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Germantown commission to draft short business survey to identify workforce and housing needs
Summary
The Germantown Economic Development Commission voted to develop a concise business survey to gather input on workforce, housing for employees and local services, and assigned two members to draft the questionnaire for review by the planning commission and the EDC.
The Germantown Economic Development Commission on June 9 agreed to develop a short, focused business survey to gauge local employers’ needs on workforce, housing and municipal services, and asked two members to draft the questionnaire for the commission’s review.
The chair said the aim is a simple instrument that produces actionable results within a short timeframe so the EDC can present recommendations to the planning commission and the village board. "How do you get something going to get traction? Don't do too much, but get something out there," the chair said.
Commissioners discussed using the City of Eagan’s recent outreach as an example and agreed a brief survey — three to five core questions with one open-ended field — would be more likely to generate responses than a long questionnaire. "I like 3 to 5, and I can do it in less than 5," one commissioner said, urging the group to prioritize ease and speed for respondents.
The commission debated distribution and analytics channels: outbound email lists, hosting the form on the village and chamber websites, QR codes on paper handouts, and placing a link at the planning counter. Several members suggested using a platform such as SurveyMonkey or hiring a consultant to compile and analyze results if the commission can secure funds or staff hours to do so.
Members raised follow-up responsibilities for respondents who leave contact information and whether planning staff or the Economic Development & Workforce Consortium (EDWC) could provide hours to support administration. The chair said he will speak with the village board president and attempt to place the draft survey or a request for guidance on the planning commission agenda (planning commission meets July 10) so the EDC can return with direction at its July 14 meeting.
The commission did not adopt a final survey at the meeting but named two members to work on an initial draft to bring back to the commission. The chair said the commission will use the draft and any planning-commission guidance to refine distribution, analytics and follow-up plans ahead of subsequent outreach efforts.
