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Marion staff seek council input on National Community Survey questions and timing
Summary
City staff proposed running the National Research Center’s community survey with a 3,000‑person random sample and additional open participation; staff recommended retaining core trend questions, adding two prior custom questions and considering separate online tools for big topics like the aquatic center.
City staff told Marion City Council they plan to run the National Research Center’s National Community Survey, inviting a 3,000‑person random sample and later opening participation to all residents. Amber said the survey preserves trend comparability by keeping core questions year‑to‑year while allowing 2–4 custom questions; she recommended carrying forward two prior custom questions about information channels and willingness to support tax/fee increases for services with two edits based on staff feedback.
Councilors questioned whether school items belong in a municipal survey and whether the aquatic center warrants more than a single question. Amber recommended using the survey vendor’s online tool for a stand‑alone aquatic center survey because the main instrument has limited space. Council members also discussed whether to retain only the random‑sample results for trend analysis and confirmed that the two datasets (random sample and open online responses) are kept separate by the vendor.
Staff said they will finalize the custom questions with council input and return the survey for launch; Amber offered to follow up on the historical inclusion of school questions and on exact question wording.
