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University City residents report higher satisfaction in 2025 survey; streets and code enforcement flagged as top improvement areas
Summary
ETC Institute reported 604 completed surveys (margin of error ~4%) showing overall increases in resident satisfaction and that University City outperformed regional and national benchmarks; maintenance of city streets and code enforcement were identified as the highest priorities for improvement.
University City officials heard results of a citywide satisfaction survey at a Jan. 26, 2026 study session, where consultant Ryan Murray of ETC Institute said the 2025 instrument returned 604 completed surveys and a margin of error of about 4%.
“604 completed surveys, which gives us a margin of error of 4%,” Murray said, describing how the sample was drawn from a purchased residential-address list and weighted against American Community Survey benchmarks to ensure demographic representativeness. He said the survey is intended to give an objective assessment that helps set priorities and compare University City to regional and national peers.
Murray told the council that overall perceptions of University City rose in 2025 and that the city outperformed both regional and national benchmarks on numerous measures, including quality of life and value received for tax dollars. He identified three recurring “opportunities for improvement”: maintenance of city streets, enforcement of city codes and ordinances, and parks and recreation, noting that streets and code enforcement ranked highest on an importance-satisfaction analysis.
The consultant also flagged a decline in the effectiveness of some communication channels between 2023 and 2025. “Most of the declines were associated with the effectiveness of various communication channels,” Murray said, pointing to modest drops in the city newsletter and website and a sharper decline on Nextdoor.
During questions, Council Member Clay pressed Murray on what high-performing communities do about streets; Murray said capital investments (for example, bonds or sales-tax measures) combined with clear, visible communication to residents—signs, newsletters and neighborhood liaisons—are common tactics. Council Member Mcclelay asked Murray to return more detail on the communications slide (page 14) so staff could study channel-specific declines.
Murray also reported public support levels for a hypothetical quarter-cent sales tax to expand paramedic services: roughly 68.7% said they were generally supportive, while about 31.3% were not supportive or neutral. He cautioned that the survey sampled the full community and recommended additional likely-voter polling if the city pursues a ballot measure.
City Manager Mr. Rose and staff thanked Murray for the presentation and said they would use the results to inform priorities and communications. The council paused the meeting for a brief recess after the presentation; no formal vote or policy decision on survey-driven measures was taken that night.
