Agenda - Planning Commission - 12/04/2014

Home

Strategies to Improve Communities Ratings of Snow Removal Service Compared by Year years prior to current Average rating (0=poor, 33=fair, 66=good, 100=excellent) Current -2 -3 -5 -6 -8 -10 Snow removal on major streets 64 69 67 62 65 65 63 61 Although ratings for snow removal in other places were, on average, not as good as Longmont's ratings, Longmont managers wondered if residents' perspectives about snow removal were influenced by widespread disagreement with snow removal policy. In the policy exploration survey following the "current" year of the general survey, National Research Center asked residents about the policy that might have the biggest impact on overall ratings of snow removal. Given that big storms tend to most influence ratings of snow removal, the question asked if residents supported or opposed the policy of forbidding parking on plow routes during a snow emergency. To what extent do you agree or disagree that during a declared snow emergency, the City of Longmont should implement and enforce a no parking policy along the approved snow plow routes in order to more efficiently plow the streets? Percent Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Total 65% 28% 4% 2% 100% The vast majority of residents supported the policy, so no change has been planned. Although discovery that residents support the no -parking policy is unlikely to raise ratings, had policy makers unilaterally rescinded the policy and permitted parking on plow routes during big snow storms, those above average ratings likely would not have sustained For years, residents had been giving strong ratings to the overall quality of life in Longmont. City management and elected officials were interested in understanding what components of the community influenced those ratings. So following the biennial general citizen survey, the exploration survey sought deeper insight into community quality of life. How would you rate your overall quality of life in Longmont? Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 21% 59% 18% 2% 100% In a question without response options, residents, in their own words, offered what they found to be most © 2014, National Research Center, Inc. appealing about life in Longmont. Results were as follows: Location Quality of life in general Affordable cost of living Close to family/friends Natural environment Recreational opportunities Close to work My neighbors/neighborhood Sense of community Dining opportunities Schools Downtown Longmont Shopping Other 52% - 48% 48% 46% 40% 39% 39% 38% 31% 28% 24% 17% 16% By learning what mattered most to residents of the community, local leaders are able to protect what seems to keep Longmont attractive — e.g. affordability and the environment — and to build on those aspects of community that may not yet be reasons to love life there (e.g. shopping and the downtown). Performance Measurement Most government performance measurement systems collect and report data that already reside in administrative filing cabinets and on file servers. Beyond the use of these "hard" measures, the assessment of relative performance success should also include residents' attitudes about the delivery of services and the qualities of the community that are meant to improve (in part) because of great services. Along with crime rates or road repair, assessments should include residents' evaluations of the effectiveness of local policing and the quality of community mobility. Going beyond administrative records to track performance tells local leaders how well a city or county is meeting its vision of success. The same survey that assessed community strengths and needs can be used to reevaluate a community at a later date. The NCS and other broad citizen surveys are intended not only to serve as a community needs assessment but also as a systematic performance monitoring tool. Many communities now use survey results in their performance measurement systems. The City of Westminster, Colorado and the City of Littleton, Colorado are great examples of Page 22