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Survey: 83% of respondents satisfied with Sterling Heights as a place to live; waste collection and traffic rank top priorities
Summary
ETC Institute presented a citywide resident survey showing 83% satisfaction with Sterling Heights as a place to live and identified top resident priorities including refuse/recycling, traffic congestion and enforcement of local traffic laws. The council will receive the full report and discuss actions at strategic planning.
ETC Institute presented the city of Sterling Heights’ statistically valid resident survey to the city council, reporting high overall satisfaction and a list of priorities councilors can use to set policy. "Eighty-three percent of respondents are satisfied with Sterling Heights as a place to live," Jason Marado, director of community research at ETC Institute, told the council.
The survey, completed this past summer and based on 522 returned questionnaires, has a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±4.3 percentage points, Marado said. Compared with national benchmarks, Sterling Heights rated above the U.S. average in 39 of 41 measured areas, notably scoring well for the overall quality of city services and value received for taxes and fees.
Marado flagged several top priorities that emerged from an "importance‑satisfaction" analysis: refuse, recycling and yard‑waste collection; traffic flow and congestion; enforcement of local traffic laws and police visibility; and residential property maintenance issues such as litter pick‑up and enforcement of mowing and trimming ordinances. He also noted declines since 2021 in some categories, including perceptions of animal control and value for tax dollars, though those ratings remain above national averages.
City Manager Mark Vanderpool told council members the full report will be included in the Thursday packet and said staff will present an action plan and follow-up items at the strategic planning session. "This survey is our scorecard — we'll use it to keep building on our successes and address areas for improvement," he said.
Council members thanked ETC for the presentation and asked follow‑up questions about demographic weighting, timelines for action, and how the results will inform capital and service priorities. The council did not take policy action at the meeting; Vanderpool said specific proposals arising from the survey will be discussed at the January strategic planning session.
