Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Survey topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Polco: Rochester'survey shows strong safety ratings, mixed trends in quality of life
Summary
Polco presented Rochester's 2024 National Community Survey: 633 mail-based responses (16% response) showed safety and employment ratings above national benchmarks, some declines in overall quality of life versus 2022, and local questions showing strong preference for outdoor playgrounds in a new sports complex.
Brandon Barnett of Polco presented Rochester's 2024 National Community Survey results at the Feb. 24 study session, saying the city received 633 completed responses from a randomized mail sample (4,200 addresses) for a 16% response rate and a margin of error of about — percentage points. An additional open participation survey collected 493 responses that Polco reported separately.
The headline findings: safety remains strong in Rochester, with roughly nine in 10 residents reporting they feel very or somewhat safe in their neighborhoods and downtown during the day. Barnett said several governance items also improved since 2022, including perceptions that the city is "open and transparent" and that government honesty edged up.
On economic and livability metrics, Rochester scored above the national benchmark for employment opportunities and many economy-related items, while perceptions of Rochester as a place to visit and some aspects of vibrancy trailed national averages. Comparing 2024 to Rochester's 2022 survey, Barnett reported 32 items scored statistically significantly higher, 82 similar, and nine lower.
Polco also highlighted locally tailored questions: for a proposed new sports and recreation complex, residents ranked an outdoor playground and flexible community space among the top amenities; in library use questions, only 3% reported daily use while better parking and increased digital resources were the top items residents said would increase library utilization.
Council members asked about an observed gap between how important inclusivity and engagement are to residents and how they rated the city's performance on those items. Barnett said Rochester's scores are similar to national benchmarks and encouraged council members to use the online portal to drill into cross-tabbed demographic data. "These benchmark results can be found in a table in the online report," he told the council, and he offered to provide crosstabs for demographic breakdowns.
What happens next: Barnett and Polco staff said the full report and online dashboards will be made available (Polco hosts the portal) and recommended the council use survey findings to inform strategic planning and budget priorities; city staff flagged March 24 as a follow-up strategic planning session.
Provenance: presentation and Q&A appear in the Feb. 24 study-session transcript (Polco presentation and council Q&A).
