Health & Fitness
City Seeks Resident Input Through Survey
Since 1996, the City has conducted a survey of residents called the "Priorities" survey. By resident priorities, City officials can set an appropriate course for the future.
Since 1996, the City has conducted a citywide survey of residents called the "Priorities" survey. The services residents expect from their government, like police and fire protection, road maintenance and water, are important for a healthy community, but expensive to provide. Because there are many needs and a limited amount of money to meet those needs, the City asks residents to help set its priorities.
Earlier this year, St. Charles was selected as the "" by Family Circle magazine. While we appreciate the recognition from a prominent publication like Family Circle, we place greater value on the opinions of residents. It is for this reason that we regularly survey residents to obtain their opinions about the community.
The fact that we find ourselves living in a period of extremely challenging economic times makes this survey process even more important. By identifying issues that residents believe are priorities, can determine the expectations of its citizenry and set an appropriate course for the future.
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Through the survey, residents are asked several questions about quality of life, communication, transportation, development, and city services. The survey is divided into sections based on the six vision areas in the City of St. Charles Strategic Plan. Those are:
- Quality of Relationships
- Sense of Place
- Service Delivery, Resources and Needs
- Economic Vitality
- Mobility and Connectivity
- Vibrant Downtown
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The City's sample population of 1,800 households is selected randomly from the Utility Billing database, and participation is anonymous. The city uses the online survey tool SurveyMonkey to gather information from residents, compile the data, and present the information to the City Council and community at-large.
This year, the survey will be distributed to selected households on Sept. 30. Residents selected to participate will receive a letter from Mayor Don DeWitte on or about Oct. 1. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete.
Responses to the survey are due by Oct. 30 and results will be made available to the public in January with a formal presentation to the City Council.
For more information regarding the survey and the results of the 2009 survey, please go here.
