As the new year comes into full swing, the City of Airdrie has released its annual citizen satisfaction survey to gauge how residents are feeling about services provided by the municipality.
“We use the results to inform our upcoming strategic planning and budget development processes for the upcoming year and future planning as well,” said Ryan Johnson, a corporate strategy advisor for the City of Airdrie.
According to Johnson, the survey is intended to learn how residents feel about how their paid taxes are spent. He added it gives the City a better understanding of important areas to focus spending.
The statistic sample the City usually works off of is approximately 400 respondents, according to Johnson. With the survey going online this year, he said there has already been more than 600 surveys completed.
“We are trending up, which is great,” he said. “More people are hearing about it. The more people we hear from, the happier we are. We want to hear from everyone.”
A key response, according to Johnson, is from the top issues section, where residents are able to point out what they feel needs to be addressed by the City. Johnson provided the previous example of 24-hour urgent care.
“A few years ago, access to health-care was a top issue for our residents,” he said. “A lot of energy was spent advocating the Province for additional resources.”
In April 2017, a 24-hour urgent care centre in Airdrie was officially opened after lobbying from the community and municipality.
Johnson said in the last few years, traffic has become a more pressing issue for Airdrie residents.
“The top issue for the last couple of years has been getting from the east side to the west side of Airdrie,” he said. “Now, with the 40 Avenue interchange being funded, along with other capital projects, we are going to be watching that closely.”
Construction of the 40 Avenue bridge and Highway 2 interchange in Airdrie is set to begin in April 2021 and should conclude by October 2023. The total value of the project is estimated to be $83 million, according to City staff, with $65 million slated for construction and up to $18 million for land acquisition.
For residents who want to have their voices heard, the citizen satisfaction survey is the perfect place to do so, Johnson said.
“Our leadership and council really look forward to this survey every year,” he said. “We pride ourselves on a high-value-for-tax-dollar rating. We really appreciate anybody who takes the time to either answer the phone or…go to the website themselves and take the survey.”
After the collection period, which runs until Jan. 29, Johnson said the data will be collected and put into a presentation, which will be presented to City council in March.
Residents can find and complete the survey at airdrie.ca.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
