City of Clayton consultant presents 2025 citizen survey; finds high overall satisfaction, flags streets and sidewalks as top priorities

City of Clayton officials heard a presentation of the 2025 citizen survey on May 13 from Ryan of ETC Institute, who said the firm completed 403 surveys and found Clayton’s residents report high overall satisfaction but identified maintenance of streets, sidewalks and perceived value for taxes as the primary improvement opportunities. "We conducted and completed 403 surveys to give us a margin of error just below 5% at about 4.7% at the 95% level of confidence," Ryan told the board.

The survey matters because it is used by city staff and elected officials to prioritize capital projects and communications. Ryan said Clayton’s results remain “extremely positive” compared with regional and national databases, but that recent national trends showing declines in perceived value for taxes and some development-related satisfaction also appear in Clayton. He told the board that, despite the declines, Clayton still rates above Plains-region and U.S. averages on most perception measures.

Most important findings and context: Ryan said the random-sample…