county of grande prairie

Nobody’s UnpredictableMarch 2011

County of Grande Prairie2011 County of Grande Prairie Citizen Satisfaction Survey

Results Presentation

Presented by: Jamie Duncan

Associate Vice PresidentIpsos Reid

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Agenda

Who is Ipsos Reid ? Methodology Detailed Findings

Life in Grande Prairie The County’s Performance A Growing County Finances Contact & Communications Grande Prairie & the Environment Grande Prairie & the Web

Conclusion and Q&A

2

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Who is Ipsos Reid ?

3

Founded: 1975

Head Office: Paris

Rank among global survey-based research companies: 3

First listed on Paris Stock Exchange: July 1, 1999

Total Revenues in 2007: 927.2 million euros

Number of countries with Ipsos offices: 56

Total number of countries we do research in: 100+

Number of full-time Ipsos employees: 8,000

Number of clients around the world: 5,000+

Interviews conducted each year: 10 million

In brief…

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Who is Ipsos Reid ?

4

Ipsos Reid in Canada…

Vancouver

Calgary TorontoOttawa

Montreal

Winnipeg

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Methodology Telephone survey conducted with a randomly selected sample of County of

Grande Prairie residents aged 18 years and older.

Survey was fielded between February 1 and 13, 2011.

Sample size: 300 margin of error ± 5.6%, 19 times out of 20

Results are weighted to ensure the age, and gender distribution reflects that of the actual population according to the 2006 Census.

Ipsos Reid municipal norms will be cited in presentation where available.

Canada norms are derived from work conducted in other municipalities across Canada and are based on up to 52,000 observations conducted in more than 55 different municipalities.

Municipal norms allow the County of Grande Prairie to compare how it is performing compared to other municipalities in Canada and/or Alberta on similar issues

5

Nobody’s Unpredictable

Key Research Findings2011 County of Grande Prairie Customer Satisfaction Survey

© 20

11 Ip

sos

A view from 30,000 feet

This is generally a good news story. But with some key course corrections to be made moving forward.

The County of Grande Prairie is a happy community. There is a good quality of life and lots of pride plus a belief that things can get even better.

Satisfaction / Perceived Performance in key areas is strong. This includes Overall Performance of the County, Quality of Services,

Satisfaction with County Staff and many specific Programs and Services.

There is a general need to increase communications with residents. Several measurements point to a lack of awareness/understanding of the County.

County staff should be commended for delivering quality customer service. There are opportunities to address responsiveness and consistency

of service.

7


Citizen OverviewLife in Grande Prairie Today

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Road Conditions (including snow removal), education, and community centers/space dominate the issue agenda.

9

Q1. In your view, as a resident of the County of Grande Prairie, what is the most important LOCAL issue facing the County today, that is the one issue you feel should receive the greatest attention from your local leaders? What is the next most important local issue facing the County?

Base: All Respondents (n=301)

37%

4%

2%

2%

3%

2%

4%

2%

3

2

2

2

17%

15%

7%

18%

7%

6%

5%

2

2

3

4%

4%

3

1

3

20%

23%

11%

49%

9%

7%

6%

6%

6%

5%

5%

5%

4%

3%

3%

33%

35%

6%

Second mentionSeries3

2

Road conditions [Snow removal\ plowing\ maintenance\ development etc.]

Education [incl. Lack of teachers/ Lack of funding / Lack of / local schools]

Lack of Community centers/ parks/ green space

Infrastructure maintenance/ improvement/ development

Sports/ recreational facilities

Public Safety/Policing/Crime

Planning/ development/ land use issues

Taxes/ high taxes

Youth/ family activities

Fire department/ emergency services

Healthcare

Traffic congestion

Other

None/nothing

Don't Know

© 20

11 Ip

sos

A strong majority of citizens say the overall quality of life in the County is good.

10

Q2. How would you rate the overall quality of life in the County of Grande Prairie today? Would you say it is?

35%

61%

3%

0%

Very good

Good

Poor

Very poor

Good: 96%

Poor: 4%*


“*” denotes rounding

© 20

11 Ip

sos

A majority of residents say that quality of life in the past three years has remained the same in the County.

