City hall appreciates the responses it received to its 2024 budget and resident satisfaction survey and will use the data to plan for today and the future, the city manager says.
The City of Moose Jaw recently released the results of its 2024 budget and resident satisfaction survey, which asked residents 18 questions about their priorities for next year’s budget and their satisfaction with municipal programs and services.
There were 465 people who responded, representing roughly 1.3 per cent of the population. In comparison, 396 people responded to last year’s survey, representing 1.14 per cent of the population.
“We’re pleased with number of responses and encouraged by the strong participation from most age demographics,” city manager Maryse Carmichael told the Express by email.
Of the people who answered the survey, 24.68 per cent were older than age 65, 23.16 per cent were 35 to 44, 19.91 per cent were 55 to 64, 16.45 per cent were 45 to 54, 12.99 per cent were 25 to 34, 2.6 per cent were 18 to 24 and 0.22 per cent were under 18.
Carmichael noted that there were “no great surprises” in the answers survey respondents gave — city hall knows it has infrastructure challenges it must address — but it’s always reassuring to learn about the areas where residents believe the city is providing a good service.
“There was valuable feedback from all questions, but the responses to question two tell us that our residents want to live in a safe, affordable, well-maintained community suitable for families,” she continued.
“Moose Jaw is all of those things, especially when compared to cities the same size or larger, and it’s our job to continue to provide the programs and services that will enhance those qualities.”
Question 2 asked respondents in what kind of community they wanted to live.
The top answers were safe; family-oriented, community-focused, respectful and kind; affordable, accessible, inclusive and diverse; well-maintained and vibrant; supportive of business and economic development; and focused on sports, recreation and pathways/green spaces.
Meanwhile, question 8 asked residents how satisfied they were with how the city addresses infrastructure, namely, road repairs and maintenance.
The results showed:
- 50.65 per cent were very dissatisfied
- 19.26 per cent were dissatisfied
- 14.94 per cent were somewhat dissatisfied
- 8.01 per cent were somewhat satisfied
- 4.33 per cent were satisfied
- 2.38 per cent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
- 0.43 per cent were very satisfied
Asked how representative 465 responses are, Carmichael noted that Survey Monkey’s sample size calculator says that number is necessary to achieve a 95-per-cent confidence level that the results are within plus or minus 4.5-per-cent accuracy.
“So, we’re confident that the survey results portray a fair assessment of how our residents feel about the current state of our infrastructure, programs and services,” she said.
The survey is needed because it’s always important to listen to residents, while it’s a handy tool to gauge the priorities and feelings of residents, she added. City hall will consider all of the feedback as it plans future programs and services.
The 2024 budget deliberations officially begin Wednesday, Nov. 29, with the third-party presentations.
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