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Ellensburg survey: residents rate safety highest and report low influence in local decisions
Summary
A city-commissioned community survey presented June 1 found safety and reliable police response ranked highest among priorities, while residents report low ability to influence local decision-making; staff will return with a strategic vision informed by the results.
Ellensburg City Manager Heidi Baron Sernaway introduced a presentation of a community survey at the June 1 study session and said the results will inform the city’s strategic vision and budget planning.
The presentation, delivered by the researcher introduced as Dr. Carl, said the online survey gathered 324 responses over about a month and that the sample aligns closely with the 2020 census on many demographic measures. Dr. Carl noted seven respondents identified as non-residents and that 106 participants did not state an ethnicity; he advised treating results with demographic caveats even while calling the sample sufficient for many comparisons.
"The ultimate bottom line up front is that it's interesting how much the community wants to be heard and how much they want to be a part of decision making," Dr. Carl said, summarizing a recurring theme across question groups.
On priority questions converted from a Likert scale, community safety and "reliable response of police services" ranked highest. When asked to select current concerns, respondents placed school safety (including bullying and related threats) at the top, followed by drug abuse and gang activity. Dr. Carl said this is the first year school safety ranked above those other categories.
Satisfaction measures showed strengths and gaps. Access to daily essentials and library materials scored highly, while parking in the downtown area and some parks maintenance drew the lowest satisfaction ratings. Council members raised the pool and park equipment maintenance as specific local concerns reflected in open responses.
The survey also showed a divergence of views on diversity, equity and inclusion: Dr. Carl described DEI responses as bimodal, with many respondents rating it very important while others rated it unimportant. He cautioned that some lower-ranked items, such as "traffic calming," may reflect limited public familiarity with technical terms rather than lack of concern about traffic and pedestrian safety.
On communications, email and the city website were cited as preferred ways to contact officials, while social media was widely used to stay informed but less relied on for direct communication with staff. The presenter recommended combining push (social media) and pull (website) strategies, noting the city's limited staff capacity to operate extensive social-media programs.
City Manager Heidi Baron Sernaway told council members staff will bring back a refined strategic vision that aligns with the survey findings for the council’s next meeting. When asked about cadence, committee members were told the city aims to repeat the survey at least biannually, and possibly annually, to track trends.
The study session paused to reconvene for the regular meeting at 7:00 p.m.
