Gaithersburg Announces Results of Citizen Survey
Posted 1/10/2008
In an independent survey conducted by the National Research Center, 75% of respondents gave the overall quality of life in Gaithersburg a rating of "good" or "excellent," while services provided by City government were rated as "good" or "excellent" by 76% of respondents. The findings of the survey will be presented to the Gaithersburg Mayor and Council as part of the 2008 strategic planning process on Monday, January 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The full results of the survey are available below.
"This survey is an important tool for all of us who are involved in the delivery of service to Gaithersburg residents," said Mayor Sidney Katz. "We’re delighted that the City rated well in overall quality of life, and we look forward to addressing those areas where our citizens expressed concern. This gives us a good road map as we begin the FY 09 budget process and set our priorities for the coming year."
In the fall of 2007, 1,200 City of Gaithersburg residents were randomly selected to participate in a mail-in survey to evaluate City services, programs and policies. The data is intended to help elected officials and City staff prioritize strategic initiatives and direct resources.
Twenty one percent of the residents returned the 33-question survey, which is within the average response rate experienced by the National Research Center. Results were tabulated and categorized under the broad headings of Community Life and Local Government.
Community Life covered such topics as overall quality of life, access to educational and recreational opportunities, sense of community, job opportunities, access to affordable housing, ease of travel within the community, public safety, and community participation.
Seventy five percent of the respondents rated the overall quality of life in Gaithersburg as "good" or "excellent." The highest rated characteristics were shopping and recreational opportunities and overall appearance. When asked about the potential problems in Gaithersburg, the three concerns rated by the highest proportion of respondents were traffic congestion, drugs and too much growth. Also, seventy percent of the respondents rated the population growth in Gaithersburg as "too fast."
Topics within the Local Government category included perceptions of value for taxes paid, openness to citizen involvement, quality of public safety, transportation, leisure, utility, planning and code enforcement, and special population services, and experiences of interaction with City of Gaithersburg employees.
When asked about their impressions of City staff, those who had been in contact with a City of Gaithersburg employee within the past 12 months rated their overall impression particularly high, putting the City in the 85th percentile or above nationwide for knowledge, responsiveness and courtesy. When asked if they were pleased with the overall direction taken by the City, residents gave an average rating of 68 on a 100-point scale, putting Gaithersburg in the 90th percentile nationwide.
In normative comparisons to communities throughout the country, Gaithersburg was at or above the norm for most categories. The City was rated below the norm as a place to retire, for access to affordable quality housing, for both violent and property crime, for safety in its downtown area and parks, and for safety within neighborhoods after dark.
As assessed by the survey, about 10% of Gaithersburg residents have lived in the community for more than 20 years, and 66% are over the age of 34. Another 13% are over the age of 64. Eighty four percent are currently employed; 52% rent, 48% own and 19% live in detached single family homes. Over 86% of Gaithersburg residents have at least some college and 66% have annual household incomes above $50,000. Fourteen percent of Gaithersburg residents reported that they are Spanish, Hispanic or Latino and 56% said they are White or Caucasian.
The National Citizen Survey™ is sponsored by the International City/County Management Association in cooperation with the National Research Center, Inc. The survey was designed based on the experience of hundreds of local governments of all sizes. Scientific sampling and weighting of the responses in each city ensured accurate and reliable results.
For more information please contact the Office of the City Manager at 301-258-6310 or cityhall@gaithersburgmd.gov.
