Agenda Packets - 2003/10/13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Chair of the Charter Commission also requested that some questions regarding the Charter/Charter Commission be included. Discussion: Staff has included in the 2003 Budget, under Central Services of the General Fund, $7,500 to do a Community Survey (Account: 100-4160-3030). Staff contacted Decision Resources, Ltd. to inquire details of performing a Community Survey. Decision Resources, Ltd. has submitted a project proposal outlining the scope of work and associated costs of a typical survey. This has The proposal would be to perform a City Needs Assessment, pose fifty (50) questions to 400 random Mounds View residents, write up the analysis, and present the data. The cost would be $9,800 (an additional charge of $135 would be assigned for each question over 50). Any over run of the budgeted amount could be derived from a separate account. One possible account would be the Park Dedication Fund, or the Wastewater Utility. Staff also contacted the University of Minnesota Research Center to conduct a similar telephone survey. The cost quoted was $17,500. If approved, staff and the City Council could use this survey data to obtain a better understanding of the views, values, and needs of the residents of the city. This data can be utilized when considering expansion of City services. It is equally, or perhaps more, valuable when Cities need to make tough budget decisions on what items to cut and what programs to eliminate. Survey results would be helpful for future budgets and for the development of City priorities for 2004 and beyond. The survey could be conducted in early November or December of this year with results available by the end of this year, or early next. This type of survey (telephone) will provide a high response rate and reliability. The use of some questions from 1988 and 1992 would allow the City to consider trends. Alternatives: Mailed or Newsletter Survey – Utilizing staff time and some temporary help (perhaps student labor), the City could conduct a City-wide survey using our utility billing mailing list. To mail surveys to the whole City would cost less than $2000, plus the cost of data entry and analysis, could probably be accomplished for less than $5000. Response rates on these type surveys are low, and significant response bias makes these surveys unreliable. Data could not be reliably compared to previous phone surveys. In addition to the relatively low cost, advantages include the fact that nearly every household in the City would have a chance to respond, it would be a plus for public relations, and big issues of concern could be identified. The staff time is of concern and the administration of this process would delay results an estimated 60 days.