City of Sarasota 2008 National Citizen Survey

Conducted by the National Research Center (NRC) for

the City of Sarasota

2008 Citizen SurveyOverview

NRC Surveys in 2005 and 2006

National Benchmarking Program

Data Collection-August & September

3,000 Surveys to random households• Spanish translation made available upon request

2008 Citizen SurveyOverview

30% response rate (within normal %)

Cost of Survey $22,250

2008 Results on City’s website www.sarasotagov.com

2008 Citizen SurveyAssessment Goals

Information for resource/program allocations

Performance Measurement/Benchmarking

Improve Services

Civic Engagement

Improve Community Quality of Life Factors

Strengthen Public Trust

2008 Citizen Survey“How to” View Results

Results were compared to the previous surveys (2005 & 2006), local demographics and geographic subgroups, and similar sized communities in USA

% Differences between years are only considered “statistically significant” if greater than five % points

Responses were either excellent; good; fair; poor; or *don’t know (*removed from the analysis)

Results are averaged on a 100 point scale (100=Excellent; 67=Good; 33=Fair; 0=Poor )

2008 Citizen SurveyOverall Quality of Life

84 % of citizens rated Sarasota excellent or good place to live (75% in 2006; similar to natl benchmarks)

66% of citizens thought their neighborhood was an excellent or good place to live (74% in 2006 & below natl benchmarks)

76% rated the overall quality of life as excellent or good (71% in 2006; similar to natl benchmarks)

80% would recommend living in Sarasota and will remain over the next five years (question not asked in pervious years)

2008 Citizen SurveyCommunity Focus Areas

Three Areas with the most favorable ratings:

• OVERALL APPEARANCE OF SARASOTA • 78% and above natl benchmarks

• OVERALL IMAGE & REPUTATION• 78% and above natl benchmarks

• OPPORTUNITIES FOR CULTURAL ACTIVITIES• 76% and above natl benchmarks

2008 Citizen SurveyCommunity Focus Areas

Three that received the least positive ratings:

• AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE QUALITY HOUSING* • 18% and below natl benchmarks• 48% reported housing costs as 30% or more of income

• EASE OF BICYCLE TRAVEL IN SARASOTA *• 40% and below natl benchmarks• Ease of walking also below natl benchmarks

• EASE OF BUS TRAVEL IN SARASOTA*• 47% and above natl benchmarks*• 2% of those surveyed utilized public transit with 80% utilizing vehicles for

work commute; However 34% had ridden a local bus within Sarasota

*All three of the focus areas were higher than pervious years

2008 Citizen SurveyCommunity Focus Areas

2008 Citizen SurveyPublic Information & Trust

Public Information Svcs• 64% watched a local government meeting• 38% attended a local government meeting• Both are above the natl benchmarks• 53% visited City website (41% in 2006)

Public Trust Ratings 30% excellent or good “in listening” 42% in “welcoming citizen involvement” Both are below natl benchmarks

2008 Citizen SurveyCity Employees

Last week the City Manager, and the City Auditor and Clerk sent a “thank you” to all City employees, as 73% of the respondents who had contact with City employees ranked their overall impression as “excellent” or “good”

2008 Sarasota Citizen SurveyJob & Retail Growth

2008 Citizen SurveyEconomy and New Development

Sarasota as a place to work was rated at 42%Below the natl benchmarks Job Growth rating (reflection of local economy)

88% of citizens felt that their economic future would be “somewhat” or “very” negative in the near term

58% rated as “excellent” or “good” the overall quality of new development in the City of Sarasota

In 2006, this was rated as 44%

2008 Citizen SurveyPublic Safety & Code Enforcement

89% thought a “major” or “moderate” problem were run down buildings, weed lots or junk vehicles

87% gave positive ratings to daytime safety in downtown as well as neighborhoods

55% to 59% positive ratings regarding safety at night

Overall public safety ratings were similar or below natl benchmarks

2008 Citizen SurveyQuality of City Services

2008 Citizen SurveyQuality of City Services

26 City service areas included in survey

• Rating Decreases for code enforcement; economic development; recycling

• Rating Increases for Bus/transit Services; Street Cleaning; City Parks; Recreational Facilities; Cable TV and Public Information; Drinking Water; and Storm Water

• Key Drivers (those that influence survey results) are Public Information; Police Services; Economic Development; Traffic Signal timing; and City Parks.

2008 Citizen SurveyPolicy Questions

2008 Citizen SurveyOpen Ended Question

What do you like most about the City of Sarasota?

Natural environment/water and beaches/scenery/natural beauty 34% Culture/arts/education opportunities 19% Quality of community/neighborhood/people, etc 15% Quality of life general/lifestyle/everything/safe community 14% Climate/weather/seasons 13% Appearance/overall cleanliness/architecture 13% Diversity/quality of opportunities (shopping, restaurants, business, downtown) 13% Size of community/small town feel 11% Parks/Recreation opportunities 11% Nothing - negative response 9% Location/convenience/proximity to amenities 8% Quality/availability of services/transit/library/senior services 7% Don’t know 0% Other 9%

2008 Citizen SurveyNext Steps

Review specific benchmarking results with other NRC communities

Review specific comparisons with 2005 and 2006 data

Review 2008 data w/community demographics Alignment with City Commission 2008-09

Goals Alignment with FY 2009-2010 Budget