To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Kristin Zagurski, Assistant Town Manager
Title
Discussion/Direction Regarding 2019 Community Survey
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The Town’s 2019 Major Projects Work Program calls for a resident and business survey to be completed this year. To help accomplish that project, the Town has retained the firm Northwest Research Group.
Northwest has conducted initial research related to the project and has provided draft surveys for Council and staff’s discussion tonight. Staff asks that Council provide any feedback on the drafts and then authorize staff to work with Northwest to finalize the survey, which is planned to be scientifically administered online and by phone from mid-February to mid-March.
The survey will help the Town better understand how the community views its Town government. Data from this year’s survey will be compared to data from similar surveys conducted over the past decade, and any movements in opinion will be reported. Results from the survey are anticipated in April and will be used for ongoing strategic planning and budgeting purposes.
Discussion
Surveys are considered a reliable barometer of public sentiment within a community. They indicate residents’ sense of how they think things should be. They can also show where service delivery is perceived to be lacking, where issues of equity may be worth considering or where educational campaigns should be targeted.
Conducting community surveys is a common practice within Douglas County. The County has surveyed residents at least every other year since 2006, and our neighboring communities of Lone Tree and Parker also survey their communities every few years.
Like in all odd-numbered years since 2011, the Town this year plans to conduct an omnibus survey of residents and business owners, which will include evaluations of government services and quality of life, opinions surrounding key community issues and more.
The 2017 community survey indicated that Castle Rock residents enjoy a high quality of life. Respondents to the survey cited growth and traffic as the most important issues facing the Town at the time of that survey, which were the same top issues cited in 2015.
In order to evaluate how the community’s perceptions of the Town and key community issues may have changed since 2017, Northwest - which also conducted the Town’s 2017 and 2015 community surveys - will administer surveys again in 2019. In addition to community perceptions, proposed themes for Northwest’s research include satisfaction with levels of service, priorities for Town services and feedback on important issues. Northwest has developed the draft survey regarding these issues by working from previous versions and by soliciting input from department directors.
The contract with Northwest allows for a resident survey of up to 30 minutes long. The scientific study will be administered by phone and online, by invitation only and with password-protected access, from mid-February to mid-March. A supplemental survey will be offered in addition to the scientific study, in attempt to give the entire community the opportunity to participate.
The scientific sample will include at least 400 residents, yielding a maximum error of +4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. Results may be weighted to match Castle Rock’s population in terms of age, income and other key demographics.
The draft resident survey (Attachment A) includes questions in these areas:
• General questions about the quality of life and quality and value of services in Town and a question regarding whether the Town is headed in the right direction; these will be used to compare Castle Rock to communities across the country
• Questions regarding Castle Rock as a place to live, including asking about important issues in and aspects of the Town - including beliefs about the grocery tax issue - as well as regarding how well the Town keeps residents informed, and how likely residents are to recommend Castle Rock as a place to work, raise children, retire and do business
• Evaluations of specific aspects of Town services including Police, Fire/EMS, Roads/Public Works, Water and Parks and Recreation
• Thoughts regarding the Town’s strategic priorities, how growth in Castle Rock should be managed and regarding community character
• Demographics and other general information
The business survey, meanwhile, is expected to take about 10 minutes to complete. Each of the more than 1,800 Town-licensed businesses will be invited to participate. Based on past participation levels, about 150 businesses are expected to be surveyed, producing a maximum error of +7.6 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
The draft business survey (Attachment B) focuses on these areas:
• Issues affecting business in Town, including financial health of businesses and the environment that exists here for employees
• The quality and value of the services the Town provides to businesses in Town,
as well as how growth is managed in Town
• General sentiments regarding whether the Town is headed in the right direction and whether respondents would recommend doing business in Castle Rock
• Demographics and other general information
Northwest will analyze data from the survey, cross-tabulating factors such as age, gender, length of residence and other key dynamics. Initial findings will be presented to Council in April. Particular attention will be paid to highlighting major emergent themes and the comparability of current and past survey results. The results will be useful in strategic decision-making and budgeting.
Budget Impact
The Town’s contract with Northwest is for up to $49,400. The Town Manager’s Office 2019 budget includes $70,000 for this project. Follow-up services that might be desired may utilize the remaining budgeted funds in this area.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends administering the 2019 resident and business surveys as presented in Attachments A and B and as discussed to be finalized during the January 22 Town Council meeting.
Motion
“I move to authorize staff to work with Northwest Research Group to finalize the survey as discussed tonight and to administer it as outlined in this memo.”
Attachment
Attachment A: Draft Resident Survey from Northwest Research Group
Attachment B: Draft Business Survey from Northwest Research Group