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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.B. City Wide Survey Discussion General Business SE-IAKO1'EE TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Mark McNeill, City Administrator DATE: 09/02/2014 SUBJECT: City-wide Survey Discussion Action Sought For the Council to give direction to staff to hire the Morris Leatherman Company to perform a City-wide telephone residential survey regarding municipal services. Background One of the directives that was given to the City Administrator for 2014 was to"establish and monitor measurable goals for each City department." While components of that can be done for individual departments,to establish an overall residents' perception of municipal service levels,it is recommended that a City-wide survey be undertaken. From a performance measurement standpoint, it would establish a"baseline"from which to work to improve the view of the levels of service from the City. The Morris Leatherman Company(M-L)is well-known in the Twin Cities area for performing statistically-valid telephone surveys on behalf of city governments and school districts. Area entities that have used M-L include the Cities of Prior Lake, Savage,Minnetonka,Burnsville,Eden Prairie,Eagan,Lakeville,and Chaska. The company has also done surveys for the Farmington and Shakopee School Districts. It performed a survey for Shakopee regarding the Community Center in the late-1990's. The representative from M-L stated that regularly-scheduled surveys are important for policy makers to accurately gauge the tenor of the community. He noted that elected officials typically hear from strong supporters of a specific project,and also from people who are particularly adverse to tax increases. However,he said that 50-60%of the people are somewhere in the middle. He felt that it was important for policy makers to have accurate information from which to determine where to place their resources,both in terms of efforts,and funding. Attached is a sample of some of the questions which are typically asked of a city's residents. He said that the survey instrument would be tailored for our particular situation. M-L would meet first with stakeholders,including elected officials, staff,and other community representatives,to establish the topics for which inquiries would be made. Because this is the first general survey for Shakopee,it's probable that a larger than typical number of questions would need to be asked. For Shakopee right now, it might be particularly timely to inquire about opinions for recreation--a second sheet of ice, indoor swimming pool,artificial turf fields, and the like. Questions could be structured so that the support for various types of funding could be weighed. Most alternatives to one-on-one interviews, such as on-line opinion polling,are typically not as accurate. Beginning to end, it is estimated that 90 days'time would be needed. Therefore,the base results could be received before the end of the year. Recommendation I recommend that the City hire Morris Leatherman to conduct a survey of Shakopee residents to gauge community perception and support for municipal projects and services. Until the full scope is determined,I further recommend authorizing the maximum estimated expenditure of $22,000;if the questions can be pared down,the cost would be reduced accordingly. Budget Impact As shown in the attached proposal,the cost of the project varies by the number of questions asked, and by the degree of accuracy desired. Four-hundred telephone interviews for a city of our size will yield an accuracy rate of +1-5%. Increasing the sample to 600 calls increases the accuracy rate to+1-4%. It should be noted that 35-45%of the calls are made to cell phones,and so people without land-lines are accurately represented as well. Overall,the cost would range from a low of$13,000(basic survey)to$22,000. Again,as this would be the initial survey, I recommend budgeting at the high end of that range. The costs of this survey would be charged to the City Council budget. If the Council chooses to go ahead,a follow-up survey would not necessarily need to be done annually,although some cities do that. M-L stated that more typical cycle is every two to four years,with cities of faster rates of growth often opting for the every other year alternative. Relationship To Visioning This supports Goal B, "Positively manage