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The National Citizen Survey National Research Center, Inc. | Boulder, CO International City/County Management Association | Washington, DC The National Citizen Survey™ Chanhassen, MN DRAFT Dashboard Summary of Findings 2013 1 Summary The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The survey and its administration are standardized to assure high quality research methods and directly comparable results across The National Citizen Survey™ communities. The NCS captures residents’ opinions within the three pillars of a community, Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation, and across eight central facets of community, Safety, Mobility, Natural Environment, Built Environment, Economy, Recreation and Wellness, Education and Enrichment and Community Engagement. This report summarizes the Chanhassen’s performance in the eight facets of community livability with the “General” rating as a summary of results from the overarching questions that introduce each community pillar and are not shown within any of the eight facets. The “Overall” represents the community pillar in its entirety (the eight facets and general). By summarizing resident ratings across the eight facets and three pillars of a livable community, a picture of Chanhassen’s community livability emerges. Below, the color of each community facet summarizes how residents rated each of the pillars that support it – Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation. When most ratings were higher than the benchmark, the color is dark purple; when most ratings were lower than the benchmark, the color is the lightest purple. A mix of ratings (higher and lower than the benchmark) results in a color between the extremes. Community Characteristics were seen to be especially good for seven of the eight facets of community. Within the Natural Environment, Community Characteristics and Participation also saw high ratings, but for Community Engagement and Built Environment, Governance and Engagement were not as strong. Broadly, ratings about the Community Characteristics across most of the facets were stronger than were ratings of Governance or Participation. This information can be helpful in identifying the areas that merit more attention. Figure 1: Dashboard Summary Community Characteristics Governance Participation Higher Similar Lower Higher Similar Lower Higher Similar Lower Overall 28 14 0 25 17 0 5 12 1 General 6 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 0 Safety 2 1 0 5 2 0 0 1 0 Mobility 6 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 Natural Environment 3 0 0 1 5 0 1 0 0 Built Environment 2 1 0 3 4 0 1 0 0 Economy 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Recreation and Wellness 3 1 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 Education and Enrichment 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 Community Engagement 1 4 0 3 1 0 1 5 1 Legend Higher Similar Lower Not available The National Citizen Survey™ Legend ↑↑ Much higher ↑ Higher ↔ Similar ↓ Lower ↓↓ Much lower * Not available 2 Figure 2: Detailed Dashboard Community Characteristics Trend Benchmark Percent positive Governance Trend Benchmark Percent positive Participation Trend Benchmark Percent positive Ge n e r a l Overall appearance ↔ ↑ 95% Customer service ↔ ↔ 89% Recommend Chanhassen ↑ ↑ 97% Overall quality of life ↔ ↑ 97% Services provided by Chanhassen ↔ ↑ 91% Remain in Chanhassen ↑ ↑ 95% Place to retire ↔ ↔ 70% Services provided by the Federal Government ↔ ↔ 44% Contacted Chanhassen employees ↓ ↔ 41% Place to raise children ↔ ↑↑ 98% Place to live ↔ ↑ 99% Neighborhood ↔ ↑ 94% Overall image ↔ ↑↑ 93% Sa f e t y Overall feeling of safety * ↑ 97% Police ↑ ↑ 95% Was NOT the victim of a crime ↔ ↔ 94% Safe in neighborhood ↔ ↔ 98% Crime prevention ↔ ↑ 92% Did NOT report a crime * * 86% Safe downtown/commercial area ↔ ↑ 98% Fire ↔ ↔ 98% Fire prevention ↔ ↑ 93% Ambulance/EMS ↔ ↔ 96% Emergency preparedness ↔ ↑ 82% Animal control ↑ ↑ 84% Mo b i l i t y Traffic flow ↑ ↑↑ 83% Traffic enforcement ↔ ↑ 81% Carpooled instead of driving alone * * 38% Travel by car ↔ ↑↑ 92% Street repair ↑ ↑ 67% Walked or biked instead of driving * * 60% Travel by bicycle ↔ ↑↑ 81% Street cleaning ↔ ↑ 79% Used public transportation instead of driving * * 89% Ease of walking ↔ ↑ 83% Street lighting ↔ ↑ 77% Travel by public transportation * ↔ 66% Snow removal ↔ ↑ 82% Overall ease travel * ↑ 90% Sidewalk maintenance ↔ ↑ 82% Public parking * * 87% Traffic signal timing ↑ ↑ 68% Paths and walking trails ↔ ↑↑ 90% Bus or transit services ↑ ↑ 82% Na t u r a l En v i r o n m e n t Overall natural environment ↔ ↑↑ 97% Garbage collection ↔ ↔ 92% Recycled at home ↔ ↑ 96% Air quality ↔ ↑↑ 96% Recycling ↔ ↔ 92% Cleanliness * ↑↑ 97% Yard waste pick-up ↔ ↔ 81% Drinking water ↑ ↔ 79% Open space * ↔ 80% Natural areas preservation ↔ ↑ 79% Bu i l t E n v i r o n m e n t New development in Chanhassen ↓ ↔ 66% Sewer services ↔ ↔ 90% NOT under housing cost stress ↔ ↑ 76% Affordable quality housing ↔ ↑ 63% Storm drainage ↔ ↑ 82% Did NOT observe a code violation * * 80% Housing options ↔ ↑ 79% Power utility * ↔ 85% Overall built environment * * 83% Utility billing * ↔ 86% Public places * * 80% Land use, planning and zoning ↔ ↑ 65% Code enforcement ↔ ↑ 75% Cable television ↔ ↔ 48% The National Citizen Survey™ Legend ↑↑ Much higher ↑ Higher ↔ Similar ↓ Lower ↓↓ Much lower * Not available 3 Community Characteristics Trend Benchmark Percent positive Governance Trend Benchmark Percent positive Participation Trend Benchmark Percent positive Ec o n o m y Overall economic health * ↑↑ 90% Economic development ↔ ↑ 74% Economy will have positive impact on income ↑ ↔ 28% Shopping opportunities ↔ ↔ 51% Purchased goods or services in Chanhassen * * 98% Employment opportunities ↑ ↑ 53% Work in Chanhassen * * 28% Place to visit * ↔ 74% Cost of living * * 53% Vibrant downtown/commercial area * * 55% Place to work ↑ ↑ 80% Business and services ↔ ↔ 74% Re c r e a t i o n a n d W e l l n e s s Fitness opportunities * * 90% City parks ↔ ↑ 97% In very good to excellent health * * 78% Recreational opportunities ↔ ↑ 87% Recreation centers ↔ ↔ 84% Used Chanhassen public libraries ↔ ↔ 77% Health care ↑ ↑↑ 89% Recreation programs ↔ ↔ 85% Used Chanhassen recreation centers ↔ ↔ 59% Food * ↔ 75% Health services ↑ ↑ 92% Visited a City park ↔ ↔ 91% Mental health care * * 77% Ate 5 portions of fruits and vegetables * * 88% Health and wellness * * 92% Participated in moderate or vigorous physical activity * * 89% Preventive health services ↑ ↑↑ 88% Ed u c a t i o n a n d En r i c h m e n t Overall education and enrichment * * 87% Public libraries ↔ ↑ 96% Participated in religious or spiritual activities ↔ ↔ 53% K-12 education ↔ ↑↑ 95% Special events * ↔ 83% Attended a City-sponsored event * * 61% Cultural/arts/music activities ↑ ↔ 65% Child care/preschool ↑ ↑↑ 78% Religious or spiritual events and activities ↔ ↔ 89% Adult education * * 78% Co m m u n i t y E n g a g e m e n t Opportunities to participate in community matters ↔ ↔ 72% Public information ↔ ↑ 85% Talked to or visited with neighbors ↔ ↔ 59% Opportunities to volunteer ↑ ↔ 79% Overall direction ↔ ↑ 79% Voted in local elections ↑ ↑ 93% Sense of community ↔ ↑ 77% Value of services for taxes paid ↔ ↑ 69% Attended a local public meeting ↔ ↔ 17% Openness and acceptance ↔ ↔ 64% Welcoming citizen involvement ↔ ↔ 67% Watched a local public meeting ↔ ↓ 18% Social events and activities ↔ ↔ 70% Confidence in City government * * 75% Volunteered ↔ ↔ 40% Neighborliness * * 78% Acting in the best interest of Chanhassen * * 74% Participated in a club ↔ ↔ 25% Being honest * * 76% Done a favor for a neighbor ↔ ↔ 91% Treating all residents fairly * * 74% Campaigned for an issue, cause or candidate * * 15% Contacted Chanhassen elected officials * * 15% Read or watched local news * * 90% National Research Center, Inc. | Boulder, CO International City/County Management Association | Washington, DC The National Citizen Survey™ Chanhassen, MN Community Livability Report DRAFT 2013 The National Citizen Survey™ © 2001-2013 National Research Center, Inc. National Research Center, Inc. International City/County Management Association 2955 Valmont Road, Suite 300 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 Boulder, CO 80301 Washington, DC 20002 www.n-r-c.com • 303-444-7863 www.icma.org • 202-289-ICMA Contents About .............................................................................................. 1 Quality of Life in Chanhassen ........................................................... 2 Community Characteristics ............................................................... 3 Governance ..................................................................................... 5 Participation .................................................................................... 7 Special Topics .................................................................................. 9 Conclusions ................................................................................... 