2012 National Citizens SurveyMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Dubuque Participation in the 2012 National Citizen Survey
DATE: January 30, 2012
Dubuque
bierd
All-America City
1
2007
The Fiscal Year 2012 budget includes a $13,350 decision package providing funds to
conduct a survey to measure the satisfaction of Dubuque citizens with City services.
The results can be used by the City Council to establish goals and priorities and set
funding priorities and by City staff to improve service delivery. The results can also be
used to measure progress and shape future plans.
The National Research Center, in conjunction with the International City /County
Management Association, has developed The National Citizen Survey, a customizable
service which allows local governments to select from a set of standard questions to
assess citizen opinion about basic services and community life. The results can be
compared with norms based on the results of more than 350 surveys administered by
the National Citizen Survey in other communities throughout the country. This is an
important feature that differentiates this service from other options. The multi - layered
process includes three mailings to 1,200 randomly selected households, which includes
the pre - survey postcard and two mailings of the survey instrument. The total project
cost is $13,750, which is $400 over the budgeted decision package. However, the
difference can be covered by savings in the Public Information Office budget.
Public Information Officer Randy Gehl recommends City Council approval to enroll the
City of Dubuque in the 2012 National Citizen Survey.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
DATE Jan 23, 2012
RE Dubuque Participation in the 2012 National Citizen Survey
Dubuque
kiltel
M- America city
1I II
2007
The purpose of this memorandum is to request your permission to enroll the City of
Dubuque in the 2012 National Citizen Survey
BACKGROUND
The Fiscal Year 2012 budget includes a$13,350 decision package providing funds
conduct a survey to measure the satisfaction of Dubuque citizens with City services
The results can be used by the City Council to establish goals and priorities and set
funding priorities and by City staff to improve service delivery The results can also be
used to measure progress and shape future plans Finally, the results can be compared
with norms based on the results of more than 350 surveys administered by the National
Citizen Survey in other communities throughout the country This is an important
feature that differentiates this service from other options
The National Research Center, in conjunction with the International City /County
Management Association, has developed The National Citizen Survey (NCS), a
customizable service which allows local governments to select from a set of standard
questions to assess citizen opinion about basic services and community life
DISCUSSION
The National Research Center has increased their basic service costs since the FY2012
budget was adopted The 2012 basic service costs $10,300 and includes
• Customized cover letter
• Customized survey form plus up to three optional questions
• Three mailings to 1,200 randomly selected households, which include the pre -
survey postcard and two mailings of the survey instrument
• A margin of error (95 percent confidence interval) of no more than +/- 5
percentage points around any percent
• Data input and cleaning
• Data weighted to reflect population norms
• Three reports executive summary, statistical analysis of survey results, optional
comparison with national norms (all in electronic format)
• Technical assistance by phone and e -mail
The approved decision package included the basic service plus the following options:
Demographic crosstabs report $900
Geographic crosstabs reports $1,100
Spanish translation option $1,450
The total project cost would be $13,750. Due to the 2012 price increase, this is $400
over the budgeted decision package; however, the difference can be covered by
savings in the Public Information Office budget.
The survey is administered by mail. A postcard is sent to 1,200 randomly selected
households announcing that a survey will follow. The 2010 US Census reported that
Dubuque contains 25,029 housing units. Based on that, the survey would be mailed to
4.8% of Dubuque households. (To increase the mailing from 1,200 households to 3,000
would cost an additional $7,100.)
The first survey comes a week after the postcard and is followed by a "reminder" survey
one week after that. The vendor reports an average response of 400 completed
surveys. The Public Information Office would conduct an advance awareness
campaign (utilizing City publications, CityChannel, and other publicity) to make
residents aware of the survey mailing in hopes of increasing that response rate.
The template survey includes questions about the quality of life in the community, city
policies, demographics, quality of city government services, and resident use of
services. We may customize the survey by choosing from a set of questions that are
commonly used, that have been endorsed by a panel of experts, and that have been
tested at several pilot sites. We would also have the option of creating three policy
questions that are specific to our community.
This survey would allow the City of Dubuque to measure service performance; to
benchmark service quality ratings; to assess community needs; to make long- range,
short -term, or strategic plans; to demonstrate the receptivity of City government; to
evaluate potential policies or community characteristics; and to establish a baseline
from periodic surveying. Additionally, responses to several of the questions would be
beneficial to the Police Department's accreditation process.
REQUESTED ACTION
I respectfully request approval to enroll the City of Dubuque in the 2012 National Citizen
Survey Program. The program is an 18 -week process and begins with the City's
submission of a $6,300 advance payment. Thank you for your consideration.
Cc: Jennifer Larson, Budget Director
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
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