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City of Anna survey shows strengths in safety, flags transportation and water as priorities
Summary
Polco presented the 2025 National Community Survey for Anna, showing high resident ratings for safety and emergency services, rising library ratings and notable declines in transportation, natural environment and overall quality of life; the scientifically valid sample was 261 completed surveys (±6% margin of error).
The City of Anna received results of the National Community Survey (NCS) on Sept. 23, 2025, showing that residents rate safety and emergency services among the city's strongest areas while rating utilities, transportation and natural environment below national benchmarks.
The survey presentation, delivered by Tobin McCreery of Polco (National Research Center) and introduced by Kimberly Monarski, assistant to the city manager, summarized the scientifically valid portion of the survey: 261 completed responses drawn from a random sample of 3,000 households, producing a margin of error of about ±6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. McCreery said an additional 588 responses were collected via a city-shared URL but were treated separately because they are not part of the random sample.
Why it matters: the council and staff said the results will guide prioritization of capital and engagement efforts as Anna grows. Several council members urged using the data to inform transportation investments, targeted outreach and clearer public communication about what roads and agencies the city controls.
Polco's presentation framed results across the survey's 10 livability facets. Key findings McCreery highlighted included: - Safety: Roughly nine in 10 residents said they feel safe in neighborhoods and downtown commercial areas during the day; fire and emergency medical services scored particularly well. - Utilities and community design: These showed the largest gaps between resident-rated importance and perceived quality; water resources rated much lower than national benchmarks, though water-resource measures trended up since 2022. - Quality of life and economic health: Both declined relative to 2022 and scored below national benchmarks, with downtown vibrancy and shopping opportunities singled out as much lower than benchmark levels. - Transportation: Ratings of traffic and travel showed steep declines, making transportation a top-priority area for many residents. - Public library services: This service showed the strongest upward trend since 2022, though it remains below national benchmarks.
McCreery described the survey methodology and recommended staff use the weighted, scientifically valid results (the 261 responses) for formal analysis while noting the larger nonrandom web responses are available in a Tableau report the city can review for broader community input. He said the city already has a Polco panel of 1,152 verified subscribers the city can poll directly for faster, topic-specific feedback.
Council members asked for follow-up items. Councilmember Singh and others asked how to access raw data and Tableau; McCreery said Polco can provide CSVs and Tableau access. Councilmember Bridal asked for possible shorter survey instruments or staged surveys to increase response rates; McCreery described tradeoffs (shorter surveys reduce depth and may require more frequent sampling to cover topics). Several council members asked staff to share survey results with boards and commissions and to develop public-facing materials (a map of city/county/TxDOT roads and a project tracker) to reduce confusion about which agency controls which roads.
Polco and staff noted historic comparisons: the presenter said the city had higher responses in 2022 (about 371 paper responses then) and that many of the declines mirror national trend patterns for perceptions of the economy.
Staff said the city will retain Polco's Tableau results and can request additional Polco services or workshops to help prioritize infrastructure and engagement actions. McCreery offered a paid workshop option and free training for the city's already-included Engage panel.
The presentation concluded with council direction to distribute the findings to boards and commissions, explore ways to increase survey response rates, and consider the transportation and utilities findings when aligning capital and communications work.
Ending: Polco's full report and interactive Tableau dashboard are available to city staff; the scientifically valid results that guided the council discussion were limited to the 261 random-sample responses (±6% margin of error). Council members encouraged residents to submit specific suggestions in writing so the council and staff can follow up on targeted items such as trails connectivity, road improvements and downtown vibrancy.
