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Commissioners split over length and purpose of proposed county survey for the strategic plan
Summary
Staff presented a proposed 400-response telephone survey that retains historical trend questions and adds new items tied to the strategic plan. Commissioners were divided: some want shorter, targeted questions or rely on constituent knowledge; others favor keeping trend continuity. Staff explained sampling and demographic-balancing methods.
Staff outlined a vendor-run telephone survey (FRA) that would collect 400 responses and preserve trend data from prior surveys while adding roughly 23 new questions tied to the strategic plan’s goals.
Supporters said the survey provides baseline trend data and helps the board judge alignment between the plan and resident priorities. Detractors said the instrument is long, risks low response, and may yield answers the board already knows; several commissioners favored a shorter, more targeted instrument or relying on commissioners’ direct outreach to constituents. Staff explained methods to ensure demographic representation, including frontloading outreach to younger respondents and capping responses from over-represented groups during the field period.
There was no board vote; staff were instructed to proceed with the survey work and return with cost, final question wording, and analysis plans. Commissioners asked that the board be shown how results will be used to validate or adjust plan priorities before final plan adoption.
What happens next: staff will field the survey as planned, monitor sample composition in real time, and return to the board with results and an explanation of use cases for the data.
