City presents first community survey: 3,000 postcards sent, 292 responses, perception gaps highlighted

Lacey’s communications manager presented the city’s first Polco community survey Tuesday, calling it a baseline tool to track public sentiment about city services, livability and priorities.

“Community survey, this is the first community survey that that we have done,” Communications Manager Ty said, describing the survey method. The city mailed 3,000 postcards to households in Lacey city limits; about 292 residents completed the survey — roughly a 10% response rate — Ty said. He reported a 95% confidence level and a 5.7% margin of error.

Polco’s results showed areas of strength and areas for attention. Mobility and public transportation rated highly, with the presentation noting “ease of travel by public transportation in Lacey is 55%,” and that free transit was a likely factor. Natural environment and parks received strong scores; Polco’s summary said nearly eight in 10 residents rated the natural environment favorably and that parks and recreation opportunities scored well.

Perceptions of safety and affordable housing were identified as focus areas. The presentation noted perceptions do not always match operational data: Ty referenced recent briefings from the police chief showing declines in some crime metrics even while feelings of safety lag. The survey also identified gaps in public engagement: respondents wanted clearer information about problems and how the city is addressing them.

Several council members raised methodological questions. Council Member Dunning criticized the survey’s margin of error and the risk of drawing policy conclusions from perceptions. Council Member Vasquez and others asked whether partial or incomplete survey responses were included and whether demographic categories were too broad. The presentation and staff responses said Polco weighted results and used standard statistical techniques; staff also noted Polco presents some demographic categories aggregated as “people of color” in the delivered dashboard, and staff said they would ask Polco about more disaggregated reporting and how many respondents used Spanish or Korean links.

Staff flagged next steps: using survey items to populate measures in the city’s DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) plan, producing a public dashboard, and repeating the survey in two years to establish trend lines. The council discussed the possibility of shorter follow‑up surveys focused on specific topics such as public safety or to reach underrepresented groups (for example, renters and younger residents). No formal action was taken at the meeting.