City Residents' Input to Be Used to Set Goals

By Amber Lester Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Williamsburg residents rate the city as a good place to live, with a good quality of life, a nice appearance and a great reputation. The city could improve its snow removal, however.

Those were a few of the revelations from the city’s National Citizen Survey, reviewed for City Council members at a Monday work session. The survey was the second the city conducted through the National Citizen Survey organization, but before that, the city had surveyed citizens independently since 1995.

The survey was mailed to 1,200 residents and was completed by 483 citizens. The survey has a 5 percent margin of error. It has eight focus areas: community quality, community design, public safety, environmental sustainability, recreation and wellness, community inclusiveness, civic engagement and public trust.

The city is compared to 500 other participating localities, and this year, opted to be compared with other cities that are home to one or more colleges or universities. The survey results also compared to last year’s results. Of the 483 survey participants, 50 percent have lived here for five years or less; 37 percent were between 18 and 24; 34 percent were 55 or older; 54 percent rent their homes; 55 percent were female; 85 percent were registered to vote and 91 percent have cell phones.

Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they experienced a good quality of life in Williamsburg and 88 percent rated it as a good place to live. Another 84 percent said they would recommend living in Williamsburg. But only 69 percent of survey takers said they plan to remain in Williamsburg for the next five years; Assistant City Manager Jodi Miller said many of the respondents might be here to study at the College of William and Mary or work in the hospitality industry.

Williamsburg ranked higher than the benchmark for civic engagement; 94 percent of respondents said they had provided help to a friend or neighbor, and a majority had volunteered time to a group or activity in the city.

In general, residents ranked the city government’s overall direction as “good” or “excellent,” which was much higher than the benchmark. City employees were ranked as “excellent” or “good” by residents who had interacted with them in the past year.

The survey analyzed the “key drivers” influencing resident’s perceptions of city services. It found most residents evaluate the city based on police services, planning and zoning, and garbage collection. Police services were rated positively, with 84 percent of respondents saying the services were good or excellent. The latter two fell below the benchmark comparisons, and the survey report indicates the city should evaluate its land use, planning and zoning and garbage collection services.

Snow removal earned the city one of its lowest rankings, with only 44 percent of survey takers rating the service as good. Vice Mayor Paul Freiling said he was shocked to see the result, because he thought the city’s public works staff did an amazing job this winter, considering the unexpected amount of snow the city received this year. Miller said research has shown that the citizens based their opinions on their experience, rather than the service as a whole.

Garbage collection also received a lower ranking this year, with 79 percent of survey takers calling the service good or excellent, compared to 91 percent in the last survey. City Council members guessed that was because the city changed its trash collection from twice-a-week to once-a-week last summer in an effort to trim the budget.

City residents also thought the city could improve its offerings for affordable housing. Thirty percent of respondents said the city offered affordable quality housing, an increase of 10 percent of last year. Forty-two percent said the city offers a variety of housing options, much below the national benchmark. The city was also ranked below benchmarks for its services offered to low-income people, with 42 percent of respondents calling the services good or excellent.

The survey results will help frame the conversations that go into the planning for the city’s Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes. Every biennium, the city plots out its vision in the Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes (GIOs). At the same meeting, the city announced its timeline for the GIOs development:

•Aug. 21: City Council will meet to begin formulating the next goals, initiatives and outcomes.
•Sept. 9: City Council will host a GIOs work session with the Economic Development Authority.
•Sept. 15: City will host a public workshop to collect citizen input and launch an online “Open Forum.”
•Sept. 16: City Council will host a join work session with the Planning Commission.
•Oct. 11: Council will review a draft of the GIOs at a work session, open to public comment.
•Nov. 12: Council will adopt the new GIOs.
•Nov. 18: An event will be held to review the “State of the City.”