The City of Airdrie has one of the highest citizen satisfaction rates in the province when it comes to safety.
One hundred per cent of 407 randomly selected residents surveyed told researchers they feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day.
The statistic, along with a bevy of other information, was revealed during the March 4 Airdrie City council meeting by Tracy With, vice president of Banister Research and Consulting Inc., the company tasked with completing Airdrie’s 2013 Citizen Satisfaction survey.
“These are very, very high numbers, some municipalities are 25 points lower,” said With.
“This is one of the items of Airdrie that you should shamelessly promote.”
Ninety-six per cent of respondents rated the overall quality of life in Airdrie as good or very good, while 72 per cent of respondents reported receiving either good or very good value for their tax dollars.
According to With, these results were the highest amongst the group of municipalities surveyed.
Mayor Peter Brown was pleased with the results, and quick to credit staff for its hard work.
“It’s a tribute to our emergency services personnel, they do a great job taking care of us,” said Brown.
“It’s a real testament to the work the City staff has been doing over the last two years, it showcases how committed to Airdrie they are.”
When asked about their top concerns, 19 per cent of participants identified health care as Airdrie’s most important, up from eight per cent in 2012.
For the second year in a row, 18 per cent of respondents identified education, lack of space in schools and school closures as their top concerns.
Fifteen per cent, one per cent higher than last year, identified rapid growth management as their top concern, while 13 per cent identified infrastructure, and 11 per cent said they weren’t sure what the City’s biggest issue was.
Eighty-six per cent of respondents said they were pleased or satisfied with the overall quality of the City’s services, up from 79 per cent in 2012, while 85 per cent are satisfied with the way community affairs are managed, up from 72 per cent last year.
Sixty-seven per cent were happy with the way growth and development are being managed, up from 54 per cent last year.
The survey revealed participants are most highly satisfied with Airdrie fire services (93 per cent), while the lowest satisfaction rate was with Airdrie transit services at 39 per cent.
Municipal enforcement and winter snow and ice control also ranked low, at a 56 and 52 per cent satisfaction rate, respectively.
“The survey results are exceptional this year, with significant increases in every key success indicator,” said Dorian Kachur, the City’s team leader of business strategy.
“Council and City employees strive to serve the community and the survey results tell us that we are making progress towards the community vision. The survey serves as a report card for how residents think the City is performing and also guides council and administration in setting priorities for the upcoming year, allowing us to focus on the services and amenities that are important to our residents.”
Respondents were also asked about their preference for participating in public involvement processes.
While the majority (73 per cent) indicated they are not interested in having more involvement in civic issues, 37 per cent also stated their desired method for providing input or feedback to the City would be through online surveys.
The survey was conducted from Jan. 16 to 24. A total of 407 telephone interviews were conducted with Airdrie citizens 18 years of age or older.