the challenges and opportunities presented by growth,development and change. Requested Action If the Council concurs,it should,by motion,direct Staff to hire the Morris Leatherman Company to perform a telephone survey regarding municipal services and projects,at a cost not to exceed$22,000. Attachments: Proposal Sample Survey The Morris Leatherman Company 3128 Dean Court Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416 August 20, 2014 Mr. Mark McNeill City of Shakopee 129 Holmes Street South Shakopee, Minnesota 55379 Dear Mark: The Morris Leatherman Company is pleased to present this survey research proposal to you for the City of Shakopee. This prospectus is organized in three parts: a potential design; project schedule; and, estimated project costs. As you will see, I am certain that we can provide the City of Shakopee with the information it seeks in both a cost-effective and timely manner. DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH: The Morris Leatherman Company proposes to conduct a telephone survey of 400 randomly selected households in the City of Shakopee. A sample of 400 residents would provide results projectable to the entire city adult population within± 5.0 percent in 95 out of 100 cases. The sample is also of sufficient size to permit the city to be divided into a maximum of four categories for more detailed analysis, such as age, mobility, home ownership, location of residence,presence of children, and other demographic characteristics. To insure the integrity of the sample,the Morris Leatherman Company places the most exacting sampling standards in the industry on our procedures. MLC uses a mix of random digit dial landline and cell phone numbers. Before an alternate household is substituted for a designated target, at least ten tries are made to contact the initial households during a five-day period. The telephone calls take place during various times on weekday evenings and during the weekend. Our interviewers are also instructed to seek convenient appointments with interviewees, cutting our non-contact rate to less than five percent on average. An unbiased selection process is also used to identify the adult member of the household to be interviewed. To validate the completed sample,the latest United States Census updated population characteristics are utilized as a standard of comparison. City of Shakopee Residential Survey Research Proposal August 2014 The questionnaire would be administered by company trained and supervised personnel. The computer analysis will be obtained from our in-house C-MENTOR and SPSS statistical analysis systems, insuring both access to the most current analysis programs and confidentiality of the data set. The City of Shakopee will be presented with bound copies of the final report highlighting all the major findings of the study. The Morris Leatherman Company will also speak to any major differences from and similarities with the past studies of the community,when applicable, in addition to other maturing communities. A volume of all computer-generated cross tabulations and other multivariate statistical techniques will also be included. PROJECT SCHEDULE: 1. Planning with City Council Members, City Staff, and/or relevant individuals to establish the topics to be covered in the survey. Based on these topic concepts,the Morris Leatherman Company would word specific,neutral questions. This activity can be completed by a meeting, telephone and/or fax, depending on client wishes,within two weeks of the initiation of the contract. 2. Structuring of questions and final approval of the survey instrument. These activities are usually completed within three weeks of the discussion of topics to be covered in the survey. 3. Final determination of the field dates for interviewing. 4. Pre-testing and, if needed, approval of resulting revisions. This activity is usually completed by the second day of fieldwork. 5. Completion of all fieldwork within a two-to-three week period. 6. Computer analysis and preparation of written report. All analytical tests and commentary will be available within six weeks after completion of the fieldwork. 