02-23-11 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 23, 2011 fact that Little Canada has a high number of people living in apartments would impact results. Leatherman replied that the number is high, but noted that the survey will compare the opinions of those residents living in apartments versus those living in single family homes. Additionally, it compares opinions of those people with children and those without, etc. McGraw asked what services the City would rank, i.e. recreation, police, fire, etc. He noted that the purpose of the survey is to gather information and find out how people feel. If the survey results show people support the consolidation of fire services, this does not mean that a consolidation will happen this year or next, however. Keis pointed out that questions about topics such as consolidation could cause speculation. Leatherman indicated that this is why the questions are framed in the context that the City is exploring possibilities. At this point in the workshop, the Council began reviewing the questions that were asked in the 2006 survey as a baseline for developing the 2011 survey. Leatherman indicated that he would provide some sample listings of services that the Council could review and modify for the purposes of Little Canada's survey. There was additional discussion on focusing the survey so that the results can be used as a financial management tool for the upcoming budget cycle. Based on the discussions, several question sets were eliminated, these being questions 3, 6, 8, 12 -33, 49, 50, 52 -69, 72, 74, 77 -79, 91, 94 -99, 101, 108 -114, 130 -132, 142. The Council also indicated that questions 68 -69 should be revamped to address wildlife management issues. Montour asked the shelf life of survey results. Leatherman noted that the results are a snapshot in time. Opinions on tax issues are typically valid for about a year. Community characteristics and opinions on issues such as code enforcement are typically good for 3 to 5 years. The Council also indicated interest in leaving in questions related to public safety and asking about the additional patrol at Montreal Courts as well as asking if there were any hot spots where public safety was a concern. With regard to parks and recreation, the Administrator noted that there are trail segments that need completion, and suggested that the public be asked if there was interest in spending money to complete these segments. Leatherman suggested that this be addressed on the City services listing. There was also discussion about whether or not to ask for opinions on completing the Little Canada Road streetscape program. McGraw suggested some questions about support for additional sidewalks along Rice Street and burying of the power lines. Keis noted that this will happen as Rice Street is reconstructed. McGraw noted that sidewalk 3