TAMRMS#: B09
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Community Engagement Survey Results
Presented by: Darija Slokar, Senior Advisor & Project Manager, Strategic Services & Information Technology Department
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RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
That Community Growth & Infrastructure Standing Committee recommend to Council that the 2019 Community Engagement Survey results, contained in the attachments to the January 13, 2019 agenda report entitled “Community Engagement Survey Results”, be received as information.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of the report is to provide to Council results of the 2019 Community Engagement Survey.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY
The report is related to the Public Participation program. Specifically, the statistically representative Community Engagement Survey conducted every two years to provide opportunity for residents to share their opinions and perceptions on the City’s programs and services to inform decision-making.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL (OR COMMITTEE) DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
City Council Policy C-CAO-20 Public Participation Policy was approved at the March 20, 2019 Council meeting.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The City conducts a Community Engagement Survey biennially to gauge community opinions and perceptions about quality of life, safety, overall satisfaction with City services, facilities and service expectations. It is one of many important tools used to help gauge resident’s satisfaction with services and quality of life in St. Albert, identify community priorities and opportunities to optimize services delivered to the community.
Yardstick Research (formerly Banister Research and Consulting) was selected to conduct the 2019 Community Engagement Survey with the following objectives:
• Measure residents’ perception regarding quality of life and safety
• Measure residents’ perception to expectations related to programs, services and customer experience
• Measure residents’ perception to expectations related to municipal government
The survey took place from November 14 to December 11, 2019. Three approaches were used to maximize the reach into the community:
1. General population - 453 surveys completed
Surveyed via telephone and a web survey that was distributed through targeted social media advertisements. Age and gender quotas were established to ensure proper demographic representation of the City of St. Albert. General Population survey results alone give a margin of error no greater than ±4.6% at the 95% confidence level (or 19 times out of 20).
2. Stakeholder Web-based Survey (Mail-to-Web) - 603 surveys completed
Letters were mailed to 5,000 randomly selected households in St. Albert with a link and a unique PIN number to access the survey online.
3. Open Web-Based Survey - 283 surveys completed
An open web link to provide all residents and members of community an opportunity to participate in the survey. The link was advertised using social media, local paper and the City’s website.
Tracy with Yardstick Research will be in attendance to share the St. Albert results.
Highlights of Findings
• The overall quality of life remains exceptionally high.
• The City of St. Albert continues to be considered a very safe place to live.
• The number of respondents who said that their expectations of the services provided by the City were met, decreased for the majority of services. Exceptions are Fire and Ambulance Services, Policing Services, Preserving Community Heritage, which remained at a comparable level to previous survey.
• The perception on housing options and services (new to 2019 survey), for those in need, reveals that there is a need for more affordable housing options, for an increased number of rental options and for more services and programs that serve those in need.
For Future Consideration
Although the 2019 survey was shorter than in previous years, the length of the survey still presented the challenge for the response rate. Administration will review the questions asked and look for opportunities to streamline the questionnaire. More focus on only the key questions with the greatest value will help reduce the length and improve the effectiveness of the survey.
Additionally, Administration will continue to explore an online option for engaging with residents on an ongoing basis.
Following the presentation to Council, Administration will further analyze the results to determine where there are opportunities to improve service delivery. Administration will also share the survey results with residents and community as a whole through City’s website, Citylights and social media channels.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
The purpose of the survey was to engage stakeholders and obtain their opinions and perceptions for City’s programs and services.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
The expenses related to the survey were included in the 2019 budget.
Legal / Risk:
All responses to the survey are anonymous.
Program or Service:
Results of the survey are reviewed by Administration and potential opportunities to optimize services and service delivery are noted and addressed as appropriate. The results are also considered for the City’s business planning and budgeting.
Organizational:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
None
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Report Date: January 13, 2020
Author(s): Darija Slokar
Committee/Department: Strategic Services & Information Technology Department
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble