Citizens give City high marks for services
From emergency response to routine services, we not only serve you as our customers, we're also responsible to you as citizens. Of course, this dual responsibility has some tensions. Our citizen customers have a high expectation that their taxes buy them the government they individually want (and believe they deserve), even though obvious legal, financial and political limitations make it impossible for us to please all the people, all the time.
In that sense, the unspoken mindset of many of our customers is that local government is a like a vending machine. You put your money in the slot and expect to receive the goods and services you desire. Of course, most of our services aren’t like that – you get clean water, whether you select it or not, just like you get public art, whether you select it or not. You may not get the service (or the law or the decision) that you desire.
Now if you put your money into a vending machine slot expecting to have a cold can of Coke come rolling out – and you get something else (or nothing) -- you are pretty steamed. Perhaps you curse the machine. Or give it a shake. Or kick it. Not a pleasant experience for those of us who see ourselves as serving the public, yet routinely encounter hostility, ingratitude and disrespect. Whether it is the police dispatcher trying to calmly handle an irate caller, the planner at the counter trying to explain code restrictions to a homeowner or the city manager reading the on-line newspaper reader reactions to our new policy on responding to burglar alarms, we often wonder how our customers rate the overall job that we do.
Of course, it is vital for any organization, public or private, to know how well we are serving our customers. For the second year in a row, as part of the City Council's push for greater accountability, we recently commissioned a well-respected polling firm to ask residents what they think of our services and how we deliver them. Here are some of the highlights of that survey:
Nearly nine (9) out of ten (10) residents (88%) are either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with “the job the City of Ventura is doing to provide city services.” In fact, more than four (4) out of ten (42%) are “very” satisfied, a big jump from the 33% in that category last year.
This general satisfaction was borne out when we asked about thirty-one (31) individual service areas. Every one of them had a level of at least 65% satisfaction, with most services topping 85%. In most cases, that level had either held steady or increased, with several showing significant improvements, including: stormwater pollution management (perhaps a reflection of the City’s success in getting a $1 million grant to treat stormwater before it flows onto our Downtown beaches); flood control, recreation program for teens, recreation programs for seniors and maintenance of streets and roads – the last a particularly positive sign, given the high level of public clamor on that issue in recent years.
Residents also have a positive view of city government’s responsiveness and integrity. By a margin of 64% to 24%, residents say “city leaders can be counted on to make the right decisions on matters of local government.” When it comes to accountability, the ratio is much higher, 78% agree that the City is accountable to residents vs. 20% who disagree. On perhaps the most crucial of all, 85% say they “trust the City of Ventura” vs. 13% who don’t.
Not that we can’t improve – both perceptions and performance. Only 15% “strongly agree” that “the City government listens to its residents when making important decisions (48% “somewhat agree”)”. Despite the failure of P6, 63% want to increase the level of funding for public safety – and most support promoting economic development (72%), spending reserves (52%) and even going back to the voters again (68%).
The entire 88-page report, which was summarized at the December 18 Council meeting, is available on our website at:
http://www.cityofventura.net/residents_surveys/2006
In that sense, the unspoken mindset of many of our customers is that local government is a like a vending machine. You put your money in the slot and expect to receive the goods and services you desire. Of course, most of our services aren’t like that – you get clean water, whether you select it or not, just like you get public art, whether you select it or not. You may not get the service (or the law or the decision) that you desire.
Now if you put your money into a vending machine slot expecting to have a cold can of Coke come rolling out – and you get something else (or nothing) -- you are pretty steamed. Perhaps you curse the machine. Or give it a shake. Or kick it. Not a pleasant experience for those of us who see ourselves as serving the public, yet routinely encounter hostility, ingratitude and disrespect. Whether it is the police dispatcher trying to calmly handle an irate caller, the planner at the counter trying to explain code restrictions to a homeowner or the city manager reading the on-line newspaper reader reactions to our new policy on responding to burglar alarms, we often wonder how our customers rate the overall job that we do.
Of course, it is vital for any organization, public or private, to know how well we are serving our customers. For the second year in a row, as part of the City Council's push for greater accountability, we recently commissioned a well-respected polling firm to ask residents what they think of our services and how we deliver them. Here are some of the highlights of that survey:
Nearly nine (9) out of ten (10) residents (88%) are either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with “the job the City of Ventura is doing to provide city services.” In fact, more than four (4) out of ten (42%) are “very” satisfied, a big jump from the 33% in that category last year.
This general satisfaction was borne out when we asked about thirty-one (31) individual service areas. Every one of them had a level of at least 65% satisfaction, with most services topping 85%. In most cases, that level had either held steady or increased, with several showing significant improvements, including: stormwater pollution management (perhaps a reflection of the City’s success in getting a $1 million grant to treat stormwater before it flows onto our Downtown beaches); flood control, recreation program for teens, recreation programs for seniors and maintenance of streets and roads – the last a particularly positive sign, given the high level of public clamor on that issue in recent years.
Residents also have a positive view of city government’s responsiveness and integrity. By a margin of 64% to 24%, residents say “city leaders can be counted on to make the right decisions on matters of local government.” When it comes to accountability, the ratio is much higher, 78% agree that the City is accountable to residents vs. 20% who disagree. On perhaps the most crucial of all, 85% say they “trust the City of Ventura” vs. 13% who don’t.
Not that we can’t improve – both perceptions and performance. Only 15% “strongly agree” that “the City government listens to its residents when making important decisions (48% “somewhat agree”)”. Despite the failure of P6, 63% want to increase the level of funding for public safety – and most support promoting economic development (72%), spending reserves (52%) and even going back to the voters again (68%).
The entire 88-page report, which was summarized at the December 18 Council meeting, is available on our website at:
http://www.cityofventura.net/residents_surveys/2006
posted by Rick Cole at
3:28 PM
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