Let Your Voice Be Heard – Novato City Hall Sends Survey to Residents

Are city officials spending enough money on parks? Do they need to address economic development? Do you feel safe in your own neighborhood?

These and many other topics are addressed in a survey dispatched by city officials to 3,000 randomly chosen Novato residents. The surveys were mailed to those residents and can filled out on paper or online, although only those who receive them by mail will receve the web link on which to take the survey online.

Carla Hansen, Novato’s management analyst, said the survey affords citizens a chance to determine “What is the sentiment in our city? What can the city improve on? How should we be spending our money in the future?”

Hansen said that there was a voter survey in 2007, but it focused mostly on ballot initiatives. This survey will rate Novato against similarly sized municipalities as well as other Marin County cities. There is also national analysis in the final report, picturing Novato’s position among many American cities.

And it’s pretty specific reporting, Hansen said. “Every neighborhood is broken down.”

The City of Novato is sponsoring the $25,000 community survey to “learn more about residents’ perceptions of city services and their funding priorities as it relates to those services,” stated a FAQ document about the survey.

National Citizen Survey (NCS), a firm that specializes in survey data, was brought on board to handle the distribution and collection of surveys and reminder post cards.

“We’re getting way more bang for our buck than any other consultant of this kind,” Hansen said, adding that performing the task in-house would have drained city staff hours and been a costly approach. “NCS does all the work,” she said.

Now it’s up to the residents to fill out the surveys. Hansen said April 8 was when the data would start to be compiled and reported.

And for those who weren’t among the 3,000 chosen ones, the same survey will be made available online at the city’s website after the mailed surveys are collected.

The results of the NCS survey will be unveiled at a Novato City Council meeting in May.

Survey support materials state, “The survey results will inform the city’s budget and long-term fiscal planning efforts, and may be used for program improvement and policy making. It will also serve as a benchmark for current efforts and will be compared with other cities, similar in size regionally, and throughout the United States, to help us gauge our performance.”

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