Clayton Receives Positive Responses Survey
The City set nine new high standards in citizen survey results
April 14, 2009
The City of Clayton, recognized locally and nationally for its exceptional level of services, responsive government
and active and involved citizenry, received a glowing reaction to the citizen satisfaction survey conducted earlier this year.
The City conducted the survey with assistance from ETC Institute from Olathe, Kansas. ETC Institute is recognized as a national leader in the design and administration of market research for local governments in 46 states and ETC’s benchmarking data is used by more than 100 communities across the United States.
Major findings in Clayton’s 2009 citizen survey, which was sent to 1,500 randomly selected households in February, show that 97% of the residents surveyed feel that the quality of life in Clayton is excellent/good; 96% feel that the City’s image is excellent/good; 94% feel the overall quality of City services is excellent/good; and 94% feel safe.
“From a business perspective, this is incredible,” said Mayor Linda Goldstein. “I can’t think of one business that wouldn’t be delighted to hear such positive customer feedback. Our City is run as efficiently and effectively
as any corporation and serves as a model not only to the public sector but to the private business community as well.”
Clayton ranked highest nationally in 43 of the 44 citizen satisfaction benchmark comparisons. In regional benchmarks, Clayton set nine new highs. Among the municipalities that are surveyed in Kansas and Missouri,
Clayton achieved the highest marks ever in citizens’ overall satisfaction with:
1. Police, fire and ambulance service
2. Parks and Recreation Services
3. Enforcement of City codes
4. Image of the City
5. Cleanliness of City streets and public areas
6. Adequacy of City street lighting
7. Maintenance of major City streets
8. How open the City is to public input
9. Parks and Recreation facilities
“You set new high standards in nine categories that we benchmark,” said ETC Institute’s Karen Falk. “No one community has ever done that.” In addition to the City’s high scores, the resident response was also above
average; an impressive 36% of the 1,500 or 538 residents responded to the survey.
“Our citizens should be commended for their level of cooperation in this important process,” said City Manager Craig Owens. “This indicates that they recognize the value we place on their feedback and recognize how important it is for us to understand what they expect from us.”
The City website was the only item that received average marks from the survey. The City had already been working on upgrading the website. A Request for Proposals was issued, which includes several new technologies
that will enhance customer service and increase interactivity.
“We appreciate the feedback from our citizens,” said Mayor Goldstein. “It helps us identify areas that need improvement. We can then focus our efforts and resources toward achieving excellence in all aspects of City services.”
The City plans to conduct annual citizen surveys, which will hopefully reflect a continued high regard for services provided by the City and recognition of areas that have been improved.
