2.0. SR 09-08-1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

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...J." . Li.' ,I. j _\.'. U~ . j,J . r1{~' ~ Ltd. (-1 .. Decision Jill Resources The city was fe"it to be "about right" in its enforcement of city codes. Fifty-nine percent awarded that rating, but thirty percent indicated that the enforcement was "not tough enough." Particularly troublesome to these residents was the code enforcement on, first, loose animals, and second, messy yards. The City may wish to re-ex?m.ine its enforcement procedures, particula~+y as they app~y to dogs running loose. City services were rated unevenly by the residents of Elk River. Police protection, fire protection, and the City Library were awarded strong approval scores of approximately eighty percent. Sewers and water was viewed favorably by fifty-four percent of the residents; sixteen percent disapproved. All of these evaluations are consistent with norms established in previous studies. Three services, however, were given much lower positive evaluations and much lower negative scores than usual: snow plowing was approved of by sixty-nine percent and disapproved of by thirty percent; street maintenance was, viewed favorably by sixty-seven percent and,u~favorably by thirty-four percent; and, street lighting was rated as "excellent" or "good" by fifty seven percent, and rated "only fair" or "poor" by a high thirty-nine percent. The City was wish to review these three services for problems and potential improvements. e City staff served an unusually large number of residents directly. Forty-six percent, about twenty percent higher than the norm, had "quite a lot" or "some" first hand contact with the City staff. Evaluations, however, were weaker than usual. Fifty-nine percent rated the City staff as either "excellent" or V' ~h{;"L ~efI14~ "good," while thirty-two percent said they were "only fair" ,or "'Ooor." The source of many of the lower rating's was the feel~ng that staff was stretched to; thinly: that the city required more staff to deal effectivelY and efficiently with the growing population. In view of the large number of staff interactions ~ with residents, the city may wish to examine the judicious addition of additional personnel. e While city government posted strong' rating's from the citizens, there was a diffused feeling of alienation from governmen~ decision-making. Fifty-three percent of the residents thought they knew "a great deal" or "a fair amount" about the work of the Mayor and City Council. Evaluations of their jobs were remarkably strong: seventy-six percent approved of their work, .while fifteen percent disapproved. The five-to-one approval-to-disapproval rating is particularly impressive. But, when queried about their ability to impact the way things are run in the community, thirty-two percent felt they could not. Numbers in the. high twenty percent range are considered troublesome; above thirty indicates a serious problem. But, this feeling is certainly not directed against the current office holders and specific actions; it is more generalized in nature. other studies have indicated that the publication of a regular newsletter could alleviate much of these tensions.