Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/08/2014

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Participation Are the residents of Carlton connected to the community and each other? The sense of community in Carlton was similar to other communities across the nation with about two- thirds of survey respondents rating it as "excellent" or "good." About three - quarters of respondents were "very" or "somewhat" likely to recommend living in Carlton to someone who asks (similar to the national benchmark) and to remain in Carlton for the next five years (higher than the national benchmark). Also, about half of respondents had reached out to the City for help or information, a proportion that was lower in Carlton than in its national peers. The survey included over 3o activities and behaviors that respondents indicated how often they participated in or performed each, if at all. Overall, for the 18 activities for which benchmark comparisons were available, Carlton residents tended to participate in these various activities at rates similar to or lower than residents in other communities across the country. In the area of Community Engagement, about one - quarter of respondents had attended or watched a local public meeting, a proportion that was higher in Carlton than in other communities. However, fewer respondents in Carlton than in other U.S. communities had participated in other Community Engagement activities such as volunteering, talking with neighbors or voting in local elections. While the proportion of residents who had visited a City park was similar to that of other communities (about 3o %), compared to the national benchmark fewer residents in Carlton took advantage of other Recreation and Wellness activities such as using recreation centers (15% of respondents) or public libraries (21 %). The percent of Carlton residents who reported Excellent themselves as being in "excellent" or "very good" health (69 %) was similar to 19% the national benchmark. Good Survey respondents exhibited lower than average engagement in the area of 45% the Natural Environment. Less than 6 in io respondents "sometimes" or "always" recycled at home, a rate that was lower in Carlton than in other communities across the nation. About one -third of respondents had conserved water or made their homes more energy efficient in the past 12 months; benchmark comparisons for these two activities were not available. Poor 8% Sense of Community Fair 28% Percent rating positively Comparison to national (e.g., very /somewhat likely, benchmark yes) • Higher •Similar Lower Not available 76% 78% 49% Recommend Carlton Remain in Carlton Contacted Carlton employees