Agenda Packets - 2004/03/08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 11B4 Meeting Date: 03/08/04 Type of Business: Reports City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Kurt Ulrich, City Administrator Item Title/Subject: Community Survey Update Late in 2003, the City Council debated the merits of proceeding with a community survey. At the time, the survey was proposed to be a telephone survey of fifty questions in length conducted by Decisions Resources, Inc, costing approximately $10,000, a portion of which would come from the City’s Park Dedication Fund. Additional research and further discussion by the Park and Recreation Commission has resulted in an alternative approach to gather information on local parks. First, in order to gather information about the use of City parks, the Parks and Recreation Commission has launched an extensive park observation program. Through this program, volunteer observers will observe parks and record data on park use. Second, as a means to ascertain the need for new or additional facilities, the Park and Recreation Commission is proposing a one-page survey which will be placed in the Mounds View Matters. The survey will be designed as a tri-fold piece to mail back to the City. If the Council still wishes to gather broader community-wide information, I would suggest a mailed survey to a random sample of residents. Research has shown that some Cities are able to get up to a 70% return rate with such a method. The key is to select a valid random sample and to mail individual letters to each household. If residents receive a letter from the Mayor and Council stating that they are “one of four-hundred people in the City, randomly selected to help shape the future of the community . . .” they will be likely to respond. At least two reminder follow-up post cards are also recommended with this method. Staff is researching sample size and analysis software necessary to do this type of survey. This type of survey has the advantage of being low cost (i.e., estimated to be $1,000- $1500) and of being a visible effort on behalf of the City to gather information from its residents. The added advantage is that, because of its low cost and simple design, could be conducted on a more regular basis that a survey costing $10,000. Ideally, a survey like this would be done every 2-4 years. If the Council agrees with this approach, staff will proceed to modify the survey instrument and to develop a detailed cost estimate and implementation plan.