AGENDA ITEM NO. 8.13 CITY OF ELK GROVE CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT AGENDA TITLE: Receive and file information related to The National Citizen Survey and resident Focus Groups MEETING DATE: February 10, 2010 PREPARED BY: Kara Reddig, Assistant to the City Manager DEPARTMENT HEAD: Laura S. Gil, City Manager RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff recommends that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove receive and fiie information related to The National Citizen Survey and resident Focus Groups. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: During fall 2009, the City embarked on a citywide survey through the International City/County Management Assocíation (ICMA). Developed by ieMA and National Research Center, Inc., The National Citizen Survey (The NCS) is a low-cost resident survey service for local governments. The NCS allows jurisdictions to survey resident opinion for program planning, goal setting, budgeting, and performance measurement. Staff can use the results of The NCS to improve service delivery. Elected officials çanuse the results to set spending priorities. The City Manager can use:fhe results to measure progress and chart future steps. The City selected from a set of standard questions to assess resident opinion about basic services and'- community life. Additional customized questions allowed the City to tailor the survey to our unique needs. 1 Elk Grove City Council February 10,2010 Page 2 of 4 The City selected this survey tool because it is cost effective, allows for national benchmarking, and corresponds to the ieMA Center for Performance Measurement (CPM), with which the City participates. Thus, Elk Grove can submit citizen satisfaction data obtained through The NCS survey instrument to CPM along with their other performance measurement data. It is also important to note that The NCS is a survey that reflects resident opinions about the entire community and all services. Some questions asked in the survey are not under the direct influence of the City of Elk Grove, such as parks, some utilities, libraries, schools, etc. The City will forward the results to the various agencies mentioned in the survey so they can also learn from the results. The NOS mailed 1,200 surveys to random Elk Grove residences and received a 220/0 return rate1. The results oftne survey canoe Viewèd in Attachment 1 and includes the following subsections: Report Title TAB 1 Main Report TAB 2 Benchmark Report TAB 3 Report of Open-ended Question TAB 4 Report of Demographic Subgroup Comparisons TAB 5 Report of Geographic Subgroup Comparisons TAB 6 Focus Group Findings After staff's analysis of The NCS was complete, it was determined that a series of resident focus groups would be beneficial to delve deeper into some of the survey findings. In early January 2010, staff conducted four focus groups where participants were asked a series of questions over an approximately two-hour period relating to public trust, the direction Elk Grove is taking, customer service, jobs/economic growth, public safety/police and code enforcement. The focus groups included residents selected at random based on pre-establíshed criteria as well as community 1 The 22% response rate appears to be in line with community response-type surveys as reviewed by a Google Answers posting concerning Community Survey Response Rates (August 2002). According to The NCS, typically, response rates obtain on citizen surveys range from 20% to 40%. 2 Elk Grove City Council February 10,2010 Page 3 of 4 and neighborhood leaders. The results of the focus groups can be viewed in T AS 6 of Attachment 1. As a result of both The NCS and the Focus Group report, a series of next steps will be conducted, which include: . Survey results will be considered during the creationlimplementation of the FY201 0/11 budget . The FY2010/11 budget and department work plans will callout specific measures that staff will report on throughout the budget year . Survey results wil be used in the City's ICMA performance measures . Survey will be conducted on a semi-annual basis so the City is able to measures progress While the survey contains many valuable results, calls out areas of strength and improvement, it is important to highlight a few general areas and corresponding action, which include: . C((~ation of a tourism / marketing community campaign .. results showad that residents aren't familiar with what services are provided by the City of Elk Grove as well as what the Elk Grove community has to offer residents and visitors. Bolster Economic Development efforts to attract and retain jobs and businesses .. results showed that good paying job opportunities in town were lacking, and residents would like more opportunities to work close to home. Residents also felt the speed of jobs growth in Elk Grove was too slow. Conduct Customer Service Training - results showed that many residents didn't have contact with City employees on a regular basis so when they do have contact, it is important that employees are knowledgeable, responsive, and courteous. Increase Civic Engagement Opportunities.. results showed that many residents don't attend public meetings, watch public meetings on TV, volunteer in Elk Grove, or participate in a club or civic group. Civic Engagement is important to the City so residents have the opportunity to voice their opinion on important City issues 3 Elk Grove City Council February 10, 2010 Page 40f 4 . Continue effective Public Information Campaigns.. results showed that residents read the City's newsletter and visit our website so it is important to continue with these mediums as well as incorporate new social media outlets. Improve Public Trust .. results showed public trust is an important component that can be improved by further community outreach, education, and an open and responsive government. FISCAL IMPACT: This action has no fiscal impact to the City's General Fund. The City Manager's Budget for FY 2009-10 includes $40,000 for the development of a citizen survey to assess the effectiveness of City services and to explore the most effective methods to communicate with residents and businesses2. The actual cost of the survey and focus group activities totals $28,850. ATTACHMENTS: 1. The National Citizen Survey and Focus Group Findings Report 2 FY 2009-10 Annual Budget, page 26 and page 28. 4 ATTACHMENT 1 The National Citizen Survey and Focus Group Findings Results The compilation of The National Citizen Survey and Focus Group Findings Results is attached under separate, bound cover. " 5 ATTACHMENT 1 CITY OF ELK GROVE The National Citizen Survey and Focus Group Findings Results January 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS TAB 1 Main Report TAB 2 Benchmark Report TAB 3 Report ofOpen..endedQuestion TAB 4 Report of Demographic Subgroup Comparisons TABS Report of Geographic Subgroup Comparisons TAB 6 Focus Group Findings ~ - National Citizen SurveyTM C'ITY OF ELK GROVEi CA 2009 ICJ ~ATIONAL~EES~ATR;~ INC, I€MA 3005 30th Street 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 Boulder, CO 80301 Washington, DC 20002 www.n-r-c.com · 303-444-7863 www.icma.org · 202-289-ICMA City of Elk Grove I 2009 , J~ ~r E ÉJ N. i-'E ;:.,nr s ,~;¡ % I '~':' " "" " 1s.......:J. ~ Survey Background.............................................................................................................1 About The National Citizen SurveyTM ........................................................................................ 1 Understanding the Results ........................................................................................................3 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................5 Community Ratings ............................................................................................................7 Overall Community Quality .....................................................................................................7 Community Design ............................................................................................................... ... 9 Transportation ................................................................................................................. ... 9 Housing ...........................................................................................................................12 Land Use and Zoning .......................................................................................................14 Economic Sustainabil ity..........................................................................................................17 Public Safety ..........................................................................................................................21 Environmental Sustainability................................................................................................... 25 Recreation and Wellness ........................................................................................................28 Parks and Recreation...................... .......... ........................................................................ 28 Culture, Arts and Education ..............................................................................................30 Health and Wellness ........................................................................................................32 Community Inclusiveness.......................................................................................................34 Civic Engagement..............................................................................................................