest rating went to respondents' sense of personal safety. The vast majority of residents also thought highly of the quality of Edmond's recreational facilities and areas, as well as Edmond electric's service, with 88% rating Edmond Electric with "excellent" or "good."
Services rated lower in Edmond were related to roads and travel (street maintenance, public transportation, and current roads and highways.) Forty-six percent of respondents rated current roads and highways as "excellent" or "good."
When compared to 2006 ratings, most services remained stable in 2008. According to the survey, services that saw in increase in quality ratings from 2006 to 2008 were: emergency response by the police, bulletins in Edmond utility bills, EdmondLife newsletter, animal welfare, Community Connections meetings, Edmond Cable Channel 20 and enforcement of zoning codes.
Services that received lower ratings in 2008 than 2006 included recreational programs, water treatment, tap water, storm water drainage and public transportation. "The survey identifies areas that need special attention, and we will be working hard to improve our services in these areas," Stevens said.
The survey contained policy questions about funding a second library, adding bike trails, dedicated bike lanes and extending the trails system. A majority of residents was in favor of funding a second public library as part of the Metropolitan Library System. Seventy-five percent "strongly" or "somewhat" supported the initiative. More than half of those who responded to the survey were "strongly" supportive of additional bike trails, dedicated bike lanes and extending the trails system.
The survey's report of results indicated that the City of Edmond is doing well with a majority of residents continuing to give positive quality of life and city service ratings. Though opportunities remain for strengthening resident appreciation of local services and community quality, the majority of Edmond ratings were above the benchmarks set across the nation.
The 2008 Edmond Citizen Satisfaction Survey was conducted at the direction of the Mayor and City Council as a follow up to the 2006 and 2000 surveys. The intent of the survey is to gain insight into the trends in customer satisfaction in Edmond, to measure attitudes about the services in the city provides, and to identify whether the city if meeting its customers' expectations.
"We want to thank our citizens who participated in the survey, and we very much appreciate the feedback," Stevens said.
Thomas Miller, NRC President, will present the results of the survey to the City Council at the September 8 meeting. He will present more details of the survey at a workshop for City Council members and city staff on Tuesday, September 9. The Council meeting and workshop are open to the public.