11 1 About The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS) report is about the “livability” of Chanhassen. The phrase “livable community” is used here to evoke a place that is not simply habitable but that is desirable. It is not only where people do live, but where they want to live. Great communities are partnerships of the government, private sector, community-based organizations and residents, all geographically connected. The NCS captures residents’ opinions within the three pillars of a community, Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation, across eight central facets of community, Safety, Mobility, Natural Environment, Built Environment, Economy, Recreation and Wellness, Education and Enrichment and Community Engagement. The Community Livability Report provides the opinions of a representative sample selected from 1,200 residents of the city of Chanhassen. The margin of error around any reported percentage is 5% for the entire sample (461 completed surveys). The methods used to garner these opinions can be found in the Technical Appendices provided under separate cover. Communities are partnerships among… Residents Government Community- based organizations Private sector 2 Quality of Life in Chanhassen Almost all residents rated the quality of life in Chanhassen as excellent or good, which was higher than the benchmark. Shown below are the eight facets of community. The color of each community facet summarizes how residents rated it across the three sections of the survey that represent the pillars of a community – Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation. When most ratings across the three pillars were higher than the benchmark, the color for that facet is dark purple; when most ratings were lower than the benchmark, the color is the lightest purple. A mix of ratings (higher and lower than the benchmark) results in a color between the extremes. In addition to a summary of ratings, the image below includes one or more stars to indicate which community facets were the most important to residents’ overall quality of life. Residents identified these facets of community life (Natural Environment and Economy) as the most central to what makes Chanhassen their home. It is noteworthy that Chanhassen residents gave strong ratings to both of these facets of community as well as to Recreation and Wellness, Safety and Mobility. Ratings for Built Environment, Education and Enrichment and Community Engagement were positive and similar to other communities. This overview of the key aspects of community quality provides a quick summary of where residents see exceptionally strong performance and where performance offers the greatest opportunity for improvement. Linking quality to importance offers community members and leaders a view into the characteristics of the community that matter most and that seem to be working best. Details that support these findings are contained in the remainder of this Livability Report. Education and Enrichment Community Engagement Mobility Natural Environment Recreation and Wellness Built Environment Safety Legend Higher than national benchmark Similar to national benchmark Lower than national benchmark Benchmark comparison not available Most important to quality of life Economy Excellent 54% Good 43% Fair 2% Poor 0% Overall Quality of Life 3 Community Characteristics What makes a community livable, attractive and a place where people want to be? Overall quality of community life represents the natural ambience, services and amenities that make for an attractive community. How residents rate their overall quality of life is an indicator of the overall health of a community. In the case of Chanhassen, almost all respondents rated the city as a place to live as excellent or good. Respondents’ ratings of Chanhassen as a place to live were higher than ratings in other communities across the nation (see Appendix B of the Technical Appendices provided under separate cover). In addition to rating the City as a place to live, respondents rated several aspects of the community in general including Chanhassen as a place to raise children and to retire, their neighborhood as a place to live, the overall image or reputation of Chanhassen and its overall appearance. At least 9 in 10 respondents rated the city as a place to raise children, neighborhood as a place to live, the overall image or reputation and the city’s appearance as excellent or good, providing ratings that were above national benchmark comparisons. Slightly fewer respondents, but still a majority, felt positively about the city as a place to retire, which resulted in a comparison similar to other communities. Delving deeper into Community Characteristics, survey respondents rated over 40 features of the community within the eight facets of Community Livability. Overall, all these features of the community were rated favorably by at least half of respondents, with the majority of features being rating positively by about 8 in 10 respondents. When national benchmark comparisons were available, the features of Chanhassen were either higher than or similar to those in other communities. Respondents regarded the Natural Environment as one of the city’s greatest assets; almost all respondents rated each feature favorably, providing high benchmark comparisons. Safety was another area of strength in Chanhassen; almost all respondents felt safe across the city. Economy received mixed ratings, both in terms of the proportions of respondents rating the various aspects positively and their performance when compared to national benchmarks. Roughly 7 in 10 respondents felt positively about the various aspects of Community Engagement, resulting in ratings similar to the national benchmark. 93% 94% 98% 95% 70% Overall image Neighborhood Place to raise children Place to retire Overall appearance Higher Similar Lower Not available Comparison to national benchmark Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) Excellent 71% Good 28% Fair 1% Poor 0% Place to Live The National Citizen Survey™ 4 Figure 1: Facets of Community Characteristics 78% 95% 87% 89% 88% 80% 53% 90% 79% 63% 96% 97% 97% 83% 92% 81% 83% 90% 90% 98% 97% 79% 72% 64% 70% 65% 89% 75% 74% 51% 74% 66% 66% 98% 78% 78% 87% 90% 77% 92% 53% 55% 80% 83% 87% Opportunities to volunteer Opportunities to participate in community matters Openness and acceptance Neighborliness Social events and activities COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Child care/preschool K-12 education Adult education Cultural/arts/music activities Religious or spiritual events and activities Education and enrichment opportunities EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT Fitness opportunities Recreational opportunities Food Health care Preventive health services Mental health care Health and wellness RECREATION AND WELLNESS Place to work Place to visit Employment opportunities Shopping opportunities Cost of living Business and services Vibrant downtown/commercial area Overall economic health ECONOMY Public places Housing options Affordable quality housing New development in Chanhassen Overall built environment BUILT ENVIRONMENT Air quality Cleanliness Overall natural environment NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Traffic flow Public parking Travel by car Travel by public transportation Travel by bicycle Ease of walking Paths and walking trails Overall ease travel MOBILITY Safe downtown/commercial area Safe in neighborhood Overall feeling of safety SAFETY Higher Similar Lower Not available Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good, very/somewhat safe) Comparison to national benchmark 5 Governance How well does the government of Chanhassen meet the needs and expectations of its residents? The overall quality of the services provided by Chanhassen as well as the manner in which these services are provided are a key component of how residents rate their quality of life. More than twice as many respondents felt the City provided excellent or good services when compared to those who felt similarly about the services provided by the Federal Government. The rating for City services was higher than the benchmark while the rating for the Federal services was similar. Survey respondents also rated various aspects of Chanhassen’s leadership and governance. About 8 in 10 respondents were pleased with the overall direction the City was taking and about three-quarters of respondents had at least good levels of confidence in the City. About three quarters of respondents felt the City did a good or excellent job of acting in the best interest of Chanhassen, being honest and treating all residents fairly. Overall, ratings for Chanhassen’s leadership and governance were similar to or higher than national benchmark comparisons when available. Respondents evaluated over 30 individual services and amenities available in Chanhassen within the eight facets of livability. Overall, individual services were higher than or similar to national benchmark comparisons; none were lower than the benchmark. The majority of services and amenities received excellent or good ratings from at least 8 in 10 respondents and only one service was rated positively by less than one-half of respondents. Mobility and Safety tended to perform better when compared to other communities across the U.S., while Natural Environment and Built Environment were generally on par with these communities. 69% 79% 67% 89% 44% 75% 74% 76% 74% Value of services for taxes paid Overall direction Welcoming citizen involvement Confidence in City government Acting in the best interest of Chanhassen Being honest Treating all residents fairly Customer service Services provided by the Federal Government Higher Similar Lower Not available Comparison to national benchmark Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) Excellent 37% Good 54% Fair 7% Poor 2% Overall Quality of City Services The National Citizen Survey™ 6 Figure 2: Facets of Governance 85% 96% 92% 97% 74% 75% 65% 82% 79% 82% 68% 82% 82% 77% 79% 67% 81% 82% 84% 93% 92% 95% 83% 84% 85% 48% 86% 85% 90% 80% 79% 81% 92% 92% 96% 98% Public information COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Special events Public libraries EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT Health services Recreation centers Recreation programs City parks RECREATION AND WELLNESS Economic development ECONOMY Cable television Code enforcement Land use, planning and zoning Utility billing Power utility Sewer services Storm drainage BUILT ENVIRONMENT Open space Natural areas preservation Drinking water Yard waste pick-up Recycling Garbage collection NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Bus or transit services Traffic signal timing Sidewalk maintenance Snow removal Street lighting Street cleaning Street repair Traffic enforcement MOBILITY Emergency preparedness Animal control Fire prevention Crime prevention Ambulance/EMS Fire Police SAFETY Higher Similar Lower Not available Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) Comparison to national benchmark 7 Participation Are the residents of Chanhassen connected to the community and each other? An engaged community is a livable community. The connections and trust among residents, government, businesses and other organizations help to create a sense of community; a shared sense of membership, belonging and history. About three-quarters of respondents felt Chanhassen had an excellent or good sense of community, which was higher when compared to national peers. Almost all respondents would recommend living in Chanhassen to someone who asked and plan to stay within the community for the next five years. The survey included over 30 activities and behaviors within the eight facets of livability for which respondents indicated how often they participated in or performed each, if at all. Overall, the extent to which respondents participated in these activities varied, but tended to be similar when compared to the activity levels of residents in other communities. Recreation and Wellness tended to have higher levels of participation overall; a majority of respondents had participated in some kind of Recreation and Wellness activity. The levels of participation in Community Engagement activities fluctuated; while most respondents had voted few had watched or attended a local public meeting. 