The majority of Rocky View County (RVC) residents seem to feel quite good about their quality of life within the county, according to the municipality’s recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey, the results of which were presented at the July 12 council meeting.
Out of 1,540 residents who took part in the survey earlier this year, 89 per cent indicated they have good or very good quality of life, while 70 per cent felt their quality of life has remained unchanged over the past three years.
RVC conducted the survey between March 21 and April 17 this spring, providing residential citizens — including property owners and renters — an opportunity to provide input on local services and programs offered by the County.
“The results will help to support the decisions being made in 2022 as it relates to budgeting, operations, services, and programs,” said Paige Schoenfeld, vice-president of Leger.
(Leger is the independent market research company hired to conduct the survey).
The margin of error for the survey’s sample size is +/- 2.45 per cent, added Candace Denison, RVC’s manager of marketing and communications. This is one of the strongest margins of errors seen with this type of research because of the multi-modal research approach, Schoenfeld said.
Schoenfeld explained overall satisfaction is based on residents feeling proud to live in the county, feeling safe and secure, and considering it a great place to raise a family.
Residents in divisions 1, 2, 3, 4 were significantly more likely to rate their overall quality of life as good/very good compared to those living in divisions 5, 6, 7.
According to the survey, 80 per cent of respondents said they would recommend RVC as a place to live and 76 per cent are proud to live there.
Several key issues were addressed through the survey that residents believe should receive the greatest attention, including planning for future growth and development, over-development, and issues to address and prevent crime.
During discussion among council after the results were presented, Div. 4 Coun. Samanntha Wright noted policing can be increased at an increased cost and that communication needs to go out to the public to find out if they want to increase that service.
Only half of respondents were satisfied with RVC’s programs and services. The primary points of dissatisfaction for residents in this area included planning, road maintenance, and municipal enforcement.
Just over one-third of respondents felt they are getting good value for their tax dollars, while 28 per cent indicated they feel they are getting poor value.
According to administration’s report, RVC residents are on par with the Rural Alberta benchmark for overall satisfaction with quality of programs and services.
The County is also on par for perceived value received from municipal property tax dollars. However, RVC’s programs and services that are below the rural Alberta benchmark include cemeteries, garbage, parks, pathways, and playgrounds.
“As reflected in the survey findings, some of the most important issues facing the County today, such as urban sprawl and crime prevention, require a collaborative response and are not the sole purview of one organization or level of government,” stated the report.
The Citizen Satisfaction Survey will be refined to measure the impact of the strategic plan priorities.
Div. 5 coun. Greg Boehlke pointed out that communication between the County and the public needs to improve.
“Rocky View County has a healthy local economy. Only 65 per cent of people on the telephone believe that and 48 per cent on the web, when actually I would consider it from experience to be quite the opposite,” he said, asking if anyone was surveyed in person. “We have a very good strong economy in RVC so whatever good message we have, we’re not getting it out there.”
Schoenfeld said in-person survey methods are used when trying to reach difficult-to-reach audiences or those who may be challenged with access to a telephone or the web. In this case, County staff didn’t feel these methods were needed as they could reach out to each individual household in the county via telephone or the internet.
To view survey results, go to bit.ly/3O5S1N
