Laserfiche WebLink
Councilmember Riley agreed. <br />Councilmember Backous stated it is difficult to know what experiences they are responding to <br />with those answers. <br />Councilmember Johns stated it is good to have a benchmark, a place from which to start, and to <br />structure planning around that data. She stated she is delighted to have this survey data. <br />Asst. City Administrator /Economic Development Manager Brama stated it is helpful when you <br />see a mark for Ramsey at `fair' when you look at the national trends and see it is consistent, such <br />as Code enforcement or fire protection. He noted that having this comparison data might result <br />in different responses with the Council. <br />Mayor Strommen stated she is glad this survey was conducted with a statistical method because <br />it provides data that can be used. She encouraged presenting this information to all of the City's <br />Boards and Commissions so all can `keep a pulse' on where the community is at and what <br />should be worked on. She agreed it will aid in strategic planning and other initiatives and in <br />looking at how communications are used. Mayor Strommen noted that simple things like the lost <br />dog piece the Police Department has on Facebook is a brilliant way to create a sense of <br />community. She stated there are other low -cost ways to create community that should be <br />considered and she would support reviewing this data on occasion. <br />Councilmember Riley stated when he reviewed this data and the households that have children, <br />his wife had questioned the answer, but the census showed it was correct within one percent, <br />validating its accuracy. <br />Asst. City Administrator /Economic Development Manager Brama stated that staff does <br />performance reviews annually on police and fire response times, election results, snow plowing, <br />and a number of other items, which will also create trending data. <br />Mayor Strommen asked about the balanced scorecard. <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated the qualitative data was missing to support resident's opinions <br />about the services they were receiving. He explained the response time data is an important <br />piece for the balanced scorecard but is still missing from Anoka County and may not be available <br />for another year. <br />Councilmember Backous asked if goals will be set in broad categories for these data points. He <br />also asked if benchmarks will be established. Councilmember Backous stated he was surprised <br />about the response to fitness opportunities because the City has many trails and parks. He <br />suggested that perhaps an education piece is needed so residents are aware of those existing <br />opportunities. <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that is exactly what this information will be used for, to set <br />benchmarks and establish goals. <br />City Council Work Session / November 12, 2014 <br />Page 6 of 9 <br />