97% 95% 41% Recommend Chanhassen Remain in Chanhassen Contacted Chanhassen employees Higher Similar Lower Not available Percent rating positively (e.g., very/somewhat likely, yes) Comparison to national benchmark Excellent 33% Good 44% Fair 20% Poor 3% Sense of Community The National Citizen Survey™ 8 Figure 3: Facets of Participation 93% 76% 96% 17% 91% 59% 25% 40% 53% 77% 91% 59% 28% 94% 18% 90% 15% 15% 61% 78% 89% 88% 28% 98% 80% 60% 38% 89% 86% Voted in local elections Read or watched local news Watched a local public meeting Attended a local public meeting Done a favor for a neighbor Talked to or visited with neighbors Participated in a club Volunteered Contacted Chanhassen elected officials Campaigned for an issue, cause or candidate COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Attended a City-sponsored event Participated in religious or spiritual activities Used Chanhassen public libraries EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT In very good to excellent health Participated in moderate or vigorous physical activity Ate 5 portions of fruits and vegetables Visited a City park Used Chanhassen recreation centers RECREATION AND WELLNESS Work in Chanhassen Economy will have positive impact on income Purchased goods or services in Chanhassen ECONOMY NOT under housing cost stress Did NOT observe a code violation BUILT ENVIRONMENT Recycled at home NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Walked or biked instead of driving Carpooled instead of driving alone Used public transportation instead of driving MOBILITY Was NOT the victim of a crime Did NOT report a crime SAFETY Higher Similar Lower Not available Percent rating positively (e.g., yes, more than once a month, always/sometimes) Comparison to national benchmark 9 Special Topics The city of Chanhassen included four questions of special interest on The NCS. The topics covered included information sources, priorities for the City and aspects of living in the City. When it came to the method of communication, respondents strongly preferred mailed communications from the City, The Chanhassen Villager and the City’s website over the City’s Facebook page, Twitter account or Cable Channel 8. Figure 4: Question 13a How major of a source of information, if at all, do you consider each of the following methods of communication used by the City? About 7 in 10 respondents felt it was essential or very important for the City to continue Aquatic Invasive Species inspections at the various lakes in the city and to build trail connectors and expand the trail system. Less than half of respondents felt it was important for the City to provide a variety of housing types. Figure 5: Question 13b How important, if at all, is it for the City do the following? 7% 7% 16% 20% 23% 42% 43% 8% 10% 11% 20% 22% 35% 38% 31% 38% 9% 14% 17% 27% 38% 55% 61% 73% 81% City of Chanhassen's Twitter account Chanhassen Cable Channel 8 City of Chanhassen's Facebook page Electronic message sign at Chanhassen Library E-mail communications from the City The Chanhassen Connection (Newsletter) The City website(www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us) The Chanhassen Villager Mailed communications from the City Major source Moderate source 19% 26% 33% 39% 26% 28% 37% 36% 45% 54% 71% 74% Provide a variety of housing types Plow City trails in the winter Build trail connectors and expand the City's trail system Continue Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) inspections at Lotus Lake, Lake Ann, and Lake Susan Essential Very important The National Citizen Survey™ 10 Respondents were asked it identify that which they enjoyed most about living in Chanhassen. Respondents most enjoyed the park and trail system and the city’s location. About half enjoyed the lakes, small town feel and the neighborhoods. Figure 6: Question 13c What do you enjoy most about living in Chanhassen? Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one option. Respondents were asked to record in their own words what they would do to help solve the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen. Of the 217 respondents who wrote in a response, most provided solutions related to growth, land use, planning and development or government and taxes. Others were concerned about the amount and type of retail and dining opportunities, the environment and the variety and affordability of housing. The complete set of write in responses can be found in the Open Ended Responses report, provided under separate cover. Figure 7: Question 13d What would you do to help solve the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen over the next several years? 5% 33% 35% 46% 51% 51% 56% 67% 67% Other Proximity to family Downtown Chanhassen Schools Lakes Small town feel Neighborhoods Location Park and trail system 15% 9% 3% 5% 5% 7% 8% 9% 19% 19% Don't know/Nothing Other Safety, police Housing Economy, jobs, cost of living Environment, recreation Transportation, traffic enforcement Retail and dining opportunities Government, taxes Growth, land use, planning and development The National Citizen Survey™ 11 Conclusions Chanhassen residents enjoy an exceptional quality of life. Not only did almost all respondents feel they had high quality of life, but almost all residents felt that Chanhassen was a great place to live as well. Many of the facets that make a community livable were rated highly by residents and were higher in Chanhassen than in other communities in the country. The Natural Environment is a key feature and asset of Chanhassen that residents appreciate and want to protect. Residents were overwhelmingly positive when evaluating the Natural Environment of Chanhassen; almost all residents enjoyed the cleanliness and fresh air and many felt the City did a good job of preserving natural areas. The natural setting as well as the lakes and trails that allow residents to enjoy these features of the community play a large role in why residents choose to live in Chanhassen. Residents support the City’s efforts to control the invasive species that could harm the Natural Environment and they also would like more opportunities to explore the beauty of the community through expansion of the existing trail system. A strong Economy is another feature that makes Chanhassen a desirable community. The majority of respondents viewed the overall economic health of Chanhassen positively and appreciated the City’s economic development efforts. Most residents were pleased with the employment opportunities and work- friendly atmosphere of the community, although a minority of respondents were able to actually work in the City. Residents supported the local economy by making purchases from a good variety of local businesses and indicated they had sufficient shopping opportunities available to them. National Research Center, Inc. | Boulder, CO International City/County Management Association | Washington, DC The National Citizen Survey™ Chanhassen, MN DRAFT Trends over Time 2013 The National Citizen Survey™ © 2001-2013 National Research Center, Inc. National Research Center, Inc. International City/County Management Association 2955 Valmont Road, Suite 300 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 Boulder, CO 80301 Washington, DC 20002 www.n-r-c.com • 303-444-7863 www.icma.org • 202-289-ICMA Contents Summary ........................................................................................ 