The NCS is presented by NRC in collaboration with ICMA Nevada County, CA Key Findings 2018 The NCS is presented by NRC in collaboration with ICMA

About The NCS Community Livability Community Characteristics Communities are partnerships among... Residents Community-based organizations Govern-ment Private sector Community Livability Community Characteristics Governance Participation ICMA/NRC initiative Turnkey omnibus citizen survey service Benchmark comparisons Over 350 participants in The NCS in over 40 states Over 600 jurisdictions in full database Great communities are partnerships of the government, private sector, community-based organizations and residents, all geographically connected. The NCS captures residents’ opinions within the three pillars of a community, Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation

Facets of Community Livability Safety Mobility Economy Recreation and Wellness Quality of Community Overall Built Environment Education and Enrichment Community Engagement Natural Environment Facets derived from extensive research into models for community livabilty Examples: Partners for Livable Communities (www.livable.org), Sustainable Communities (www.sustainable.org)

Uses of NCS as a Management Tool Envision Earmark Educate Engage Enact Evaluate

The NCS & Nevada County First-time participant in The NCS Scientific sample of 1,800 households 545 returned surveys; 32% response rate ±4% margin of error Data collection: May 19-July 7, 2017 Data weighted by housing tenure (rent or own), housing unit type (attached or detached), sex and age. (Did NOT conduct opt-in survey) From Technical Appendices, page 35: All households within Nevada County were eligible to participate in the survey. A list of all households within the zip codes serving Nevada County was purchased from Go-Dog Direct based on updated listings from the United States Postal Service. Since some of the zip codes that serve Nevada County households may also serve addresses that lie outside of the community, the exact geographic location of each housing unit was compared to community boundaries using the most current municipal boundary file (updated on a quarterly basis) and addresses located outside of Nevada County boundaries were removed from consideration. Expanded sample Open-ended question Online response option Geographic comparisons Extra page of questions In-person presentations Next Steps Workshops

National Benchmark Comparisons

2017 Benchmark Comparisons 87 received similar ratings 19 received higher ratings 9 received lower ratings In all: 115 comparisons 19 higher, 9 lower Community Characteristics – 47 to compare -higher: place to retire, natural environment, fitness, rec, culture, community matters, vol, social events (8) -lower: bike travel, public transportation, affordable housing, housing options, employment, place to work (6) Governance – 33 to compare -Higher- none -Lower – street repair (1) Participation – 35 to compare Higher: remain, stocked supplies, carpooled, recycled, conserved water, work there, voted, volunteered, club, campaigned (10) Lower: public transportation, no code violation (2)

Education and Enrichment Recreation and Wellness Key Focus Areas Legend Higher than national benchmark Similar to national benchmark Lower than national benchmark   Most important Safety Built Environment Education and Enrichment Natural Environment Recreation and Wellness Mobility Economy Community Engagement

Key Finding #1 Nevada County residents feel positively about the community and are engaged

94% Residents think Nevada County is an excellent or good place to live Livability Report, page 3 Similar to benchmark

Living in Nevada County Neighborhood as a place to live Recommend Nevada County to others Remain in County for next five years p. 30 Question 18 Remain in County and place to retire higher than bmark, all others similar 8 in 10 Place to retire Place to raise children Overall image of Nevada County v Higher than national benchmark

Top-rated Community Features Overall natural environment Opportunities to volunteer Recreational opportunities Cultural/arts/music activities Opportunities to participate in community matters Fitness opportunities Social events and activities 94% 93% 87% Photo credits: Wikipedia, GoNevadaCounty.com p. 4 in Livability Report All items listed in slide higher than bmark Also: Health and wellness opportunities 63% excellent/good Recreation programs 70% excellent/good Recreation centers 62% excellent/good All of these similar to benchmark 85% 84% 84% 81% All higher than national benchmark

Residents value the Economy but identified some challenges Key Finding #2 Residents value the Economy but identified some challenges

Overall economic health of County Quality similar to national benchmark Quality: 46% excellent or good Importance: 91% essential or very important

Nevada County as a place to visit Excellent or good Higher than national benchmark Photo credit: Wikipedia Place to visit: 94% excellent or good

Economy-related challenges Percent excellent or good All lower than national benchmark

Key Finding #3 Survey respondents feel safe overall but have concerns about wildfires and homelessness

8 10 Aspects of Safety At least in positively rated: All similar to benchmark Safe neighborhoods (97%) Safe downtown/commercial areas (92%) Fire prevention (82%) Overall feeling of safety (81%) Sheriff (80%)

Other Safety Issues At least: 8 in 10 6 in 10 Had concerns about homelessness regarding: Illegal camping Loitering/nuisance in business areas Public safety 8 in 10 6 in 10 Were concerned with illegal campfires, illegal encampments or forest health Felt there were fiscal barriers to making their property wildfire safe

Recap of Key Findings Nevada County residents feel positively about the community and are engaged Residents value the Economy but identified some challenges Survey respondents feel safe overall but have concerns about wildfires and homelessness

Moving Forward Citizen-centric Decision making Data-driven Decision making TheNCS Call to action --- remind them how important and useful these data can be. Encourage them to do something! The NCS provide a great foundation Action Planning. The NCS simplifies traditional planning because: It is based on resident opinions – their perceptions of quality and priorities they place on community issues (they are your customer and their opinion is your bottom line) It is data. In an age where the most progressive companies use “data driven decision making” – it is an easy way for governments to ID the right areas in which to move and provide the data to support the strategies. The NCS provides a great tool when you have strong local advocates of strategies that might not always reflect the desires of the greater population. Envision, Engage, Educate, Earmark, Enact, Evaluate

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