BOWLING GREEN CITIZEN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY Fall 2010 – National Citizen Survey

National Citizen Survey  Collaborative effort between the National Research Center (NRC) & International City/County Management Association (ICMA)  The City of BG participates in ICMA’s Center for Performance Measurement  Survey focuses on community characteristics, local government services, and issues of public trust  Also measures resident behaviors relating to civic engagement

Additional Information – Survey Process  City staff reviewed standard NCS form menu and customized  We included services not provided by the City as well (library, utilities, transit)  NRC mailed questionnaires to a representative sample of 1200 BG households (100 were undelivered)  Multi-contact notification was delivered via postcard and then survey sent twice on City letterhead/envelopes

Additional Information – Survey Process  The adult with the most recent birthday was asked to complete the survey – this was done to get a representative sample  There was a 24% response rate (20 to 40% is typical) 263 of the 1200 surveys were completed and returned.

Why Survey?  Immediate Benefits – Provides useful information for:  Planning  Resource Allocation  Performance Measurements  Program and Policy Evaluation

Why Survey?  Long Term Benefits – Provides useful information for:  Improved Services  More Civic Engagement  Better Community Quality of Life  Stronger Public Trust

Understanding the Results  The Survey Contains a Margin of Error of 5%  If 75% of respondents rate a service as “excellent or good” then the range of likely responses from the entire community is between 70% and 80%  Data is statistically weighted to reflect proper community demographics including rent/own

Understanding the Results – Comparisons  Nationally, public safety services tend to be rated higher than transportation services  It is better to compare BG’s services to similar services provided by other jurisdictions rather than comparing one service to another within our City.  In order for a comparison from a previous survey to be “significant,” the +/- needs to be more then 8%  Overall, our comparisons in 2010 were better then 2008

Understanding the Results – Benchmarking  A benchmark is a standard by which something can be measured or judged  NRC has a database of survey results from 500 jurisdictions that can be used as a benchmark  Bowling Green chose to compare to:  The entire database of 500 jurisdictions  And the southern region specifically - with 136 jurisdictions in 16 states

Understanding the Results – Benchmarking  77% of residents rated the overall quality of life in BG as excellent (E) or good (G) which is above or similar to the national and southern region benchmarks

Understanding the Results – Benchmarking  31 community characteristics and 37 City services were surveyed and compared to the benchmark data  For the 31 community characteristics surveyed, BG was rated “above” the benchmark in 16 categories; “similar” in 9 categories and “below” in 6 categories  For the 37 City services surveyed, BG was rated “above” the benchmark in 17 areas; “similar” in 17 areas and “below” in 3 areas

Overall Community Quality - % rated as Excellent or Good  BG as a place to live – 81%  Your neighborhood as a place to live – 67%  BG as a place to raise children – 85%  BG as a place to work – 67%  BG as a place to retire – 69%  The overall quality of life in BG – 78%

Service Quality - % rated as Excellent or Good  BG Police Department Services – 76%  BG Fire Department Services – 94%  Street Repair – 41%  Street Cleaning – 62%  Street Lighting – 68%  Snow Removal – 63%  Sidewalk Maintenance – 51%  Storm Drainage – 53%

Service Quality - % rated as Excellent or Good  City Parks – 87%  Recreation Programs or Classes – 76%  Recreation Centers or Facilities – 76%  Code Enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) – 50%  Animal Control – 64%  Public Information Services – 72%  Cleanliness of BG – 73%

Community Characteristics - % rated as Excellent or Good  Overall Appearance of BG – 74%  Cleanliness of BG – 73%  Recreational Opportunities – 67%  Opportunities to Volunteer – 77%  Opportunities for Employment – 49%  Opportunities to Participate in Community Matters – 62%  Ease of Walking in BG – 43%

Community Characteristics - % rated as Excellent or Good  Availability of Paths and Walking Trails in BG – 45%  Traffic Flow on Major Streets – 28%  Overall Image or Reputation of BG – 80%

Government Services Overall - % rated as Excellent or Good  The City of Bowling Green – 74%  The Federal Government – 48%  The State Government – 49%  Warren County Government – 64%

Areas for Improvement – services or characteristics that rated below average  Street Repair  Sidewalk Maintenance  Overall Cleanliness of BG  Traffic Flow  Fire Services  Strom Water drainage  Police Services  Citizens Attending Local Meetings

Areas We Are Excelling – services or characteristics that rated above average  Overall Image/Reputation of BG  Services provided by BG  City Recreation Centers  Street Lighting  Public Education  City Parks  Safety in Bowling Green’s Downtown area during the day

Additional Information – Contact  The information presented in this power point does not include all survey questions and responses.  To view the survey in its entirety, visit  For more information or if you have questions, please contact Kim Lancaster at or