Ramsey Resident - 2021 - July/August

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Conclusions Resident ratings of the livability of Ramsey remain positive and stable over time. Eighty percent of residents rank Ramsey as an excellent or good place to live which remained con- sistent from the previous survey conducted in 2018. Eighty-one percent of residents would recommend living in Ramsey to someone who asked and 82 percent planned to remain in Ramsey for the next five years. Six in ten residents gave positive ratings to the overall image or reputation of Ramsey and 86 per- cent felt safe in the City overall. 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 remains a resident priority and 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 ofliving. 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. Government performance ratings remain positive and stable during the pandemic. It is notable that residents' ratings for aspects of Ramsey government performance have largely re- mained stable since 2018. Roughly half of residents gave excellent or good ratings to the job Ramsey gov- ernment 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 high marks to public information services, while 8 in 10 were pleased with the customer service by Ramsey employees. Parks and the Natural Environment are community features; residents support improvements. 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 ofparks and recreation opportunities, City parks and the availability of paths and walking trails (which was rated higher than the national benchmark). Nine in ten 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 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. The results and content featured in this article were provided by The National Research Center (NRC). National Citizen Survey (NCS). Photo by: Leo Majewski Ramsey Resident • July/August • 2021