Results of the Town of Parker’s 2015 Citizen Survey can now be viewed on the Town’s website at www.ParkerOnline.org/CitizenSurvey. The Town’s Citizen Survey, which is conducted every two years, gives residents an opportunity to provide performance feedback to their local government and communicate priorities for community planning and resource allocation.
Survey results reveal resident opinions about Parker’s quality of life, Town services and public trust, as well as providing insight into resident engagement in the community. Town Council and staff also utilize results to monitor trends in resident opinions, measure government performance over time and inform budgetary and strategic planning decisions.
Conducted by National Research Center, the 2015 Parker Citizen Survey was administered by mail to a representative sample of 3,000 Parker residents in February 2015. The Town received a 25 percent survey response rate, with 754 respondents. New in 2015, respondents were also given the opportunity to complete the survey online, and 55 people took advantage of this option.
Survey results showed that Parker’s best community characteristics are safety; cleanliness; fitness and recreational opportunities; overall image, reputation and appearance of Parker; community events and activities; and sense of community. The best attribute of Parker, consistent with past surveys, continued to be sense of community/hometown feel, with 34 percent of respondents selecting this option. Quality of life was also rated highly by 96 percent of respondents, up from 91 percent in 2013.
Ratings for overall quality of Town services have remained strong over time, with 84 percent of respondents giving an “excellent” or “good” rating. In 2015, the most highly rated services were parks/trails maintenance; crime prevention; and Recreation programs and facilities. Although handling citizen complaints and street repair were ranked the lowest, they still received 67 percent and 64 percent “excellent” or “good” ratings respectively.
Opportunities for community participation were highly marked, with 86 percent of respondents providing an “excellent” or “good” rating, which was up from 74 percent in 2013. Residents were asked how many times they had participated in Town activities in the last 12 months, 98 percent reported visiting downtown Parker at least once; 85 percent had attended a Town-sponsored event and 77 percent had visited a Town Recreation facility. In contrast, only 12 percent of respondents had attended a Town Council meeting, 14 percent had contacted Town Council and 16 percent had attended a public meeting on Town issues.
The survey asked respondents to write in their own words the single biggest thing the Town could do to improve the quality of life in Parker and the most commonly noted items were: more restaurants and grocery stores; additional parks, trails, recreation centers; and more entertainment options. Also mentioned were traffic; roads and snow removal related comments; and controlling and managing growth.
Parker employees were also highly rated, with eight in 10 respondents who had contacted Town staff ranking their interactions as “excellent” or “good.” Ratings for the overall performance of general administration and management and performance of Town Council were also higher than the 2013 survey. The Town’s communication with citizens also scored higher in 2015, with 87 percent indicating they “strongly” or “somewhat agree” that they were informed about community issues and initiatives, as compared to 72 percent in 2013.
Overall survey conclusions indicate that residents feel positively about the quality of life and community in Parker, appreciate the high quality of services provided by the Town and are happy with opportunities to participate in community events. Residents praise the performance of Town employees and the local government, but traffic, ease of getting around town and growth are a concern for many residents.