7. Delivery of the final written report to the City of Shakopee, including presentation graphics. Afterwards,telephone consultation, as the need arises,will be provided about the study's findings and implications. PROJECT COSTS: The cost of a survey is driven by two factors: sample size and questionnaire length. The cost to conduct a 50 question unit survey would be $13,000.00. Each additional question unit beyond the initial allotment would be $135.00. The typical city survey is generally between 120 and 150 questions with an estimated cost of between$18,000 and$22,000. City of Shakopee Residential Survey Research Proposal August 2014 As company policy,the Morris Leatherman Company requires one-half of the cost prior to the commencement of fieldwork;the remainder is due upon delivery of the final written report. Unless otherwise arranged,the Morris Leatherman Company invoices clients for the initial payment at the time of the initiation of the contract;the remainder is due at the time of the receipt of the final written report. If you require any further information from us, feel free to contact either Bill Morris,Diane Traxler, or me. We look forward to the opportunity to work with the City of Shakopee. Sincerely, Perez ..deadetotaa Peter Leatherman THE MORRIS LEATHERMAN COMPANY City of 3128 Dean Court Residential Survey Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416 PROTOTYPE SURVEY Hello, I 'm of the Morris Leatherman Company, a polling firm located in Minneapolis. We have been retained by the City of to speak with a random sample of residents about issues facing the community. This survey is being conducted because the City Council and City Staff are interested in your opinions and suggestions about current and future city needs . I want to assure you that all individual responses will be held strictly confidential; only summaries of the entire sample will be reported. 1 . Approximately how many years have LESS THAN TWO YEARS 1 you lived in ? TWO TO FIVE YEARS 2 FIVE TO TEN YEARS 3 TEN TO TWENTY YEARS 4 20 TO 30 YEARS 5 OVER THIRTY YEARS 6 DON' T KNOW/REFUSED 7 2 . As things now stand, how long in LESS THAN TWO YEARS 1 the future do you expect to TWO TO FIVE YEARS 2 live in ? FIVE TO TEN YEARS 3 OVER TEN YEARS 4 REST OF LIFE 5 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 6 3 . What do you like most, if anything, about living in 2 4 . What do you think is the most serious issue facing today? 5 . How would you rate the quality of EXCELLENT 1 life in -- excel- GOOD 2 lent, good, only fair, or poor? ONLY FAIR 3 POOR 4 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 6. Over the next five years or so, do INCREASE 1 you expect the quality of life in DECREASE 2 to increase, decrease, or REMAIN ABOUT SAME 3 remain about the same? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 4 IF "INCREASE" OR "DECREASE, " ASK: 7 . Could you tell me one or two reasons why you feel that way? 8 . Which of the following two state- STATEMENT A 1 ments comes closer to your STATEMENT B 2 feelings: BOTH OF ABOVE 3 (A) I call NEITHER 4 "home. " DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 (B) is just a place to live; I 'd be just as happy elsewhere. 9. How would you rate the strength of EXCELLENT 1 community identity and the sense GOOD 2 of neighborliness in ONLY FAIR 3 -- excellent, good, only POOR 4 fair or poor? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 10. To which of the following do you STATEMENT A 1 feel a closer connection to: STATEMENT B 2 A) The City of as STATEMENT C 3 a whole, NONE OF ABOVE 4 B) Your neighborhood, or DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 C) Your school district? 11. All in all, do you think things in RIGHT DIRECTION 1 are generally WRONG TRACK 2 headed in the right direction, or DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 do you feel things are off on the wrong track? I would like to read you a list of characteristics of a community. For each one, please tell me if you think currently has too many or too much, too few or too little, or about the right amount. MANY FEW/ ABOUT D.K. / MUCH LITT RIGHT REF. 12 . affordable housing, defined by the Metropolitan Council as a single family home costing less than $ ? 1 2 3 4 13. affordable rental units? 1 2 3 4 14 . luxury rental units? 1 2 3 4 15. condominiums? 1 2 3 4 16. townhouses? 1 2 3 4 17 . starter homes for young families? 1 2 3 4 18 . "move up" housing? 1 2 3 4 19. higher cost housing? 1 2 3 4 20. senior housing? 1 2 3 4 21 . parks and open spaces? 1 2 3 4 22 . trails and bikeways? 1 2 3 4 23. service establishments? 1 2 3 4 24 . retail shopping opportunities? 1 2 3 4 25 . entertainment establishments? 