11

26%

12%

60%

2%

Improved Worsened Stayed the Same Don't know

Q3. And, do you feel that the quality of life in the County of Grande Prairie in the past three years has….?


© 20

11 Ip

sos

Infrastructure and schools are driving perceptions among those who say quality of life has improved.

12

Q4. Why do you think the quality of life has improved?

Don't knowNothing

OtherGarbage pickupFire department

Rural atmosphereQuiet community

Internet accessCity water/Aquatera

Growth of communityGreater police presence

More services/amenities availableMore/improved facilities

Low tax ratesBetter maintenance/ improvements (unspecified)

More/improved parks and recreationMore effort by the council/countyMore employment opportunitiesCommercialization/development

SchoolsInfrastructure/road repair/road safety

6%1%

27%3%3%3%3%3%3%4%4%4%5%5%5%5%

7%8%

15%31%

34%

Base: Respondents who think quality of life has improved (n=77)

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Infrastructure and development are driving perceptions among those who say quality of life has worsened.

13

Q5. Why do you think the quality of life has worsened?

Base: Respondents who think quality of life has worsened (n=37)


Other

Loss of farmland/agricultural zones

Waste of taxpayers' money

Farmers are making less money for their products

Less respect for others/others' property

Do not maintain older facilities/infrastructure

Commercialization

The community is too busy

Crime

Less sympathy for citizens

Health care concerns

Perceived lack of attention/communication from councillor's

More traffic

Oil drilling

Increase in population

Economy issues

Allows for too much development

Infrastructure/road repair

21%*

3%

3%

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

6%

6%

8%

8%

8%

12%

14%

20%

32%

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Overall, citizens say have positive attitudes about life in the County.

55%

57%

56%

44%

37%

39%

36%

37%

45%

46%

Series4 Series5

14

Q6. I'm going to read you a few statements about life in the County of Grande Prairie and I'd like you to indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree with each statement.

I am proud to live in the County of Grande Prairie

The County of Grande Prairie is a great community to raise a

family

The County of Grande Prairie is a community with a bright

future

The County of Grande Prairie has a vibrant and healthy local

economy

The County of Grande Prairie is a place where residents feel

safe and secure



93%*

93%

93%

89%

83%

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Good/very good, Great, Peaceful, Quiet – all top words to describe the County as a place to live.

15

Q7. What ONE word do you think best describes The County of Grande Prairie as a place to live overall?



Don't know

Other

Negative (Net)

Other positive

Beautiful/picturesque/scenic

Busy

Vibrant/energetic/vitality

Excellent

Safe

Friendly

Comfortable

Quiet

Peaceful

Great

Good/very good

Positive (Net)

12%

16%*

1%

23%

2%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

5%

6%

6%

11%

71%


County PerformanceSatisfaction and Importance of County Services

© 20

11 Ip

sos

A majority of citizens are satisfied with the overall level and quality of County services.

17

Series1

18%

66%

10%

3%

2%

Not Satisfied: 14%*

Q8. Please tell me how satisfied you are with the overall level and quality of services and programs provided by the County of Grande Prairie.


Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Not very satisfied

Not at all satisfied

Don't know


Satisfied: 85%*

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Arts & culture facilities

Agriculture services

Support services for seniors

Financial support to not for profit orginizations

Bylaw enforcment, including animal control

Affordable Housing

Waste water treatment

Parks and pathways

Land use and community planning

Family and community support services (FCSS)

Quality of drinking water

Recycling

Maintenance, cleaning, and upgrading of streets and sidewalks

Police services

The Fire Department

24%

54%

63%

52%

58%

66%

72%

62%

64%

73%

88%

74%

78%

88%

95%

46%

29%

23%

37%

31%

23%

18%

27%

27%

18%

5%

20%

16%

10%

3%

Very Important Somewhat Important

Virtually all County services are deemed to be important.

18

Q9. Please tell me how important the services and programs provided by the County of Grande Prairie are to you.


