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Survey shows high satisfaction with public safety and parks but water quality flagged; council readies April strategic-plan workshop
Summary
Staff reported a 41% drop in survey responses (268 total), strong satisfaction for police and parks, and water quality as the top resident priority. Council discussed using the results to guide a strategic-plan workshop scheduled for April 13 and debated tactics to increase survey participation and target communications.
Jeremy (staff member) presented the village’s biennial community survey comparison and a status update on the 2025–26 strategic plan. He said the village received 268 responses in 2026—41% fewer than the prior survey—which produces an estimated margin of error of roughly 6–7%. Jeremy cautioned that lower response rates increase uncertainty but said staff preserved comparable question wording to enable trend analysis.
Why it matters: Survey results help set council priorities and shape capital and communications decisions. Staff recommended relying on the findings to reinforce high-performing services (police, fire, parks) and to target communications and capital investments where resident confidence is weaker (water quality, sidewalks, stormwater).
Survey highlights staff relayed: police and fire services remained highly rated (police satisfaction in the high 80s–90s percentiles; fire service in the high 80s); parks and recreation ratings increased slightly; water‑system satisfaction declined by several points but remained above 80% overall, while water quality emerged as residents’ top five priorities. Staff recommended messaging about water‑system performance paired with continued infrastructure investment.
The council discussed ways to increase participation for future surveys, including targeted outreach at events, raffle incentives, and stronger messaging about why resident input matters. Public commenter Miss Watkins noted that residents sometimes conflate construction disruption with water‑quality concerns, and she urged staff to tailor questions and outreach accordingly.
Strategic plan update: Staff reported the plan includes 17 initiatives and 68 action items (18% complete, 38% on track, 24% not started, 13% minor disruption, 7% major disruption). Key fiscal takeaways: the village will lose approximately $650,000 per year from the conclusion of a prior infrastructure tax and has allocated $135,000 from the utility‑tax portion toward stormwater projects; staff said they will prioritize pay‑go funding and build reserves where possible.
Next steps: Council scheduled a strategic‑plan workshop for April 13 to align capital priorities and consider survey-informed strategies. Staff will return with refined public‑engagement plans to boost future survey response rates.
Ending: No action items were adopted at the workshop; council and staff agreed to use the survey results to guide the April strategic‑plan session.
