Agenda - Council - 05/23/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I I CASE # ~ CONSIDER DRAFT RESIDENT SURVEY By: Beth Malaby, Community Development Intern Background: A group of high scl~ool students from Anoka High School has proposed to create and administer a survey of Ramsey r,&sidents, as part of their community service efforts. As they have proposed it, the concept of the ~u. rvey is to explore residents' vision for Ramsey in 2010. Attached for your review is a draft vermon of the survey. The students have ggreed to distribute copies of the survey by going door-to,door to Ramsey households. They re requesting funds from the City to pay for return postage for the surveys, and also are requesting that the City make copies of the survey in-house. The students have been working with staff I~o produce a survey document which will provide useful information in terms of planning for Raffisey's future. Observations: The survey is a on{-page questionnaire which can be folded up, taped shut, and dropped in the mail. Postage cost l~er survey would be $0.32. Assuming the survey is distributed to half of the households in Ramgey, and (optimistically) 33% of those households respond, return postage would cost no more !than: 2250 households x 33% x $0.32 ............................................ $240 An alternative to milling the completed surveys might be the placement of drop boxes at frequented locations (such as gas stations and the grocery store). However, the survey is likely to get a drastically lower response rate using drop boxes. Chances are good that the response rate would not be h!gh enoug$ for the survey to be considered a valid indicator of opinions within the communlty. Copying the survey in-house would require 4-1/2 reams of legal size paper, at a cost of approximately $24 ~assuming 2250 households are surveyed). It is certainly feasibie to distribute the survey to a smaller sample of households. The total number of surveys receivedl is less important (statistically) than the response rate and a lack of bias in selecting a sample. -.~,~ ostage and copying costs cou d be absorbed within the existing a~nunis~auve uuugej~,'~.t.the end of the year, any ove~,ages could be cover.ed through reallocation Recommend Council authorize necessary expenditures t;p to $264 for completion of the Survey. Reviewed by: City Administrator . Community DeveloP, ment Intem Finance Officer FC: 05/23/95 Copies distributed to: Park Commission