98%

98%

95%*

94%

93%

91%

91%

90%

89%*

89%

89%

89%

86%

82%*

70%

Top2Box


© 20

11 Ip

sos

Maintenance, cleaning, and upgrading of streets and sidewalks

Affordable Housing

Parks and pathways

Support services for seniors

Arts & culture facilities

Bylaw enforcment, including animal control

Recycling

Land use and community planning

Quality of drinking water

Financial support to not for profit orginizations

Waste water treatment

Family and community support services (FCSS)

Police service

Agriculture services

The Fire Department

20%

12%

26%

16%

16%

26%

39%

15%

39%

25%

31%

28%

37%

25%

57%

41%

51%

46%

58%

58%

48%

35%

60%

41%

56%

51%

56%

47%

60%

31%

Very Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied

Overall satisfaction with most County services is strong.

19

Q9a_1. And how satisfied are you with the job the County is doing in providing this program or service?


89%*

86%*

84%

84%

82%

80%*

80%

75%

74%

74%

74%

74%

72%

63%

61%

Top2Box



A Growing CountyPerceptions related to Growth and Development

© 20

11 Ip

sos

While positive about growth in general, citizens are less firm in their opinions about the County’s ability to manage growth and related communications.

42%

17%

13%

50%

62%

45%

3%

15%

27%

3%

5%

14%

Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know

21

Q30. I'm going to read you a few statements about growth and development in the County of Grande Prairie. Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with each. The first one is...?

Don’t know

1%*

1%*

2%*

It is possible for the County of Grande Prairie to grow while

maintaining the quality of life we have come to enjoy in this County

The County of Grande Prairie does a good job managing the level of

development and growth in the County

The County of Grande Prairie keeps citizens informed about how

it plans to deal with growth




Tax Dollars and User feesPerceptions related to County Finances

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Over half of County residents believe they get good value for their tax dollars.

23

4%

4%

20%

26%

14%

15%

7%

4%

1%

4%

1%

Q12. Your property tax dollars are divided between the County and the Province. In Grande Prairie, approximately two-thirds [64%] of your property tax bill goes to the County to fund municipal services. Considering the services provided by the County, please rate the value you feel you receive from your municipal property tax dollars using a scale

of 1 to 10 where 1 represents “very poor value” and 10 represents “very good value”

Good Value:54%

Poor Value:10%*

Very good value – 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Very poor value – 1

Don’t know



Neutral:36%

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Don't Know

None

Cut services - to reduce taxes

Cut services - to maintain current tax level

Increase taxes - to maintain services at current levels

Increase taxes - to expand services

4%

9%

8%

22%

31%

26%

Over half of County residents support increasing taxes to maintain or expand services.

24

Q13. Municipal property taxes are the primary way to pay for services and programs provided by County of Grande Prairie. Due to the increased cost of maintaining current service levels and infrastructure, the County must balance taxation and service delivery levels. To deal with this situation, which of the following four options

would you most like the County to pursue?

Increase Taxes: 57%

Cut Services: 30%


© 20

11 Ip

sos

Residents prefer user fees over increasing property taxes.

25

Q14. Assuming the County needs to increase the amount of revenue it collects from citizens, would you prefer the County to... ?

Series1

22%

73%

5%

Increase property taxes

Introduce new or expand existing user

fees

Don’t know



CommunicationEvaluating communication by the County

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Over half of residents say they have had direct contact with the County in the past 12 months.

27

No43%

Yes57%


Q15. Have you contacted or dealt with the County of Grande Prairie or one of its employees in the last twelve months?

© 20

11 Ip

sos

The majority of contact with the County is citizen initiated.

28

I initiated contact84%

The County contacted me16%

Base: Respondents who have been in contact with the County (n=171)

Q16. Thinking of the most recent time you had contact with the County, did you initiate this contact, or did the County contact you?

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Contacting the County by phone was most common communication method.

29Base: Respondents who contact the County (n=144)

Q17. When you contacted the County was it...

Other

In writing, for example, writing a personal letter or fax

Via email

In person, for example visiting County offices

By phoning the County directly

1%

2%

5%

38%

55%

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Public Works; the highest reported area of contact for County residents.

