City survey to run the gamut from services to transportation

The City of Port Washington wants to know what residents think about everything from the services they receive to what its budget priorities should be.

City Administrator Tony Brown said the city is expected to mail a survey this week to 600 randomly selected households seeking opinions on a wide variety of questions.

The six-page survey will ask residents to rate their satisfaction with city services, prioritize those services and take a deep dive into various city departments, such as the public works, public safety and parks and recreation departments as well as the library.

It will ask people their thoughts about how well the city communicates with residents and its efforts on the environment and sustainability.

It will also ask what would induce people to use other forms of transportation instead of driving.

Residents will be asked whether they are willing to pay more in taxes for various services, whether fees should be increased or if some services should be trimmed.

It’s all part of an effort to figure out what’s important to city residents and how the city can best serve its citizens, Brown said.

The results will be used as the council and city staff prepare a strategic plan for the community this summer, he said.

“It will ultimately help us develop a vision for the city that reflects what our residents value,” Brown said.

The survey, which is being conducted with help from ETC Institute, will have 28 main questions, Brown said, and is expected to take 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

If residents aren’t among those selected to participate in the survey, they can access it on the city’s website and fill it out digitally, Brown said.

The responses will remain confidential, he said.

The city hopes to receive at least 300 completed questionnaires, Brown said, which will give it a margin of error of about 5.5%. That brings the level of confidence in the study to about 95%.

The survey will be out in the community for about a month before it will be closed out, he added.