Survey finds high marks for parks, library and public safety; council eyes strategy, revenue stability and waterfront progress

St. Helens staff presented the results of a community input survey during a Jan. 31 council workshop and used the responses as the basis for a strategy workshop that prioritized revenue stability, waterfront development and improving council-staff trust.

City communications staff said the survey was the third iteration (previous cycles in 2020 and 2021–22). They reported 256 responses to the recent survey, with distribution through the city newsletter, boosted social media posts and a city webpage link. The survey sample skewed toward longer-term residents and heavy users of parks and trails.

Survey results showed consistently high satisfaction with public safety services, parks and the library. "Our respondents gave the library and parks very high marks," the facilitator said during the presentation. Staff noted increased library use post-pandemic and a rise in park and trail participation.

Areas with lower satisfaction in the survey included economic development and citywide communications about roles and responsibilities. Councilors said that gap feeds broader community concerns and complicates recruitment and retention of local businesses. "If there's a systemic issue, that's an opportunity for coaching with a department head," a staff member said when discussing anonymous employee sentiment surveys as a management tool.

Following the survey briefing, councilors and staff held a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) exercise. Participants listed internal strengths such as a skilled and adaptable staff, available industrial land and supportive facilities. The assembled group classified low staff morale, inconsistent written personnel evaluations and a lack of trust between some residents and the city as key internal weaknesses.

Opportunities the group prioritized included revenue stabilization through new development and system development charges, grant-seeking, improved emergency preparedness and collaboration with community partners. Top external threats identified were aging infrastructure capacity, uncertain federal and state funding streams and the spread of misinformation about city authority and services.

From the dot-voting exercise that followed the SWOT, the council and staff highlighted three near-term priorities: revenue stability (including support for industrial and waterfront development), firming up staff evaluations and training, and more deliberate council-staff team-building and communication strategies. Council members directed staff to return specific tactics for those priorities, including timelines for annual evaluations and options for improving public outreach.

Ending — Staff said they will prepare follow-up materials and draft action steps on the priorities identified; no formal decisions were taken at the workshop.