30

Don't knowOther

Agricultural ServicesMaintenance (unspecified)Councillor/ Representative

Animal Control

Accounting/ FinancesAssessment and Taxation Department

Corporate Service (Net)

OtherFire Department and 911

By-law EnforcementProtective Services (Net)

OtherPublic Works (unspecified)

Department of Planning and DevelopmentRoad Construction and Maintenance

Public Works (Net)

1%17%

3%3%

5%5%

1%11%

12%*

2%5%

11%18%*

4%7%

11%15%

38%*

Q18b. Specifically, what one Department or area of the County did you last have contact with?



© 20

11 Ip

sos

A majority of residents were satisfied with their most recent contact with the County

31

Q19. How satisfied were you with your most recent contact with the County? Were you…

42%

27%

14%

17%

Satisfied: 69%

Not Satisfied: 31%

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Not very satisfied



© 20

11 Ip

sos

Quality service is noted across some key areas; though there are opportunities to improve responsiveness and consistency of service.

32

Q20. Thinking about your personal dealings with the County of Grande Prairie, your general impressions and anything you may have read, seen or heard, please tell me whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about the County?

% Disagree % Agree

County staff are courteous, helpful, and knowledgeable

The County of Grande Prairie practices open and accessible government

County staff are easy to get a hold of when I need them

The quality of service from the County is consistently high

The County responds quickly to requests and concerns



47%

51%

43%

51%

48%

44%

27%

38%

24%

19%

90%

78%

81%

75%

67%

3%

9%

5%

10%

11%

5%

10%

11%

14%

18%

8%

19%

16%

24%

29%

42%

17%

13%

50%

62%

45%

3%

15%

27%

3%

5%

14%

Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree

*

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Over half of residents say they receive the right amount of information; though a minority continue to look for more.

33

Q21. In your opinion, do you currently receive too much, too little, or just the right amount of information from the County of Grande Prairie?

Too Much1%

Too Little41%

Just the Right Amount57%

Don't Know1%


© 20

11 Ip

sos

Citizens are looking for more information about development, community events, and expenditures.

34

Q22. Thinking about your community information needs, what kinds of information do you want the County of Grande Prairie to provide you with?



Don't knowNothing

OtherTaxes/rates (increases)

Happy with current information providedNeed more information/more often/frequently

Parks and recreationBylaw (enforcement)

Annual/bi-annual/quarterly reportsInformation on the council/government

Information on any changes/anything new in the communityFlyers/newsletters/bulletins

Programs availableFuture plans

Infrastructure/road repairs/road safetyService schedules

Expenditures/county operational costsCommunity events/happenings

Commercialization/land development/construction

17%5%

26%3%3%3%3%4%4%4%4%5%

6%6%

7%10%

12%14%

18%

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Don't Know

Nothing

Other

County office

Telephone

Newspaper advertisements

Information Flyers

Word of mouth

Website

Newspaper articles

County newsletter - 'County Connections' (mailed to households)

Radio

Direct Mail /Billing Inserts

5%

1%

5%

2%

4%

1%

4%

3%

11%

10%

18%

15%

22%

31%

9%

4%

1%

2%

4%

3%

5%

8%

10%

6%

11%

6%

First mentionSecond mention

Direct Mail and local media are most frequently mentioned sources of information about the County of Grande Prairie.

35Base: All Respondents (n=301)

Q23. Thinking about yourself, what is your main source of receiving information from the County of Grande Prairie?

28%

25%*

23%*

19%*

18%*

8%

7%

5%

9%

3%

9%

5%*

35%*


© 20

11 Ip

sos

Direct mail tops the list of ways citizens say they would most like to receive information from the County.

36

Q24. And, thinking about your own preferences how would you most like to receive information from the County of Grande Prairie?


Don't Know

Other

Newspaper

Radio

Information Flyers

Website

Email

Community newsletter

Direct Mail

2%

6%

5%

6%

8%

8%

10%

13%

43%


The EnvironmentPrograms and Services

© 20

11 Ip

sosDon't Know

Very Poor

Poor

Good

Very Good

1%

2%

7%

65%

25%

A majority of residents rate the overall state of the County’s environment as good.

