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Council previews resident survey: residents praise parks, library, safety; parking and code enforcement lag
Summary
City staff presented preliminary results of the 2025 resident survey showing strong approval for parks, trails and public safety, and lower marks for parking, code enforcement and some customer-service access questions. Staff cautioned results are preliminary and promised a finalized report and disaggregated data for planning.
City staff presented a preliminary analysis of the 2025 resident survey at the April 22 meeting, saying the data are an early, unweighted look intended to guide council discussion rather than produce definitive, distributable findings.
Staff said responses generally tracked closely with the previous year: high satisfaction with parks, trails, library services and public safety; lower satisfaction on parking availability downtown, code enforcement responsiveness and condition of some streets. The survey used a randomized postcard invitation and an entry code to limit responses to a representative sample; staff warned that the draft results should be interpreted cautiously until the data are finalized and weighted to match demographic groups.
Deputy and department staff noted a few action points the council might pursue in strategic planning and budgeting. Eric (staff who ran the analysis) told the council that younger adults were less likely to use the library and that transit ridership skewed to students and lower‑income households; staff suggested these gaps could inform outreach or program adjustments. Multiple council members said the findings should be folded into budget and strategic discussions as the council sets priorities for the next fiscal year.
Council Member Schoen said the survey gives a useful, broader perspective beyond the complaints that arrive by phone or email. Council Member Brewster cautioned that repeated mid-year requests for one-time funds could erode the city’s ability to invest in upstream housing solutions, while Council Member Worthman said the flexible housing CIP had been intentionally designed to respond to changing local needs.
Staff committed to provide the council with a finalized report, narrative comments collected from respondents, and disaggregated results by age, income and neighborhood for use in the strategic-planning process.
Why this matters
A resident survey provides a baseline of public opinion about city services and priorities and can be used to inform budget trade-offs and strategic planning. Staff advised the council not to treat the preliminary slides as final and promised a more complete report that will include weighting and subgroup analysis.
