City of Sarasota 2008 National Citizen Survey

1. City of Sarasota 2008 National Citizen Survey Conducted by the National Research Center (NRC) for the City of Sarasota

2. 2008 Citizen Survey Overview • NRC Surveys in 2005 and 2006 • National Benchmarking Program • Data Collection-August & September • 3,000 Surveys to random households • Spanish translation made available upon request

3. 2008 Citizen Survey Overview • 30% response rate (within normal %) • Cost of Survey $22,250 • 2008 Results on City’s website www.sarasotagov.com

4. 2008 Citizen Survey Assessment Goals Information for resource/program allocations Performance Measurement/Benchmarking Improve Services Civic Engagement Improve Community Quality of Life Factors Strengthen Public Trust

5. 2008 Citizen Survey “How to” View Results Results were compared to the previous surveys (2005 & 2006), local demographics and geographic subgroups, and similar sized communities in USA % Differences between years are only considered “statistically significant” if greater than five % points Responses were either excellent; good; fair; poor; or *don’t know (*removed from the analysis) Results are averaged on a 100 point scale (100=Excellent; 67=Good; 33=Fair; 0=Poor )

6. 2008 Citizen Survey Overall Quality of Life 84 % of citizens rated Sarasota excellent or good place to live (75% in 2006; similar to natl benchmarks) 66% of citizens thought their neighborhood was an excellent or good place to live (74% in 2006 & below natl benchmarks) 76% rated the overall quality of life as excellent or good (71% in 2006; similar to natl benchmarks) 80% would recommend living in Sarasota and will remain over the next five years (question not asked in pervious years)

7. 2008 Citizen Survey Community Focus Areas Three Areas with the most favorable ratings: • OVERALL APPEARANCE OF SARASOTA • 78% and above natl benchmarks • OVERALL IMAGE & REPUTATION • 78% and above natl benchmarks • OPPORTUNITIES FOR CULTURAL ACTIVITIES • 76% and above natl benchmarks

8. 2008 Citizen Survey Community Focus Areas • Three that received the least positive ratings: • AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE QUALITY HOUSING* • 18% and below natl benchmarks • 48% reported housing costs as 30% or more of income • EASE OF BICYCLE TRAVEL IN SARASOTA * • 40% and below natl benchmarks • Ease of walking also below natl benchmarks • EASE OF BUS TRAVEL IN SARASOTA* • 47% and above natl benchmarks* • 2% of those surveyed utilized public transit with 80% utilizing vehicles for work commute; However 34% had ridden a local bus within Sarasota *All three of the focus areas were higher than pervious years

9. 2008 Citizen Survey Community Focus Areas

10. 2008 Citizen SurveyPublic Information & Trust Public Information Svcs • 64% watched a local government meeting • 38% attended a local government meeting • Both are above the natl benchmarks • 53% visited City website (41% in 2006) Public Trust Ratings 30% excellent or good “in listening” 42% in “welcoming citizen involvement” Both are below natl benchmarks

11. 2008 Citizen Survey City Employees • Last week the City Manager, and the City Auditor and Clerk sent a “thank you” to all City employees, as 73% of the respondents who had contact with City employees ranked their overall impression as “excellent” or “good”

12. 2008 Sarasota Citizen Survey Job & Retail Growth

13. 2008 Citizen Survey Economy and New Development Sarasota as a place to work was rated at 42% Below the natl benchmarks Job Growth rating (reflection of local economy) 88% of citizens felt that their economic future would be “somewhat” or “very” negative in the near term 58% rated as “excellent” or “good” the overall quality of new development in the City of Sarasota In 2006, this was rated as 44%

14. 2008 Citizen SurveyPublic Safety & Code Enforcement 89% thought a “major” or “moderate” problem were run down buildings, weed lots or junk vehicles 87% gave positive ratings to daytime safety in downtown as well as neighborhoods 55% to 59% positive ratings regarding safety at night Overall public safety ratings were similar or below natl benchmarks

15. 2008 Citizen Survey Quality of City Services

16. 2008 Citizen Survey Quality of City Services • 26 City service areas included in survey • Rating Decreases for code enforcement; economic development; recycling • Rating Increases for Bus/transit Services; Street Cleaning; City Parks; Recreational Facilities; Cable TV and Public Information; Drinking Water; and Storm Water • Key Drivers (those that influence survey results) are Public Information; Police Services; Economic Development; Traffic Signal timing; and City Parks.

17. 2008 Citizen Survey Policy Questions

18. 2008 Citizen Survey Open Ended Question • What do you like most about the City of Sarasota? • Natural environment/water and beaches/scenery/natural beauty 34% • Culture/arts/education opportunities 19% • Quality of community/neighborhood/people, etc 15% • Quality of life general/lifestyle/everything/safe community 14% • Climate/weather/seasons 13% • Appearance/overall cleanliness/architecture 13% • Diversity/quality of opportunities (shopping, restaurants, business, downtown) 13% • Size of community/small town feel 11% • Parks/Recreation opportunities 11% • Nothing - negative response 9% • Location/convenience/proximity to amenities 8% • Quality/availability of services/transit/library/senior services 7% • Don’t know 0% • Other 9%

19. 2008 Citizen Survey Next Steps • Review specific benchmarking results with other NRC communities • Review specific comparisons with 2005 and 2006 data • Review 2008 data w/community demographics • Alignment with City Commission 2008-09 Goals • Alignment with FY 2009-2010 Budget