38

Good: 90%

Poor:9%

Q25. Thinking about things such as air, water and land quality in the County of Grande Prairie how would you rate the overall state of the County of Grande Prairie's environment today?


© 20

11 Ip

sos

A majority residents are satisfied with the County’s performance in protecting the environment.

39Base: All Respondents (n=301)

Q26. How satisfied are you with the job the County of Grande Prairie is currently doing to protect the environment?

Don't know


Not very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Very satisfied

2%

4%

12%

62%

21%

Satisfied: 82%*

Not Satisfied: 16%


© 20

11 Ip

sos

While a majority are satisfied, opportunities exist to improve resident ratings on the County’s performance to help reduce individual environmental impacts.

40

Don't Know


Not very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Very satisfied

2%

5%

23%

56%

14%

Q27. How satisfied are you with County of Grande Prairie programs and services aimed at helping County residents reduce their environmental impact?


Satisfied: 70%

Not Satisfied: 28%


WebsiteMeasuring usage and usefulness

© 20

11 Ip

sos

A minority of residents report having visited the County’s website in the past 12 months.

42

Q28. Have you been to the County of Grande Prairie's website in the last twelve months?


Yes41%

No59%

© 20

11 Ip

sosNot at all useful

Not too useful

Somewhat useful

Very useful

2%

14%

56%

28%

Among those who have visited the website, a majority say the content and services are useful.

43Base: Respondents who visited the website (n=124)

Q29. How useful was the content of information and online services available on the website?

Useful:84%

Not Useful:16%


Conclusions and Q&A2011 County of Grande Prairie Customer Satisfaction Survey

© 20

11 Ip

sos

A few “Road Tips/Thoughts” for the County Moving Forward…

45

Ongoing Reputation Management is important. The County is performing well and should make this known. Identifying areas for improvement and stating strategies publicly will work at

maintaining/increasing citizen trust with the County. The County needs to tell its own “story” and not have others position the community.

Communicating & Educating Citizens Is Key Communicate, Engage, Dialogue. Results highlight opportunities for increased

information and an appetite from citizens to learn more about their County. Genuine knowledge is central to offsetting potentially misleading perceptions.

Value for tax dollars is a challenge to clarify, but these results demonstrate a need to engage and discuss with residents about how their tax dollars are being spent.

Demands on the County to deliver services and programs to its citizens will increase dramatically. It is important that residents not take for granted the ability of the County to constantly adjust to these circumstances. Occasional reminders of the scale of change may be helpful.


Demographics

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Demographics

47

Gender

18 to 34 years 30%35 to 54 years 45%55 + 24%

Average age 45.4 years

Age

Base: All respondents (n=400)

Responsible for Paying Property Taxes in Household

Children Under 18 Living in Household

Persons Living in Household

1 persons 9%

2 persons 36%

3 persons 17%

4 persons 18%

5 persons 13%

6 + persons 7%

Rent or Own Current Residence

Male52%

Fe-male48%

No45%

Yes54%

Yes96%

No4%

Own93%

Rent6%

© 20

11 Ip

sos

Demographics

48Base: All respondents (n=400)

Annual Household Income Before Taxes

Level of Education

Completed high school or less 39%

Some post secondary or completed a college diploma 49%

Completed university degree or post-grad degree 12%

Years lived in County of Grande Prairie

<5 18%5 – 10 33%11 + 48%

Average years lived in County 16.4 years

Less than $30,000 6%$30,000 to just under $45,000 9%$45,000 to just under $60,000 12%$60,000 to just under $75,000 8%$75,000 to just under $90,000 9%$90,000 to just under $105,000 19%

$105,000 to just under $120,000 9%

$120,000 to just under $135,000 8%$135,000 to just under $150,000 8%$150,000 and over 9%Don’t know 3%

Nobody’s UnpredictableMarch 2011

Contact:

Jamie DuncanAssociate Vice President

Ipsos Reid403.294.7385

[email protected]

Evan LegateResearch Associate

Ipsos Reid403.294.7378

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

county of grande prairie

Documents

county staff

grande prairie residents

selected sample of county

environmentgrande prairie

ipsos offices

ipsos reid municipal

canada norms

important local issue