1 1 Summary The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The survey and its administration are standardized to assure high quality research methods and directly comparable results across The NCS communities. The NCS captures residents’ opinions within the three pillars of a community, Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation, across eight central facets of community, Safety, Mobility, Natural Environment, Built Environment, Economy, Recreation and Wellness, Education and Enrichment and Community Engagement. This report discusses trends over time, comparing the 2013 ratings for the city of Chanhassen to its previous survey results in 2005, 2007 and 2010. Additional reports and technical appendices are available under separate cover. Trend data for Chanhassen represent important comparison data and should be examined for improvements or declines. Deviations from stable trends over time, especially, represent opportunities for understanding how local policies, programs or public information may have affected residents’ opinions. Meaningful differences between survey years have been noted within the following tables as being “higher” or “lower” if the differences are greater than six percentage points between the 2010 and 2013 survey, otherwise the comparison between 2010 and 2013 are noted as being “similar.” Additionally benchmark comparison for all survey years are presented for reference. Changes in the benchmark comparison over time can be impacted by various trends, including varying survey cycles for the individual communities that comprise the benchmarks, regional and national economic or other events, as well as emerging survey methodologies. Overall, ratings in Chanhassen for 2013 generally remained stable. Of the 91 items for which comparisons were available, 70 items were rated similarly in 2010 and 2013, two items showed a decrease in ratings and 19 showed an increase in ratings. Notable trends over time included the following: • Most facets of the Community Characteristics remained stable between 2010 and 2013. Increases in ratings were in the area of Economy with employment opportunities and the city as a place to work both showing improvement from 2010. Within Built Environment, the quality of new development declined. • Aspects of Governance saw increases in several services related to Mobility (i.e., street repair, traffic signal timing, traffic flow and bus or transit services). Recreation and Wellness had notable improvements in the areas of health services and the availability of affordable health care and preventive health services. • Overall, levels of Participation in various activities available in Chanhassen in 2013 were similar to 2010. Fewer respondents had contacted Chanhassen employees, but more had voted. The proportion of residents that would recommend living in the city increased as well. The National Citizen Survey™ 2 Table 1: Community Characteristics General Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 The overall quality of life in Chanhassen 93% 94% 97% 97% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Overall image or reputation of Chanhassen NA NA 96% 93% Similar NA NA Much higher Much higher Chanhassen as a place to live 95% 96% 98% 99% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Your neighborhood as a place to live 90% 91% 92% 94% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Chanhassen as a place to raise children 94% 96% 98% 98% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Chanhassen as a place to retire 50% 54% 75% 70% Similar Lower Lower Much higher Similar Overall appearance of Chanhassen 80% 82% 94% 95% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Table 2: Community Characteristics by Facet Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good, very/somewhat safe) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Safety Overall feeling of safety in Chanhassen NA NA NA 97% NA NA NA NA Higher In your neighborhood during the day 96% 97% 99% 98% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Similar In Chanhassen's downtown/commercial area during the day 99% 98% 99% 98% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Higher Mobility Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit NA NA NA 90% NA NA NA NA Higher Availability of paths and walking trails NA NA 90% 90% Similar NA NA Much higher Much higher Ease of walking in Chanhassen NA 75% 87% 83% Similar NA Much higher Much higher Higher Ease of travel by bicycle in Chanhassen 70% 73% 85% 81% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Ease of travel by public transportation in Chanhassen NA NA NA 66% NA NA NA NA Similar Ease of travel by car in Chanhassen 67% 72% 87% 92% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Ease of public parking NA NA NA 87% NA NA NA NA NA Traffic flow on major streets 51% 61% 77% 83% Higher NA NA Much higher Much higher Natural Environment Quality of overall natural environment in Chanhassen NA NA 94% 97% Similar NA NA Much higher Much higher Cleanliness of Chanhassen NA NA NA 97% NA NA NA NA Much higher Air quality 90% 89% 92% 96% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Built Environment Overall "built environment" of Chanhassen (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) NA NA NA 83% NA NA NA NA NA Overall quality of new development in Chanhassen NA NA 81% 66% Lower NA NA Much higher Similar Availability of affordable quality housing 36% 43% 61% 63% Similar Lower Similar Much higher Higher Variety of housing options NA NA 78% 79% Similar NA NA Much higher Higher Public places where people want to spend time NA NA NA 80% NA NA NA NA NA The National Citizen Survey™ 3 Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good, very/somewhat safe) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Economy Overall economic health of Chanhassen NA NA NA 90% NA NA NA NA Much higher Vibrant downtown/commercial area NA NA NA 55% NA NA NA NA NA Overall quality of business and service establishments in Chanhassen NA NA 73% 74% Similar NA NA Much higher Similar Cost of living in Chanhassen NA NA NA 53% NA NA NA NA NA Shopping opportunities 39% 43% 50% 51% Similar Much lower Lower Similar Similar Employment opportunities 38% 41% 39% 53% Higher Similar Much higher Much higher Higher Chanhassen as a place to visit NA NA NA 74% NA NA NA NA Similar Chanhassen as a place to work NA 70% 69% 80% Higher NA Much higher Much higher Higher Recreation and Wellness Health and wellness opportunities in Chanhassen NA NA NA 92% NA NA NA NA NA Availability of affordable quality mental health care NA NA NA 77% NA NA NA NA NA Availability of preventive health services NA NA 80% 88% Higher NA NA Much higher Much higher Availability of affordable quality health care 68% 77% 79% 89% Higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Availability of affordable quality food NA NA NA 75% NA NA NA NA Similar Recreational opportunities 74% 82% 83% 87% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) NA NA NA 90% NA NA NA NA NA Education and Enrichment Opportunities to participate in religious or spiritual events and activities NA NA 83% 89% Similar NA NA Higher Similar Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 40% 45% 54% 65% Higher Much lower Much lower Similar Similar Adult educational opportunities NA NA NA 78% NA NA NA NA NA K-12 education 82% 87% 93% 95% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Much higher Availability of affordable quality child care/preschool 53% 65% 65% 78% Higher Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Community Engagement Opportunities to participate in social events and activities NA NA 73% 70% Similar NA NA Much higher Similar Neighborliness of Chanhassen NA NA NA 78% NA NA NA NA NA Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 55% 62% NA 64% Similar Similar Similar NA Similar Opportunities to participate in community matters NA NA 70% 72% Similar NA NA Much higher Similar Opportunities to volunteer NA NA 73% 79% Higher NA NA Similar Similar The National Citizen Survey™ 4 Table 3: Governance General Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Services provided by the City of Chanhassen 79% 82% 91% 91% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Higher Overall customer service by Chanhassen employees (police, receptionists, planners, etc.) 77% 84% 89% 89% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Similar Value of services for the taxes paid to Chanhassen NA 62% 63% 69% Similar NA Higher Much higher Higher Overall direction that Chanhassen is taking 64% 67% 76% 79% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Job Chanhassen government does at welcoming citizen involvement 61% 65% 62% 67% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Similar Overall confidence in Chanhassen government NA NA NA 75% NA NA NA NA NA Generally acting in the best interest of the community NA NA NA 74% NA NA NA NA NA Being honest NA NA NA 76% NA NA NA NA NA Treating all residents fairly NA NA NA 74% NA NA NA NA NA Services provided by the Federal Government 49% 46% 46% 44% Similar Similar Similar Similar Similar Table 4: Governance by Facet Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Safety Police/Sheriff services 80% 82% 87% 95% Higher Similar Higher Much higher Higher Fire services 94% 92% 96% 98% Similar Similar Higher Much higher Similar Ambulance or emergency medical services 90% 91% 95% 96% Similar Similar Higher Much higher Similar Crime prevention 77% 75% 90% 92% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Fire prevention and education 84% 83% 91% 93% Similar Similar Higher Much higher Higher Animal control 71% 72% 77% 84% Higher Similar Much higher Much higher Higher Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) NA NA 80% 82% Similar NA NA Much higher Higher Mobility Traffic enforcement 67% 71% 76% 81% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Higher Street repair 44% 53% 58% 67% Higher Similar Higher Much higher Higher Street cleaning 68% 65% 78% 79% Similar Similar Higher Much higher Higher Street lighting 61% 66% 73% 77% Similar Similar Higher Much higher Higher Snow removal 78% 74% 81% 82% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Sidewalk maintenance 73% 76% 81% 82% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Higher Traffic signal timing 45% 52% 60% 68% Higher Similar Higher Much higher Higher Bus or transit services 63% 63% 65% 82% Higher Similar Much higher Much higher Higher The National Citizen Survey™ 5 Percent rating positively (e.g., excellent/good) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Natural Environment Garbage collection 87% 89% 93% 92% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Similar Recycling 86% 84% 92% 92% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Similar Yard waste pick-up 68% 68% 84% 81% Similar Similar Similar Much higher Similar Drinking water 51% 53% 70% 79% Higher Much lower Much lower Higher Similar Preservation of natural areas such as open space, farmlands and greenbelts NA NA 78% 79% Similar NA NA Much higher Higher Chanhassen open space NA NA NA 80% NA NA NA NA Similar Built Environment Storm drainage 74% 70% 82% 82% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Sewer services 78% 82% 86% 90% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Similar Power (electric and/or gas) utility NA NA NA 85% NA NA NA NA Similar Utility billing NA NA NA 86% NA NA NA NA Similar Land use, planning and zoning 50% 46% 64% 65% Similar Similar Higher Much higher Higher Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 69% 70% 73% 75% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Higher