1 2 3 4 26. dining establishments? 1 2 3 4 27 . day care opportunities? 1 2 3 4 Property tax revenues are divided among the City of , County, and your local public school district. 28 . For each dollar of the property TEN PERCENT OR LESS 1 taxes you pay, about what per- 11 TO 20 PERCENT 2 centage do you think goes to 21 TO 30 PERCENT 3 city government? (READ #1-#6) 31 TO 40 PERCENT 4 41 TO 50 PERCENT 5 OVER 50 PERCENT 6 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 7 29. Do you consider the city portion VERY HIGH 1 of your property taxes to be SOMEWHAT HIGH 2 very high, somewhat high, about ABOUT AVERAGE 3 average, somewhat low, or very low SOMEWHAT LOW 4 in comparison with neighboring VERY LOW 5 cities? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 6 In 200_, the actual percentage of your property taxes going to the City of was twenty percent. 30. Would you favor or oppose an in- FAVOR 1 crease in YOUR city property tax OPPOSE 2 if it were needed to maintain city DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 services at their current level? 31 . And, would you favor or oppose an FAVOR 1 increase in YOUR city property tax OPPOSE 2 if it were used to improve and en- DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 hance current city services? 32 . When you consider the property EXCELLENT 1 taxes you pay and the quality of GOOD 2 city services you receive, would ONLY FAIR 3 you rate the general value of city POOR 4 services as excellent, good, only DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 fair, or poor? I would like to read you a list of a few city services . For each one, please tell me whether you would rate the quality of the service as excellent, good, only fair, or poor? (ROTATE) EXCL GOOD FAIR POOR DK/R 33. Police protection? 1 2 3 4 5 34 . Fire protection? 1 2 3 4 5 35. Recycling and brush pick-up? 1 2 3 4 5 36. Storm drainage and flood control? 1 2 3 4 5 37 . Park maintenance? 1 2 3 4 5 38 . City-sponsored recreation programs? 1 2 3 4 5 39. Animal control? 1 2 3 4 5 Now, for the next three city services, please consider only their job on city-maintained street and roads. That means excluding interstate highways, state and county roads that are taken care of by other levels of government. Hence, Interstate , Highway , Highway , County Road or , should not be considered. How would you rate EXCL GOOD FAIR POOR DK/R 40. City street repair and maintenance? 1 2 3 4 5 41. Snow plowing? 1 2 3 4 5 42 . Street lighting? 1 2 3 4 5 Now, I would like to re-read you that list of city services. For each one, please tell me if you consider it be an essential city service, a very important city service, a somewhat important city service, or not a very important service at all. ESS VRI SMI NVI DKR 43. Police protection? 1 2 3 4 5 44 . Fire protection? 1 2 3 4 5 45. Recycling and brush pick-up? 1 2 3 4 5 46. Storm drainage and flood control? 1 2 3 4 5 47 . Park maintenance? 1 2 3 4 5 48 . City-sponsored recreation programs? 1 2 3 4 5 49. Animal control? 1 2 3 4 5 50. City street repair and maintenance? 1 2 3 4 5 51. Snow plowing? 1 2 3 4 5 52 . Street lighting? 1 2 3 4 5 Now, for the final time I am going to read the list of city services. Given the current economic and financial environment, the city may have to make some additional tough choices in the next couple of years with respect to scaling back or eliminating certain city services . For each of the following please tell me if you would support an increase in funding for the service, keep the funding for the service at its current level, make cuts in the funding for the service, or eliminate funding for the service. (ROTATE) INC CUR ELM CUT DKR 53. Police protection? 1 2 3 4 5 54 . Fire protection? 1 2 3 4 5 55. Recycling and brush pick-up? 1 2 3 4 5 56. Storm drainage and flood control? 1 2 3 4 5 57 . Park maintenance? 1 2 3 4 5 58 . City-sponsored recreation programs? 1 2 3 4 5 59. Animal control? 1 2 3 4 5 60. City street repair and maintenance? 1 2 3 4 5 61. Snow plowing? 1 2 3 4 5 62 . Street lighting? 1 2 3 4 5 Thinking about another topic. . . . 63. Are there areas in the City of YES 1 where you do not feel NO 2 safe? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 IF "YES, " ASK: 64 . In which areas do you not feel safe? 65. What would make you feel more safe? 66. Do you feel safe in your immediate YES 1 neighborhood walking alone at NO 2 night? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 67 . Do you generally feel safe in your YES 1 home? NO 2 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 68 . How would you rate the amount of TOO MUCH 1 police patrolling in your neigh- ABOUT RIGHT AMOUNT 2 borhood -- too much, about the NOT ENOUGH 3 right amount or not enough? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 4 69. How would you rate the amount of TOO MUCH 1 traffic enforcement by the police ABOUT RIGHT AMOUNT 2 in your neighborhood -- too much, NOT ENOUGH 3 about right amount or not enough? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 4 70. How serious of a problem is traf- VERY SERIOUS 1 fic speeding in your neighborhood SOMEWHAT SERIOUS 2 -- very serious, somewhat serious, NOT TOO SERIOUS 3 not too serious, or not at all NOT AT ALL SERIOUS 4 serious? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 71 . And, how serious of a problem are VERY SERIOUS 1 stop sign violations in your nei- SOMEWHAT SERIOUS 2 ghborhood -- very serious, some- NOT TOO SERIOUS 3 what serious, not too serious, or NOT AT ALL SERIOUS 4 not at all serious? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 72 . Please tell me which one you consider to be the greatest concern in ? If you feel that none of these problems are serious in , just say so. Violent crime 0 Traffic speeding 1 Drugs 2 Youth crimes and vandalism 3 Identity theft 4 Business crimes, such as shoplifting and check fraud 5 Residential crimes, such as burglary, and theft 6 ALL EQUALLY 7 NONE OF THE ABOVE 8 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 9 Continuing. . . . The park system is composed of larger community parks and smaller neighborhood parks, trails, and community ballfields. Of these facilities, which have you or members of your household used during the past year? YES NO DKR 73 . Larger community parks? 1 2 3 74 . Smaller neighborhood parks? 1 2 3 75. Trails? 1 2 3 76. Community ballfields? 1 2 3 77 . In general, do you feel that YES 1 existing recreational facilities NO 2 offered by the City meet the DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 needs of you and members of your household? IF "NO, " ASK: 78 . What additional recreational facilities would you like to see the City offer its residents? 79. Have you or members of your house- YES 1 hold participated in any City NO 2 park and recreation programs? DON' T KNOW/REFUSED 3 IF "YES, " ASK: 80. Which ones? 81. Were you satisfied or dis- SATISFIED 1 satisfied with your exper- DISSATISFIED 2 ience? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 82 . Does the current mix of City park YES 1 and recreation programming meet NO 2 the needs of your household? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 IF "NO, " ASK: 83. What program(s) do you feel are lacking? 84 . Do you or members of your household currently leave the city for park and recreation facilities or activities? (IF "YES, " ASK: ) What would that be? Moving on. . . . 85 . Do you leave the City of YES 1 on a regular or daily NO 2 basis to go to work? NOT EMPLOYED/RETIRED3 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 4 IF "YES, " ASK: 86. In what city is your job located? 87 . How many minutes does it take FIVE MINUTES OR LESS1 you to get to work? SIX TO TEN MINUTES 2 11 TO 15 MINUTES 3 16 TO 20 MINUTES 4 21 TO 25 MINUTES 5 26 TO 30 MINUTES 6 OVER 30 MINUTES 7 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 8 88 . How would you rate the ease EXCELLENT 1 of getting to and from work GOOD 2 -- excellent, good, only fair ONLY FAIR 3 or poor? POOR 4 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 89. How would you rate the ease of EXCELLENT 1 getting from place to place within GOOD 2 the City of -- ex- ONLY FAIR 3 cellent, good, only fair or poor? POOR 4 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 Changing topics . . . . 90. Other than voting, do you feel YES 1 that if you wanted to, you could NO 2 have a say about the way the City DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 of runs things? 91 . How much do you feel you know A GREAT DEAL 1 about the work of the Mayor and A FAIR AMOUNT 2 City Council -- a great deal, a VERY LITTLE 3 fair amount, very little, or none NONE AT ALL 4 at all? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 92 . From what you know, do you approve STRONGLY APPROVE 1 or disapprove of the job the Mayor APPROVE 2 and City Council are doing? (WAIT DISAPPROVE 3 FOR RESPONSE) And do you feel STRONGLY DISAPPROVE 4 strongly that way? