2009 Resident Survey Results
Editor’s note: Since 1998, the City of Redmond has hired a research firm to field a biennial survey of Redmond residents. The goal of this survey is to learn how satisfied residents are with existing City programs and services and where they want improvements. This year the survey contacted 435 individuals with a 95 percent confidence rating, plus or minus 5 percent.Quality of Life
Nearly nine out of ten respondents again gave the City high quality of life ratings with eight out of ten expressing satisfaction with City services. Most residents like the small town ambiance, low crime rate, quality of City services and network of parks. However, consistent with previous surveys, some residents are still concerned about traffic congestion and growth.
Safety While Walking
As in past surveys, most said they are pleased with the current level of emphasis on emergency services, including police and fire service. Eight out of ten residents feel safe or very safe walking alone downtown Redmond at night, though the percentage of residents feeling very safe decreased over the last three years from 51% in 2006 to 28% in 2009. This change can be attributed to several things such as perceptions of national safety or negative feelings about the economy. Redmond is still as safe as it has been in the past, in fact police calls have decreased over the past year.
City's Direction
Three quarters of City residents feel the City is headed in the right direction. Reasons identified for this include the City’s plans and preparations for future growth, developing the downtown and Redmond is a nice place to live. The 11% who feel the City is heading in the wrong direction cited traffic on the roads, development of tall buildings and population growth as their reasons.
Roads & Infrastructure
Redmond residents are relatively pleased with the City’s infrastructure, with three-quarters satisfied with the maintenance of parks, trails, open space and City buildings; clarity of roadway markings and frequency of street sweeping. Four out of ten residents are satisfied with the City’s ability to keep major roadways open during severe weather, while a nearly equal portion is dissatisfied.
After the major snowstorms of 2008, the City purchased new equipment and developed an improved plan for monitoring conditions and communicating with residents. Fortunately, the mild winter of 2009 did not require testing of this new system.
Travel by Vehicle
While traffic has been an issue for Redmond residents since the surveys began in 1998, two out of three are now satisfied with their overall experience traveling to, from and within Redmond. One in five is dissatisfied with the experience.
Parks
With nearly nine out of ten either satisfied or very satisfied, residents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the parks, trails and open spaces in Redmond. One area where almost one-half of residents would like to see the City place more emphasis is developing currently owned but undeveloped parklands.
City Communications
Results indicate that for the most part, the City is doing a good job keeping residents informed of City issues and decisions, something that a majority of residents feel is very important. This year a new question was asked regarding the City’s openness to community ideas and its willingness to act on them. Half of Redmond residents believed this was true, with only 8% disagreeing.
Due to the unprecedented economic conditions of the country, the Mayor and City Council asked for higher scrutiny of the City’s finances. To that end, the Mayor’s staff and the Council committee charged with reviewing City finances evaluate a detailed report monthly. The full Council reviews a report at the end of every quarter.
The City Council worked with the Mayor to develop a strategy that will maintain the fiscal health of the City while balancing the delivery of needed services to the community with the need to maintain the City’s AAA credit rating in the financial marketplace. This scrutiny will continue into the 2011/2012 budget cycle.
Monthly Reports:
Monthly Reports
Quarterly Reports:
Quarter 2 2009
Quarter 3 2009
Quarter 4 2009
BUDGET COMMUNITY MEETING
Monday May 3rd, 7 to 9pm
Redmond City Council Chambers
15670 NE 85th St.
WHAT PEOPLE WANT...
- A well-maintained city whose infrastructure keeps pace with growth
- To live, learn, work and play in a clean and green environment
- A sense of community and connection with others
- To be safe where I live, learn, work and play
- A diverse and vibrant range of businesses in Redmond
- A city government that is responsible & responsive to its residents and businesses
Budgeting by
Priorities 2010
As of March 1, the City began the Budgeting by Priorities process for the 2011/2012 budget. The City first used this process in 2008 for the 2009/2010 budget with good success. It is now time to build on that knowledge and develop a budget that reflects citizen priorities within this difficult economic environment. While this will be a challenging budget, the emphasis on these priorities will help focus the City’s limited resources to deliver the services most important to the community.
The first community meeting for this budget process took place on March 1. Xxx residents attended and participated in a discussion with the Mayor and City officials regarding their priorities for a City budget taking shape during an improving but still difficult economic environment.
A portion of the meeting engaged those present in a question and answer session following the format of some of the questions asked during the Resident Survey. Through instant voting technology, all participants could see how they answered with regards to the majority and also have time to explain their reasoning.
City staff gained valuable insights into reasons behind some of the survey results, which will help to shape a budget supported by the majority of residents.
One additional meeting will be held to provide the opportunity for residents and businesses to present specific programs and services they would like to see the City perform as well as discuss those services they would like discontinued or scaled back.
Other Survey Results
Just over one-half of residents surveyed had contact or interaction with a City employee in the past year. Of those who contacted an employee, 56% considered their experience an excellent one, while 8% rated it a poor experience. While the negative percentage is low, the Mayor’s citywide customer service initiative was developed to continuously improve on employee performance.
Regarding personal preparations for a disaster, just over half of Redmond residents have a family plan in case of disaster or an emergency supply kit to last their family at least three days.
Most of those who attend the City’s community events (Derby Days, Redmond Lights, etc) are very satisfied with their experience; however, only one-quarter of those surveyed consider themselves involved in community events with a slightly larger percentage not involved at all.