Economy Economic development 61% 64% 68% 74% Similar Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Recreation and Wellness City parks 92% 91% 96% 97% Similar Much higher Much higher Much higher Higher Recreation programs or classes 84% 83% 90% 85% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Similar Recreation centers or facilities 70% 68% 83% 84% Similar Similar Similar Much higher Similar Health services 82% 83% 86% 92% Higher Higher Much higher Much higher Higher Education and Enrichment City-sponsored special events NA NA NA 83% NA NA NA NA Similar Public library services 91% 91% 94% 96% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Higher Community Engagement Public information services 73% 76% 86% 85% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Higher The National Citizen Survey™ 6 Table 5: Participation General Percent rating positively (e.g., always/sometimes, more than once a month, yes) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Sense of community 67% 70% 80% 77% Similar Similar Much higher Much higher Higher Recommend living in Chanhassen to someone who asks NA NA 90% 97% Higher NA NA Much higher Higher Remain in Chanhassen for the next five years NA NA 86% 95% Higher NA NA Much higher Higher Contacted Chanhassen (in-person, phone, email or web) for help or information NA NA 48% 41% Lower NA NA Much lower Similar Table 6: Participation by Facet Percent rating positively (e.g., always/sometimes, more than once a month, yes) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Safety Household member was NOT a victim of a crime NA NA 97% 94% Similar NA NA Much higher Similar Did NOT report a crime to the police NA NA NA 86% NA NA NA NA NA Mobility Used bus, rail, subway or other public transportation instead of driving NA NA NA 89% NA NA NA NA NA Carpooled with other adults or children instead of driving alone NA NA NA 38% NA NA NA NA NA Walked or biked instead of driving NA NA NA 60% NA NA NA NA NA Natural Environment Recycle at home NA NA 98% 96% Similar NA NA Much higher Higher Built Environment Did NOT observe a code violation or other hazard in Chanhassen NA NA NA 80% NA NA NA NA NA NOT experiencing housing costs stress NA NA 73% 76% Similar NA NA Much higher Higher Economy Purchase goods or services from a business located in Chanhassen NA NA NA 98% NA NA NA NA NA Economy will have positive impact on income NA NA 20% 28% Higher NA NA Higher Similar Work inside boundaries of Chanhassen NA NA NA 28% NA NA NA NA NA Recreation and Wellness Used Chanhassen recreation centers or their services NA NA 57% 59% Similar NA NA Similar Similar Visited a neighborhood park or City park NA NA 90% 91% Similar NA NA Higher Similar Eat at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day NA NA NA 88% NA NA NA NA NA Participate in moderate or vigorous physical activity NA NA NA 89% NA NA NA NA NA In very good to excellent health NA NA NA 78% NA NA NA NA NA Used Chanhassen public libraries or their services NA NA 81% 77% Similar NA NA Much higher Similar The National Citizen Survey™ 7 Percent rating positively (e.g., always/sometimes, more than once a month, yes) 2013 compared to 2010 Comparison to benchmark 2005 2007 2010 2013 2005 2007 2010 2013 Education and Enrichment Participated in religious or spiritual activities in Chanhassen NA NA 50% 53% Similar NA NA Similar Similar Attended a City-sponsored event NA NA NA 61% NA NA NA NA NA Community Engagement Campaigned or advocated for an issue, cause or candidate NA NA NA 15% NA NA NA NA NA Contacted Chanhassen elected officials (in-person, phone, email or web) to express your opinion NA NA NA 15% NA NA NA NA NA Volunteered your time to some group/activity in Chanhassen NA NA 36% 40% Similar NA NA Much lower Similar Participated in a club NA NA 22% 25% Similar NA NA Much lower Similar Talked to or visited with your immediate neighbors NA NA 64% 59% Similar NA NA Much higher Similar Done a favor for a neighbor NA NA 95% 91% Similar NA NA Similar Similar Attended a local public meeting NA NA 18% 17% Similar NA NA Much lower Similar Watched (online or on television) a local public meeting NA NA 22% 18% Similar NA NA Much lower Lower Read or watch local news (via television, paper, computer, etc.) NA NA NA 90% NA NA NA NA NA Vote in local elections NA NA 87% 93% Higher NA NA Much higher Higher National Research Center, Inc. | Boulder, CO International City/County Management Association | Washington, DC The National Citizen Survey™ Chanhassen, MN Open Ended Responses 2013 The National Citizen Survey™ © 2001-2013 National Research Center, Inc. National Research Center, Inc. International City/County Management Association 2955 Valmont Road, Suite 300 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 Boulder, CO 80301 Washington, DC 20002 www.n-r-c.com • 303-444-7863 www.icma.org • 202-289-ICMA Contents Summary ........................................................................................ 1 Verbatim Responses ........................................................................ 2 The National Citizen Survey™ 1 Summary The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The survey and its administration are standardized to assure high quality research methods and directly comparable results across The National Citizen Survey communities. This report includes the verbatim responses to the open ended question included on The NCS 2013 survey for Chanhassen. Additional reports and the technical appendices are available under separate cover. Respondents were asked to record their opinions about the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen in the following question: • What would you do to help solve the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen over the next several years? The verbatim responses were categorized by topic area and those topics are reported in the following table with the percent of responses given in each category. Those verbatim responses are grouped by the first topic listed in each comment whenever a respondent mentioned more than a single topic. Verbatim comments that contain more than one topic nevertheless appear only once (in the category of the first topic listed). Results from the open-ended question are best understood by reviewing the frequencies that summarize responses as well as the actual verbatim responses themselves. Four-hundred and sixty-one surveys were completed by Chanhassen residents; of these 217 wrote in responses for the open-ended question. Most respondents provided solutions to growth, land use, planning and development or government and taxes. Others were concerned about the amount and type of retail and dining opportunities, the environment and the variety and affordability of housing. Figure 1: Question 13d What would you do to help solve the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen over the next several years? 15% 9% 3% 5% 5% 7% 8% 9% 19% 19% Don't know/Nothing Other Safety, police Housing Economy, jobs, cost of living Environment, recreation Transportation, traffic enforcement Retail and dining opportunities Government, taxes Growth, land use, planning and development The National Citizen Survey™ 2 Verbatim Responses The following pages contain the respondents’ verbatim responses as written on the survey and have not been edited for spelling or grammar. Responses have been organized by coded topic areas. What would you do to help solve the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen over the next several years? Growth, land use, planning and development • Be careful not to allow over-population. Preserve existing space to maintain balance. Invest more in Downtown to attract business people & give them a reason to stay. Consider areas where restaurants & shopping could be more clustered. More “strolling" opportunities like excelsior. • The biggest issue for me is preserving green space and avoiding urban sprawl. Also redesigning downtown so that it has a more coherent shopping district with pedestrian sects and a small town feel. Think Excelsior. I would strongly support this. Also include Water rates that are unit based rather than bands to average and reward water conservate. Finally, take active steps to encourage a more ethnically diverse populate of residents and Employees. • Growth for the sake of growth. We do not want to be the next Eden Prairie. We would like to continue to support local & small business to develop a community like Downtown excelsior or the uptown areas. Eden prairie can continue to be a haven for big brand and chains like Wal-Mart and Fridays • Hire an urban planner • Upgrade the Downtown area to the more inviting and welcoming. The town needs better planning of buildings-also get more creative in the thinking a planning instead of "same old" need new faces and new ideas. • Development in more downtown commercial/retail • Limit growth • Keep big box stores out of city ie. Wal-Mart Costco best buy etc. • No big Wal-Mart store petition no low income house • Develop land along sir corridor increase highway 5 to four lane to Victoria curb careless driving & speeding in town. • Planned development: expanding the Downtown into a destination while also keeping the city a small community feel. We need more public places for teens and I would love to see the library be one of those places. We need the library to have a more appealing schedule to encourage its use in this regard. Currently open to 8 pm. M-TH; then close of 5 pm on friday-sunday. Why? Stay open until 10 pm on Friday and sat and 8 pm on sunday. Open later on other days if necessary but need longer weekend hours. Give kids a study / meeting place • No big issue-but less fast food joints (Chan does not need 2 McDonalds!) and a community swimming pool would be wonderful. • Expand business and affordable housing to expand tax base. 2) Bus service and light rail which would connect city to southwest outs instead of only to downtown mpls. • Keeping up with increasing population and moderate income housing • Don't expand too fast • Do not let to many fast food places to set up here in Chanhassen. More clothing stores • Preserve our open spaces to maintain our "small town feel" Do not over - build either homes or businesses. I would strongly encourage the city to start purchasing un-developed lands for the purpose of maintaining this land as open space long - term. What makes Chanhassen different than Eden Prairie. Bloomington is our rural yet suburban setting - let's not lose that. • Disappointed at the City Building another McDonald = govt wants to mandate soda sizes - what we eat in school but for taxes they cave and build for their profit. • Not build another low income housing unit that would create more traffic congestive where it is not needed. Being in more small clothing variety stores instead of more fast food restaurants. The National Citizen Survey™ 3 • 1) No more subways, McDonald's ! Yuck ! need a chicken fast food, pancake house, Pavannis please !! 