Agenda - Council Work Session - 05/18/2021 - Special

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Highlights Resident ratings of the livability of Ramsey remain positive and stable over time. About 8 in 10 residents gave excellent or good ratings to Ramsey as a place to live and the overall quality of life in the city, while 9 in 10 were pleased with Ramsey as a place to raise children. Eight in 10 residents would recommend living in Ramsey to someone who asked and planned to remain in Ramsey for the next five years. At least 9 in 10 residents gave positive ratings to the overall image or reputation of Ramsey and the overall feeling of safety in the city. These ratings were similar to those given in other communities across the nation and in communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin with populations similar to Ramsey's. The Economy is a resident priority and also a community feature. Ramsey residents rated the facet of Economy as relatively higher than the median in importance and lower than the median in quality when compared to ratings for other facets of community livability, thus highlighting this as an area of focus for the City. Ratings for Economy in Ramsey tended to be similar to or lower than the national benchmarks. About 6 in 10 residents gave excellent or good ratings to the overall economic health of Ramsey, while about half gave favorable scores to Ramsey as a place to work, the overall quality of business and service establishments in the City, and cost of living. Only about 1 in 3 respondents gave positive marks to Ramsey as a place to visit, the variety of business and service establishments in Ramsey, vibrant downtown/commercial area, and employment opportunities. Finally, when asked about important priorities for the City to focus on in the next five years, 91% of respondents thought that creating financial stability for the City was essential or very important. Government performance ratings remain positive and stable, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is notable that residents' ratings for aspects of Ramsey government performance have largely remained stable since the previous survey iteration in 2018. Roughly half of residents gave excellent or good ratings to the job Ramsey government does at welcoming resident involvement, overall confidence in City government, generally acting in the best interest of the community, being honest, and being open and transparent to the public; these ratings were on par with those given elsewhere across the country. Two-thirds of residents gave favorable marks to public information services, while 8 in 10 were pleased with the overall customer service by Ramsey employees. Parks and the Natural Environment are community features, with residents supporting improvements to these amenities. About 8 in 10 residents gave excellent or good ratings to the overall quality of the natural environment in Ramsey, the cleanliness of the city, overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities, City parks, and the availability of paths and walking trails (which was rated higher than the national benchmark). Nine in 10 respondents were pleased with air quality. When asked to rate their level of support for potential changes to new or existing amenities related to parks and recreation, 8 in 10 residents indicated support for making improvements to existing/established parks and existing trails; roughly 7 in 10 supported building new parks or new trails. Finally, when thinking about the importance of various priorities for the City to address, two-thirds thought it was essential or very important to create an active community around parks, trails, open space, and recreation...