Message from the City Manager, Ken Striplin
At the last City Council meeting in November, city staff presented the results of our 2018 Public Opinion Poll. This is a survey the city conducts every two years to learn how residents feel about the city’s job performance, customer service and to determine other quality of life issues in our community.
For the 2018 poll, our surveyors used both the latest social science methods, utilizing landlines and cellphones, along with the Internet and mailed invitations for an optimum reach of our residents. Our number of completed surveys increased nearly 70 percent compared to 2016 (570). A total of 968 completed surveys, by a sample of registered voters in the city, were gathered online and by telephone.
Santa Clarita residents were asked to rate the city on a number of key dimensions—including overall quality of life. I am proud to say, once again, that residents shared favorable opinions of our city. The most positive ratings showed that Santa Clarita once again was rated very well as a place to raise a family (88 percent excellent or good), as a place to live (85 percent) and the overall quality of life in the city (83 percent). This is a tremendous indication of our overall impact in the city as perceived by our residents.
Satisfaction levels for city services continue to be high. The vast majority (87 percent) of Santa Clarita residents indicated they were either very, or somewhat satisfied with the city’s efforts to provide municipal services. The top reasons given for this high rating were approval of how the city operates, a nice, clean and well-maintained city, safety and excellent park facilities.
Residents were then asked about their level of satisfaction with services provided. I am thrilled that the hard work of our City Council and city staff is paying off. At the top of the list, respondents were most satisfied with the city’s parks and recreation facilities and library services (both 94 percent very or somewhat satisfied), followed by fire protection and prevention services (93 percent), sports and recreation programs (93 percent) and special events (92 percent).
On a broader scale, outside of specific city services, we asked residents what they felt was the number one most important issue facing our community today. Once again, traffic congestion topped the list (37 percent), followed by growth and development (26 percent) and public safety/crime/ drugs (17 percent). Approximately 14 percent of residents were unsure/could not think of any important issues (13 percent) or stated that there were no issues facing the community (1 percent). These are issues that your City Council has been, and will continue to address in the new year.
Overall, our city has once again received high marks from the community we serve. As a city manager — this is what I strive for day in and day out. I am proud that our city employs great staff who diligently work hard each day, often behind the scenes, to provide outstanding customer service and beautiful, well maintained parks and facilities, programs and learning opportunities, activities and events.
I want to thank residents who took the time to participate in our 2018 Public Opinion Poll.
If you would like to review all the data collected, please visit santa-clarita.com/city-hall/public-opinion-polls.
