Placement: New Business
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Finalize the City of Port St. Lucie 2021 Community SurveyTM .
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Submitted By: Kate Parmelee, Strategic Initiatives Director, City Manager’s Office
Strategic Plan Link: The City’s Mission to provide exceptional municipal services.
Executive Summary (General Business): The City Council has provided funding in its FY 2020-21 Budget for the City’s fourth consecutive survey of Port St Lucie residents, to be conducted by the National Research Center at Polco. Staff will provide an overview of the process and receive input from the City Council prior to survey commencement.
Presentation Information: A 5-minute presentation will be provided by Strategic Initiatives Director Kate Parmelee.
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council direct staff to proceed with initiating the 2021 Survey as presented.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and direct staff to proceed with initiating the 2021 Survey as presented.
2. Move that the Council provide staff direction regarding the Citizen Survey.
Background: Continuously working towards becoming a high performing government organization is a key strategic goal of the City Council. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has identified conducting surveys for data-driven decisions as a leading practice for local governments in evaluating their performance, enhancing their communications with the community, and helping with decision making. Last year the City of Port St. Lucie joined hundreds of cities across the country in conducting a survey which measures the quality of life for residents. The 2021 National Citizen Survey™ is a snapshot in time showing how Port St. Lucie residents from across geographical areas, ethnicities, and ages feel about their city. The survey captures opinions within three primary pillars of a community: community characteristics, governance, and participation. Eight central facets are observed within these pillars: safety, mobility, natural environment, economy, recreation and wellness, education and enrichment, and community engagement. The survey is conducted by the National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) at Polco, a leading survey research and evaluation firm focusing on the information requirements of the public sector. The City of Port St. Lucie also conducted a survey through NRC in 2009, 2018, 2019 and 2020 which provided valuable comparative data along with baseline data that will provide citizen feedback to aid in the strategic plan update and provide valuable information that can potentially enhance all City services. The results of the annual survey have helped inform and guide city operations as we continue to improve. In 2019 and 2020, the City received prestigious, national recognition for its efforts to engage citizens and give them a “voice” when planning for Port St. Lucie’s future. The City was presented the 2019 Voice of the People Award for Transformations in Foundations and the 2020 Voice of the People Award for Transformation in Community Engagement. This award is jointly bestowed by the National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The Voice of the People Award is only given to top performing jurisdictions that best listen and act for the benefit of their communities and are the only awards given in local government based on the opinions of residents.
The draft City of Port St. Lucie Community Survey and Timeline has been provided in the backup for the City Council’s consideration and finalization.
Issues/Analysis: Data from this year’s survey will be provided to the City Council in advance of the March 2021 Strategic Planning Workshop. This critical baseline data will provide citizen feedback to assist in the annual update of the strategic plan and provide valuable information that can potentially enhance all City services.
Financial Information: Funding is available for the survey and associated tools in the FY 20/21 Budget.
Special Consideration: N/A
Location of Project: The survey will be conducted via a scientifically valid random sample of residents citywide and an online opt in survey.
Attachments:
1. Draft City of Port St. Lucie 2021 Community Survey
2. National Research Center Proposed Timeline
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: N/A
Legal Sufficiency Review:
N/A