[Press Release] : Wanted: citizen views on city services

[pr-l at news.gocolumbiamo.com]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Tony St. Romaine, Assistant City Manager - (573) 874-7721 

Wanted: citizen views on city services

COLUMBIA, MO (April 20, 2007) - Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine
hopes Columbia citizens will handle their mail with care during the next
few weeks. A random sample of 1,200 households will receive surveys
seeking views on a wide range of city services and issues, and St.
Romaine said that every response counts.

“Surveys will start arriving at homes by mail during the week of
April 23,” St. Romaine said. “The return address on the envelope
will be that of ETC Institute, which also conducted citizen surveys in
2003 and 2005.” 

St. Romaine said that the surveys will include postage-paid return
envelopes and that individual responses will remain confidential. 

To encourage participation, ETC Institute will make reminder calls a
few days after the surveys are mailed. Citizens can respond to the
survey during that call, if they wish. 

And to assure that more local voices get heard, ETC will conduct a
targeted survey of 100 households with incomes of less than $15,000. The
responses from the targeted households will be tabulated and analyzed
independently of the general survey responses to see if there are
significantly different opinions in the two groups.

St. Romaine said that every citizen who responds to the survey helps
move Columbia forward. “Some of the responses provide a report card on
city services, such as public safety, utilities and other day-to-day
operations. Other responses reflect the public’s priorities for the
future,” St. Romaine said.

Although some survey questions have been consistent since 2003, St.
Romaine said that this year’s edition seeks input on several new
issues: 
● Citizen support for new types of recreation programs; 
● Quality of public communications and opportunity for citizen
involvement; 
● Tax incentives for development;
● Growth issues; 
● Perceptions of downtown Columbia; and
● Overall community priorities.

St. Romaine said that the survey period will end in mid-May. ETC
Institute will share the results in a public session at the City
Council’s retreat in early June.

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