Erie council approves shortened townwide special‑topic survey after edits and a friendly amendment

The Erie Town Council approved a town‑wide special‑topic survey after councilors and consultants worked through two study sessions and edits intended to shorten and simplify the questionnaire.

Council Member Hoback explained she had expected the item would be on the consent agenda but pulled it so the public and council could comment on substantive changes made after multiple study sessions and a focused meeting with consultants. Council members described edits that removed roughly eight questions, including some intended to educate the public about community policing (COPs).

Council Member Rivera said she had advocated to retain an education question about COPs but that the consultant and council ultimately agreed the information would be captured elsewhere and that the question’s length risked survey drop‑off. The council added a friendly amendment requiring that any question removed from the survey must come back to council for approval. Council also requested a minor wording tweak to rename a generic entry as the “Town of Erie History Museum.”

Mayor moved, council seconded, and the motion to approve the survey as amended carried by voice vote. Staff said the survey will be mailed or distributed broadly and the council requested clear instructions for respondents so individual items are not perceived as rankings of incomparable services.

Next steps: staff will finalize the survey wording, incorporate the agreed amendment and distribute the instrument to residents as scheduled.