by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
Most Sartell residents appear to be very satisfied with city services and even more of them feel they are safe living in the city, according to survey results recently released by the city’s planning department.
There were some slight disappointments noted, however, in the areas of satisfaction with street conditions, snowplowing and recreational offerings.
Although the 2013 survey was not scientific, it still gives an indication of what residents like – at least the 194 who decided to take the survey either online or on paper. It is the third such survey in three years. The surveys give city staff and department heads some idea of where they can make improvements to city services.
There were nine questions on the survey. In each, a hefty majority of respondents checked with “Excellent” or “Good.” Small percentages of people checked “Fair,” “Poor” or “Don’t Know.”
The highest number of respondents (138 of the 194 who responded) noted they feel “Very Safe” in Sartell while 55 stated they feel “Safe,” one feels “somewhat safe” and nobody checked the boxes for “Very Unsafe” and “Don’t Know.” The question responses about safety jibe very well with how respondents answered that same question in 2011 and in 2012.
The three questions that elicited quite a few “Fair” responses were these:
1. “How would you rate the overall quality of snowplowing on city streets?”
Thirty-nine people answered “Excellent,” 94 checked “Good,” 37 noted “Fair” and 26 chose “Poor.”
2. How would you rate the overall condition of city streets?
Only 15 people chose “Excellent,” but 89 were quite pleased, noting “Good.” Sixty-nine respondents, however, chose “Fair” and 19 selected “Poor.”
3. How would you rate the overall quality of city recreational programs and facilities (e.g. parks, park facilities, trails, etc.)
While most chose “Excellent” (79) or “Good” (89), 20 people marked the “Fair” box, and 5 marked the “Poor” box.
Here are the other questions and respondents’ answers on the survey.
How would you rate the overall appearance of the city?
“Excellent,” 62; “Good,” 117; “Fair,” 15.”
How would you rate the overall quality of fire protection in the city?
“Excellent,” 112; “Good,” 51, “Fair,” 3.
How would you rate the overall condition of the city?”
“Excellent,” 15; “Good,” 89,” “Fair,” 69; “Poor,” 19
How would you rate the dependability and overall quality of sanitary-sewer service?
“Excellent,” 90; “Good,” 87; “Fair,” 5.
How would you rate the dependability and overall quality of the water supply?
“Excellent,” 86; Good, 81; Fair, “21”; “Poor,” 4.
How would you rate the overall quality of services provided by the city?
“Excellent,” 58, “Good,” 117, “Fair,” 17.
The 2013 answers jibed, more than less, with the same questions asked in 2011 and 2012. There were 100 respondents answering the 2011 survey, and 339 who answered the questions on the 2012 survey.