2) Cable too expensive / mediacom is totally out of control. Need competitions! • Develop a mall/outdoor shopping Mecca (like Arbor Lakes). This would help taxes in Carver county, as well as create jobs for Chanhassen. Add some outdoor hockey rinks. City-wide Wifi (like Chaska). • No big box stores,-a car & pedestrian crossover of Hwy 5. Reduce the number of garbage trucks on the streets. Reduce air pollution, Greater police presence in neighborhoods. • Balancing the commercial & housing space for development. As well as creating a downtown w / options to stay & play in the area for food & entertainment, instead of going to neighboring cities. • Controlling over development and keeping up and preserving open areas natural habitats lakes etc. Fighting pollution that comes with development. • Take into account all citizen input when making changes to zoning laws. • More clearly define downtown create accessibility to it - unlikely biking for shopping, dining. Create more of a destination for residents & victors. • City planning & administration does not appear to take into account citizen opinions on planning and zoning. This needs to change. • Follow the comprehensive plan, Be mindful of new development and what it is doing to existing and future neighbourhoods. Approving a drive thru McDonald at 101 and Lymon still dissapoints me greatly. A coffee shop would have been less commercial and more in keeping with a local neighborhood development. I am very worried about the traffic and potential crime now that we have a "destination fast food" that is the first one as the new Hwy 212 development. I am also concerned with rezoning Fa lage multi-unit complexes in Chanhassen. Please keep the neighborhood feel Chanhassen. • The vitality of the downtown corridor it is essential to link shops, grocery stores, library, restaurants w / pedestrian - friendly plazas & sidewalks - look at the vitality of excelsior downtown! it's draw and very pleasant place spend time & money • Over development, letting developers use up every parcel for homes • Make sure that you keep the town feel like a small town. Don't sell land urbanization. Keep the farm land available for farmers only, keep the natural areas present. • Stop development! • Closely moderate population growth and make necessary adjustments with new restaurants and traffic flow. Along with continuing development of trail system. • Balance commercial growth to pay taxes vs. Resident taxes but keep quality of like high (example - Wal-Mart rebuff was excellent, but what can be found as tax paying low-impact replacement? • Lack of an updated downtown W / A main street feel. Businesses seem spread out and out dated. Lack of good restaurants. When we get a night out, we would typically go to excelsior for this. • Continue to scrutinize businesses (Wal-Mart) that try to come into our city. Keep away from affordable housing there are plenty of other cities that offer it. Keep Chanhassen unique & not cookie cutter. Government, taxes • Depending on what the "biggest issue" in Chanhassen, I believe getting, the word out is important, therefore communicate the needs of the city in any way possible. • Cut city payroll, To many employees for town this size. • Listen to your community members and what they want for their neighborhoods. We were disappointed that the city of Chanhassen did not aggressively advocate for its citizens this year when it came to new power lines tearing through neighborhoods, why would they hesitate to protect citizen health & property values? The same thing happened w / the Galpin blvd apts. Zoning was changed against citizens wishes, keep your promises Chanhassen. • Spending in general-spending needs to be reduced including eliminating the cost of this ridiculous survey- what a waste of time and money. Examples of why this survey is a waste: We might not have access to light- rail that is a good things, because it's money we aren't wasting on something that doesn't work. We might not have "affordable" housing, whatever that means; but this shouldn't be goverment's concern: if you can afford to live here, then live here if you want, If you can't afford to live here then don't. The goverment seldom if ever " gets it right" but the private sector always does and will build if there is a need. • Lower speed limits on certain roads as new home construction increases. Co rds are too high. Powers and Galpin are examples population increases mean more cars in high density neighborhoods. Powers is 50 miles The National Citizen Survey™ 4 an hour then decreases to 35 miles an hour once it hits Hennipin county. 50 miles, way too high corner of Lake Lucy & Powers is danger zone. Much better with new turn lanes but turning on to road with bikes crossing, people crossing, cars crossing at 45-50 miles an hour on powers is death trap. • Try to keep from taxing people out of their homes • New business-taxes-remove all stop signs - because people don't use than anyway. • Disappointed by the city council in representing the citizens of Chan. Need to revaluate the plan for growth- restaurants, business, and traffic flow. • Don't be political, do the right thing. • Need more referendums • Real estate taxes are the biggest threat, I have had multiple friends move out of chan because of property taxes. On the same line state income tax is the number one reason I see people move out to no state tax residence when they retire. • City services on a balanced budget. Strong school district • Keep property taxes low! essential. • The city council has done a poor job. They don't listen to constituents. They make up their minds based on their own personal views / interests without regard to the citizens. The way they handled the development going in at hwy 5 & Galpin was nothing short of amazing. Amazingly poor. They did not realistically look at other options (including many other, better suited, locations for the apartment. This was about the counsel and not the citizens. I was amazed that after reaching out to the major counsel members, only 1 responded back. My feeling is shared widely; it certainly will be felt when voting. A really pathetic job on that issue. As they say. The smaller the governing body, the worse they are. So true. • Senior taxation • Chanhassen is a good place to live, but please stop raising our taxes. We moved out here because we thought it would be more affordable-but its ridiculous that Carver county has one of the highest property tax bases in the state. And please, please, please give your residents better opportunities to shop and restaurants to eat. I get you want to keep your green space & small town feel-but give your community good places to spend our money. Instead to having to go elsewhere to do it, perhaps that would generate more money for you instead of raising our property taxes. • Continue to invest in public services-parks, library, schools- it's why we are the best! • Get the community involved. • Reduce spending and reduce the size and reach of local government which is impossible now with our current mayor and council that only do what staff tells them and we have a staff that is dishonest, unethical unprincipled and fraudulent. • Keeping Property taxes in line continue to provide high level of services but stay in budget w/o raising taxes. The city has been creative & must continue to think "outside the box" to provide the services. Great job love Chanhassen! • Resist being eaten up by big city bureaucracy & met council. Thank you for the survey. Most cities would be afraid to ask. • Maintain its independence from state & federal control • (1) Keep taxes low I if not, would be hard for families, retires, etc-to offered to live in Chanhassen. We think about this as we are in our early 50s. (2) Build affordable housing for single people, young people, retires etc- including 1 and 2 level homes. (3) need variety of stores (small mall) for clothing, shoes etc. No homes built over $350,000; Affordable housing W / low taxes! no more 4940r stores or Gas stations! Keep some land open W/no construction - better air quality for humans and good for nature and animals small town feel seems to be disappearing with no open land left! Need a humane society for dogs/cats in carver county! Tax dollars could go towards this-a few dollars per household would go a long ways. Chanhassen residents love their pets. • Keeping real estate taxes in check. Dump Mediacom as the cable provider. • Take a second look at the budget to make sure everything is "needed". • Keeping taxes low & services at current levels • Lower taxes low income housing • Encourage citizens input and fairly consider the input. • Give tax incentives to fix up & lease out current commercial properties rather than continue to build new & plow under open spaces. The city powers-that-be seem to think that we need a new McDonald's, liquor store and/or gas station on every single corner. What we need is something unique that would entice people to The National Citizen Survey™ 5 come to Chanhassen. Let's be an example of wise use of commercial properties already developed & not contribute to on going sprawl. • No spending-house taxes (real estate) go up-value goes down that should not be the case. • As Chan grows, don't try to over-manage the city. We've been here 18 years and don't like when the city makes rules that should be common sense to the residents. • Keep property takes low - Need better sense community @ H.S. • Stop the school funding referendums. • Council is behavior to staff. Get (new) council who work for us • Continue to vote for our governing staff, at the polls! • Taxes on housing! Retail and dining opportunities • Quality restaurants! This means fresh quality ingredients not fast food. We would be Patrons of such an establishment at least once a week! • Could use a DQ and/or champs type of restaurant - mid priced could use clothings store-more reasonable prices-nor boutique. Biggest issue we have is snow plowing. Do they really have to dump an entire road & cul- de-sac snow fall into I spot !! 