Timnath survey: residents rate town highly; planning, traffic and parks emerge as priorities

A consultant for ETC presented the results of Timnath’s 2025 community survey to the Town Council on June 10, saying 622 residents completed the survey and the margin of sampling error is ±3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

The survey found high overall satisfaction: 95% of respondents rated Timnath as an excellent or good place to live and 93% rated it as an excellent or good place to raise children, Derek Harvey, project manager for ETC, told the council. Harvey said the town scored above regional and national benchmarks in most categories.

But the report also highlighted three priority areas the firm recommended the town address: the overall quality of planning, building and development review; the overall flow of traffic on town streets; and parks and recreation, which was both highly important to residents and already highly rated. Harvey said the firm combined “importance” and “satisfaction” responses to derive priorities, so services that are very important but lower in satisfaction surface as highest priority.

Town Manager Aaron Adams told the council staff takes the survey results seriously and will use the findings to help set priorities. Council members praised staff and the police for high ratings and said the survey will inform several ongoing efforts, including a comprehensive plan update and the town’s traffic master plan.

Council members and staff discussed the relatively low score for the perceived value of taxes. Council members noted that residents see a single property tax bill that includes multiple taxing entities (metro districts, school districts and others) and that Timnath’s share of property taxes is small; several members said this could be an education issue rather than strictly a service-quality issue.

The consultant also reported on perceptions of Old Town Timnath: 28% rated the downtown as very good or good, 25% were neutral and 45% rated it very poor or poor; but 81% of respondents said they would support the town allocating funds and staff time to revitalize Old Town. Harvey reported 39% of respondents visit Old Town a few times a year and 21% visit weekly.

Harvey summarized the survey methods: a random sample of residential addresses inside town limits, mailed invitations plus phone and online options, and follow-ups by text, email and social media. The presentation noted the survey was benchmarked against regional and national data.

Council members and staff said they will post the full report online and use it to guide decisions, including whether to place ballot measures and how to prioritize planning and traffic work. No formal action or vote was required of the council on the survey presentation.

The presentation was part of the council’s regular business and drew questions from multiple council members about how the town will respond to the highlighted priorities.