Missoula County launches community survey, offers $50 gift-card prize

Missoula County officials on Oct. 22 urged residents and advisory-board members to complete newly launched surveys aimed at improving public engagement and recruitment for advisory boards.

Alicia (Access and Engagement Coordinator for Missoula County) and Eva Warmitz, an intern in the county’s risk and benefits office, said the county is running two related surveys: one directed at board and committee members and a community version designed for residents to describe barriers to participation and suggest outreach methods. Eva said the advisory-board survey "will be closing this Friday," and Alicia confirmed the community survey opened Oct. 14 and "we'll plan to close it on November 14." Both surveys include entries for two $50 gift-card drawings.

County staff asked community councils to share the community survey with neighborhood networks and promised to post links in the meeting chat and follow up by email. Alicia told the meeting the board-member questionnaire was sent by staffer Maddie and that the county has already received more than 100 responses on the board survey.

The surveys ask respondents about preferred outreach methods such as community events and newsletters and seek ideas for reducing barriers to advisory-board service. County staff said they will use responses to improve recruitment and the functioning of advisory boards.

Alicia and Warmitz invited attendees to submit questions by email and to share the community-survey link with their neighborhoods.