13 ft high- really !! Spread it out !! • Chanhassen needs a good night club for the younger 21 & crowd fix the timing on street lights • More variety in business in town food, Liquor and groceries seem to be all accept target - would like to see more private specially business-not Wal-Mart type!! • Bigger variety of restaurants. Not "chain" • Love Chanhassen ! love the schools ! would love to see greater restaurant - selection - very limited besides cheap fast food. • 1. Provide opportunities for some restaurants and sports bar 2. Our community center is terrible. 3. Compared to the Amenities in Chaska we are lacking in community center, arena, golf course, shopping, restaurants, community Wifi. • We need more shopping & eating establishments. (Like Olive garden, outback and department stores.) • Not sure what the single biggest issue is. But I would prefer to shop local so I would prefer more places to shop instead of going to Eden prairie. • Better restaurants - and not chain - type restaurant. • We need better restaurants and shops in downtown Chanhassen. The city can't increase taxes. • More night life. Eg. Axels. -get light rail, but charge a little so bums don't come out here • Attract better restaurants and retail would like to have a Hub Feel like 50th France or weygota • Add more/better restaurants/retail - Continue to work on water issues • More retail and restaurants are needed. • More options for family friendly restaurants. Transportation, traffic enforcement • We need better enforcement of traffic laws! Many drivers are distracted by cell phones (talking & texting). Many drivers are running red lights & not stopping for stop signs. Excessive speeds by some motorists, even in large parking lots, frequently puts pedestrians at risk. The safety of all citizens in Chanhassen should always be a top priority! • Please do something about timing the cross walk lites. Let enough time to get across without running. The school cross walk and Perber drive is a dangerous place to cross. Cars do not stop at times, even when I have an orange flag in my hand. • Educate and enforce laws that drivers making left turns in the city center while texting and other distractions ignore the walking signal on the street they are turning to. I have had and seen many very close calls • One issue & noticed moving here 1 1/2 yrs. Ago from Rich Field MN. South of Minneapolis, is the speeding. People also run red lights. Traffic lights can make you wait 5 min. People run the red lights because they don't want to wait also, only 3 people can go through the 46+ turn light B/4 its red again. Hwy 5 people speed 10-20 miles / hs. Over speed limit. Also I believe people speed because they grew up on farms and are use to driving long distances and want to shorten give time. The National Citizen Survey™ 6 • 1) Road Improvements 2) Less churches & day cares 3) Better zoning for businesses - to allow restaurants retail 4) More thought out road system-accessibility for parking roads on Chanhassen on the ponds. Aesthetics of buildings are too different it's a mish mash of architecture • Stop speeding • Avoid congestion. Almost had a Wal-Mart built. We don't need something like that. • Hwy 5 stop lights, has Chanhassen ever heard of a bridge or frontage roads, all the stop lights from 41 and 5 to 5 and 212 is a damn joke, waiting time is horse shit, P.S. This is just 1 issue I have with the city. • Priority first-roads; Then trails, parks & public transportation, • I felt it was totally unnecessary to widen autoban especially since powers is a wide road and its only 1 intersection from autoban now with the addition of the Moto Park autoban is a race track. I've never seen the racers get stopped for dangerous speeding since we have no Police dept. I assume this will get only worst. • Doing something about hwy 5 - very busy all the time • Keeping road sides cut & cleaned. Hate the weeds growing through cement areas - very unkept. Also hate yards that are used for fixing everyone car - very unsightly - The yards look like junk yards - which has not place in the city • Side walks • Hwy 5 pedestrian/Bike over pass to downtown • 101 needs help way too fast and accidents waiting to happen daily. How many do we need to unite county, city, state in making something happen stop light at pleasant view. Enforcing Speed Limit. Cross for 101 wtih middle between city tours essential. • A) Lived in Chanhassen since the 60's-my opinion is the "Traffic problems" in downtown. The streets are small, confusing, not wide enough even after being widened years ago. More growth = more traffic B) Shorter survey's • Nothing I can do about my biggest issue living out here the long drive into the city needed to have more diversity both in people are food/restaurant opportunities. • Volunteer to create a transportation link for residents who don't drive to public transportation • Need improved Walkability. Making connections to get over hwy 101 is almost non-existent. Cannot at all understand new tunnel being built by Bandimere park - there is no way to get across hwy 101 or Lyman. If people live west of 101 they have to make multiple, unsafe crossings to access southwest station. Several neighborhoods have no sidewalks whatsoever. Absolutely need a safe crossing over hwy 5. Obviously nobody uses the crossing near the legion where nobody actually lives. I think if people live south of hwy 5 they spend half their lives at the red lights trying to cross over. • I would fix the stoplight at the corner of 78th st and Kerber. The left turn signal to go north on Kerber hardly ever turns on. It can be hard and dangerous to make that turn. I would also eliminate sunday soccer baseball etc. In the parks. Sunday should be family get together time. Sports on mothers day? Sports on sunday mornings? (church time) • I'm strictly a walker, year round, I bus into Eden Prairie sometimes but do most everything in Chanhassen. I would change how trails are constructed; zigzagging back and fourth across roads is frustrating when tired and trails are icy or snow-covered. The trails are angled too much toward the roads in some places. They are difficult to traverse when your mobility is limited. During winter months the trails are often re-covered in snow when road plows go by - again this is generally in specific areas. • Light rail to Downtown mpls. Environment, recreation • I am a recycler! I walk daily and on these walks I pick up all sorts of items just thrown that need to be recycled. There seems to be a lack of respect to Chanhassen with the carelessness of discarding recyclables. Recycling is a big issue and to litter is so disrespectable. • Chanhassen needs a better community center for swimming, fitness, and family health & gathering. • I'm too old to decide issues here in Chanhassen. Have Village cut greenery along Santa Vera Street across 820. It's Ugly Thank You. • Protect the lakes-they are a huge asset to this city! • Keep lakes free of weeds and invasive species. • Trail systems around the lakes is non - existent curfew needs to be enforced, 2t my doorbell was rung late @ night. 3-4 am. The National Citizen Survey™ 7 • I would like see water quality maintained and I would like to see more mass trans options to use to go downtown and/or to the carport. seems very limited right now. • Pack benches along trails • Improve the drinking water. • Water quality of drinking / tap water • Promote educating citizens about preserving water quality promote restrictions of chemicals known to be harmful to be ie. Loan care businesses. • Try to preserve the urban forest during road reconstructions. Regardless of potential. Emerald Ash boar threat, treat Ash trees rather than cut them all down because they "Might" get sick and decision the future. Jill Sinclair, our city forester, completely changed the character and chasm of our neighborhood when she insisted that all Ash tree should be removed (prior to illness) during a road upgrade project because she said they were going to die anyway. A poorly written letter frightened residents into giving permission to cut tree because it suggested they would be responsible for paying for future removal of dead trees. • Pollution - trucks & vehicles running their motors in residential areas for very long periods of time, especially in the winter. • Protect our Lakes - don't wait until its too late! • The water system here need to build water site on where it is planned water quality here is poor. • Protect our water resources by promoting conservation (especially wearing in summer protection) and continued improvement of surface water • Issue of invasive species in our area lakes. I would support check areas before entering lakes and agree to help fund the important issue. • Lights at lake Susan Improve the baseball softball (youth) fields/parks. Our 1200 member CAA (Chanhassen athletic assoc) members vote. Economy, jobs, cost of living • Chan is a great place to live, but it is becoming too expensive. Our house assessment & market value keeps going down, but our taxes go up every year. Not sure if it is the fault of the city the county, or the state. • Jobs / we need factories • Make sure they only let Bus in that pay a covering wage. • Economic growth is important but Chanhassen's small town feel makes it very special balancing those two aspects is important to Chan's identity. • Attract employers • Attracting jobs-would