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Polco community survey: Cottage Grove residents rate economy important but see room to improve
Summary
A Polco survey of 3,000 households produced 483 completed responses (16% response rate). Residents ranked the economy and utilities among the highest priorities for city focus; many respondents said they want a greater variety of businesses.
City consultants presented results of a Polco National Community Survey at the June 17 EDA meeting, reporting responses from 483 completed questionnaires (a 16% response rate) from a 3,000‑address probability sample.
Phil, the consultant presenting the results, said mailings began March 20, 2025, and the survey remained open six weeks; the survey was available in English and Spanish. Polco’s methodology compares results to a national benchmark of participating communities and categorizes differences as “higher,” “similar” or “lower” when the gap is at least 10 percentage points.
Key findings presented to the EDA included that 86% of respondents rated the local economy as an important area of focus over the next two years, while roughly 54% rated the current economic conditions positively. Residents rated the variety of businesses and the city as a place to visit lower than national benchmarks, and open‑ended responses emphasized a desire for more business variety, including restaurants and retail options.
Phil pointed to the survey’s gap analysis — a chart comparing importance to perceived quality — that highlighted the economy, utilities and community design as areas where residents see significant gaps between importance and current quality. The consultant also reported that 34% of respondents said they are satisfied with the current level of taxes, 32% said they pay too much for the level of service, and 11% said they would be willing to pay more for more services.
EDA members asked about the vendor and methodology. Vice President Will Olson and others praised Polco’s benchmarking approach; Phil said the vendor is used by hundreds of communities and that the results — including verbatim open‑ended responses — are available to staff for further analysis.
Staff said the survey results will inform priorities during the budget and levy process and help the EDA and council align resources with resident priorities.