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 93 . How much first hand contact have QUITE A LOT 1 you had with the SOME 2 City staff -- quite a lot, some, VERY LITTLE 3 very little, or none? NONE 4 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 94 . From what you have heard or seen, EXCELLENT 1 how would you rate the job per- GOOD 2 formance of the ONLY FAIR 3 City staff -- excellent, good, POOR 4 only fair, or poor? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 95. During the past year, have you YES 1 contacted City Hall? NO 2 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 IF "YES, " ASK: 96. On your last telephone call POLICE DEPARTMENT 1 or visit, which Department FIRE DEPARTMENT 2 did you contact -- the Police PUBLIC WORKS 3 Department, Fire Department, ICE CENTER 4 Public Works, Ice Center, HOUSING OFFICE 5 Housing office, Park and Rec- PARKS AND REC 6 reation, Building Inspec- BUILDING INSPECT 7 tions, Engineering, Planning, ENGINEERING 8 Administration, the Asses- PLANNING 9 sor' s Office, the Finance ADMINISTRATION 10 Department, or the General ASSESSOR' S OFFICE 11 Information Desk reception- FINANCE DEPT 12 ist? GENERAL INFORMATION13 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 14 Thinking about your last contact with the City, for each of the following characteristics, please rate the service as excellent, good, only fair, or poor. . . . EXC GOO FAI POO DKR 97 . Waiting time for the reception- ist to help you? 1 2 3 4 5 98 . Courtesy of city staff? 1 2 3 4 5 99 . Ease of obtaining the service you needed? 1 2 3 4 5 Moving on 100. What is your principal source of information about City Government and its activities? 101 . How would you prefer to receive information about City Government and its activities? 102 . During the past year, did you YES 1 receive the " NO 2 , " the City' s monthly news- DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 letter? IF "YES, " ASK: 103 . Do you or any members of your YES 1 household regularly read it? NO 2 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 104 . Do you sometimes clip the en- SOMETIMES CLIP 1 tire page or a specific ar- THROW AWAY/RECYCLE 2 title for future reference, BOTH 3 or do you throw it away or DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 4 recycle after you have read it? 105 . Does your household currently sub- YES 1 scribe to cable television? NO 2 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 IF "YES, " ASK: 106. How often during the past FREQUENTLY 1 year have you watched OCCASIONALLY 2 City Council Meeting RARELY 3 telecasts on Channel -- NEVER 4 frequently, occasionally, DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 rarely or never? 107 . Do you have access to the Internet HOME ONLY 1 at home? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do WORK ONLY 2 you have access to the Internet BOTH 3 at work? NEITHER 4 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5 IF "YES, " ASK: 108 . Have you accessed the City' s YES 1 website? NO 2 DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 IF "YES, " ASK: 109. Were you able to find YES 1 what you were looking NO 2 for? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3 110 . What information would you like to see on the City of ' s web site? Now, just a few more questions for demographic purposes . . . . Could you please tell me how many people in each of the following age groups live in your household. 111 . Persons 65 or over? NONE 1 ONE 2 TWO OR MORE 3 112 . Adults under 65? NONE 1 ONE 2 TWO 3 THREE OR MORE 4 113. School-aged children and pre- NONE 1 schoolers? ONE 2 TWO 3 THREE OR MORE 4 114 . Do you own or rent your present OWN 1 residence? RENT 2 REFUSED 3 115 . What is your age, please? 18-24 1 (READ CATEGORIES, IF NEEDED) 25-34 2 35-44 3 45-54 4 55-64 5 65 AND OVER 6 And now, for one final question, keeping in mind that your answers are held strictly confidential. . . . 116. Is your pre-tax yearly household UNDER $50, 000 1 income over or under $75, 000? $50, 001-$75, 000 2 IF "OVER, " ASK: $75, 001-$100, 000 3 Is it over $100, 000? (IF "YES, " $100, 000-$125, 000 4 ASK: ) Is it over $125, 000? OVER $125, 000 5 IF "UNDER, " ASK: DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 6 Is it under $50, 000? 117 . Gender (DO NOT ASK) MALE 1 FEMALE 2 118 . REGION OF CITY