St. Joseph city leaders and staff to move forward with city service priorities
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Results from a city survey sent out to the public in the spring are now available, driving the City of St. Joseph to move forward with feedback-based service priorities.
The St. Joseph City Council was presented with an overview of survey findings by ETC Institute in a work session on Monday afternoon.
More than 600 citizens responded to the survey, which was sent out to 4,000 randomly selected households throughout the city.
The survey was also made available online for those who did not receive a mailed copy.
The survey asked questions ranging from satisfaction with city services to residents' perceptions about their community, economic development interests, housing needs and where they may find "go-to" information about what's going on in their local government.
Residents cited the city needing more emphasis on improving the quality of police services, the enforcement of city codes and ordinances and the effectiveness of city communication with the public.
Fire and park services were areas where those responding to the survey reported the highest levels of satisfaction.
The availability of housing, particularly affordable options and the overall appearance of the community were concerns where many expressed dissatisfaction.
The need to address homelessness, street repairs and offer more things for people of all ages to do were frequently mentioned throughout the survey.
Additionally, attracting more industry and jobs and improving Downtown amenities were two top areas where those responding to the survey said the city could expand its efforts.
The City said leaders are already discussing initiatives to address residents' top concerns.
"We plan to be transparent and accountable to our customers as we put plans into action to address the feedback we received," City Manager Mike Schumacher said in a press release. "Department directors will be reporting monthly on the progress they are making on those things the residents are telling us we should be prioritizing."
Responses came from citizens spread throughout the city, with nearly equal percentages coming from various age groups, income levels and genders.
More than 70% of those answering the survey own their homes and 72% said they have lived in St. Joseph for more than 20 years.
City Council will meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, for a planning session to set goals and objectives for improvements based on the survey results.