love to work closer to home! offer incentives for companies to locate here. • Promote good business health. • How to build & attract a strong business environment & effectively report economic development to taxpayers. Eliminate driving disasters in cub food / wells fargo parking lot. Too many hazards. The ugliest spot in Chanhassen. The bridge over RR tracks on Audubon between hwys & Lyman - seriously awful - cement barriers for sidewalk protection - what were they thinking? • Jobs. I would like to see less people soaking up my tax dollars. My family and I do struggle, but I am proud to be working and not living off the government. People should have more pride over important things like work and family, not publicly announce pride in their personal business. My neighborhood has at least 2-3 police calls a month. I feel if they had their citizenship and jobs, it would be quite different. For the most part everyone is nice, there are just very few chances for them to get ahead. At least enough to get off assistance. Sorry I don't have answers on how to accomplish all this, but I feel people would be happier if they were proud to be apart of something they worked for. Thank you • Support local commerce, as much as possible. Housing • I currently live in lake Susan apartments. I will be moving to Chaska next month because the rent goes up every year. I'll be paying 1000 month for a 1BR if I stay. I only bring home 1800 month. Recently I filed bankruptcy and my home was foreclosed on. I feel I'm being taken advantage of by the apartment industry. I work full time and have a 2nd part time job, but its still hard to make ends meet, I'd like to see Chanhassen and other cities provide affordable housing options for adults. I'm 56 years old and single and really do not want to live in a building with lots of noisy children. I hope to move back to Chanhassen some day! The National Citizen Survey™ 8 • I would like to see a 55+ housing unit that was (one story & a garage & a basement) - steps are hard & that is something I would like. • Create subsidized housing (affordable) for retired individuals who rely primarily on social security income for their expenses. • Lack of affordable housing, especially single family housing. Keeping education adequately funded • Expand affordable housing to create more diversity and allow others to enjoy all Chanhassen has to offer • More affordable housing keep lots of "green" space don't over build? Energy - look into solar, wind generating power. • Affordable housing, rent is high. • The city should not allow apts to be built of 5+ Galpin... it's way too busy regarding traffic flow. (Also, taxes w/d be needed to expand increased school enrollment.) • Housing having affordable housing is the biggest issue. I like the area but may be forced to move do to the high cost of Apts. Being single has proven the cost of Chan is very hard on the budget. Do not want to move to different area due to crime like Minneapolis. Love the feel of Chanhassen but the housing cost don't help when you make to much for help but not enough to support yourself w/out 2-3 jobs. • 1) If you want to invite diversity, you would need more affordable housing. 2) Lack of sidewalks in many neighborhoods small children are unable to walk on streets • Encourage more senior citizen housing Televise city council meetings preservation of historic places. • Affordable housing • Housing inspections-not getting proper attention, major code violations with builders. Hire more inspectors • Affordable housing. Safety, police • Crime-with all the "newer" low income housing-our neighborhoods have higher crime our parks aren't as safe as they were when I raised my kids in Chanhassen. We need to get in front of this quick! • Keeping the city safe & financially sound for all residents as more & more changes across the country & maintaining the quality of life (education, parks, downtown, etc) • I believe Chanhassen needs its own police force to discourage & counteract crime. We were victims of a crime (burglary) & no action was ever taken by Carver County to investigate. Very disappointing. • The Sheriff's office should patrol the neighborhoods more. It's been years since I've seen a patrol car in our neighborhood. • Improving response times for public safety, police, fire, etc. Other • Reduce the number of waste hauling Companies trucks wearing out our streets! divide the city in company zones. It is not good to have 3-4 companies packing up in a one-two block long street. • Be apart of it. • Comment: There are too many garbage trucks on our road in Chanhassen. We have garbage pick up everyday mon - friday starting at 7am. The banging and roaring of the engines start. Our roads were not intended to take all this heavy traffic everyday in the neighborhoods. Plus the fact it really disturbs the peace-seeing each business sends 3 trucks for pick-up garbage, recycle-yard waste. We would really like to see this matter addressed to place a limit and days so it isn't mon-friday also such an eye sore seeing garbage cans sitting in front of the homes everyday! Thank you for listening to our concern • Not a particularly friendly community seems to be a somewhat chickey community-and also seems to be loaded with city employees-and a ton of city vehicles looks like a very good fire dept. • I would like some affordable classical music concerts held somewhere in carver county. Single biggest issue is to keep crimes down and to do this would be add more policeman to the force. More street lights in some places. • Whatever I can. • Mediacom • Too many garbage / recycle trucks on residential streets. They are tearing up the roads. I would like to see the city bid this out and hare I company running up and down the streets. • Getting faster and more reliable Internet service. The Mediacom monopoly has been so inconsistent that it has hurt our childrens ability to do homework and run our business. The National Citizen Survey™ 9 • Move to Arizona • Put money towards education where it is needed • Put a plan in place to encourage diversity, I especially in locally owned minority businesses in downtown Chanhassen • Read about issues and vote • Education-more choices for open enrollment a Wal-Mart to help the economy 2 lanes of traffic all the way to Waconia more sidewalks everywhere • Chanhassen seems to be more of a bedroom community - How can we get chan to keep up with the growth around them in the Cheska area and provide a sense of community pride & spirit? Will they be able to offer great communities and still keep taxes reasonable? • Participate along with others • I think keeping the public school spending in check and still providing quality education to students. I'm not overly impressed by our education at the middle school level and my taxes continue to go up. We overspent on the fancy new high school. More decent options for food would prevent me from leaving city for entertainment. • Provide exposure & sensitivity training that is mandatory for all Chanhassen city employees regarding minorities. I was treated very badly when I went to vote at the Carver cty gov't svc. Located in Chanhassen. I get stared at at the grocery store in Chanhassen. Numerous times I have been rudely treated or ignored in and around Chanhassen. I do not enjoy living there. • We need to become more diverse in just about every category-ethnic, socio - economic, family type, politics. Being so white bread is a big issue for me & my family. • Omit winter • I would like Chanhassen government to zone garbage collection. 4 Companies currently run in our neighbourhood too many heavy trucks get bids for single hauls per zone. Don’t know/Nothing • What is it? Let voters decide We love living Chan. It's convenient to everything!! • I live in assisted living, so do not get out or around much • Can't think of anything at this time. • Am to old • Don't know! • What is the biggest issue? • I live in a senior independent apt. Chanhassen is a great place to live. I feel safe & enjoy being close to shopping. If I were younger I would like to raise my children here. • Keep doing the fine job • What is it? • I don't know what the issue would be so don’t I'd be much help. I am a senior. • Unsure • I'm not sure what the single biggest issue is that the city of chan focus. The only one I know is the upcoming 112 school district vote. • Just keep up the good work that being done now as. The City is rated one of the best in the nation. • As a city, you do not need to be everything to everyone. • Can't think of anything at this time • not able to do much anymore - sorry! • Is the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen over the next several years? • We only just moved here from out of state so there's a lot we don't know. • Stay the course • I would consider helping if it was something I believed and cared about. • What is the biggest issue? • Unknown • (A good place to live-we enjoy it a lot !) City seems well run. • What is the single biggest issue in Chanhassen - I first have to know the problem-to suggest a fix • Keep up the best works you can. I don't have anything to complain. The National Citizen Survey™ 10 • I am 96 years old and just happy to be here - m.m.c • I Don’t think I can help on this issue. I have only lived here 4 years and live in an apartment. I raised my daughter in Elm prairie and live alone now. Also am retired. I don't use recreation centers since I belong to Lifetime and exercise there 5 days a week. I enjoy playing BINGO at the American Legion. • If I was mailed information as to what the issue was, I could then figure out how to help • Not sure, we have only lived in Chanhassen since April 2013. • What is the highest, single issue? • I am 89 yrs old - I vote • Good question? • What is the issue? • I think our government is doing an awesome job! • I haven’t lived here long enough to be able to answer most of the questions • I'm a senior citizen so I don’t have an answer for that. • I very much like living here in Chanhassen. I am 91 years old now and find this place safe and comfortable and even exciting. • Depends on the issue. • If I can help, I will.