1. City of Thorold An Evaluation of Public Services

2. 2 Background and Objectives The City of Thorold determined a need to talk to adult residents of the city about the services it provides, as well as development initiatives it is undertaking. More specifically, the objectives of this research were as follows: To determine the extent to which residents are using existing services; To understand the importance residents put on these services; To explore the perceived satisfaction with these services; To investigate the perceived importance of various initiatives being undertaken by the city; and To explore residents satisfaction with these initiatives.

3. 3 Method This research was conducted via telephone surveys. In total, 400 surveys were conducted with adult residents of Thorold. Surveys were conducted between October 24 th and October 31 st, 2005. With a sample size of 400 results can be considered accurate to within 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

4. 4 Key Findings Service Evaluation Overall, positive service ratings, with a few areas that could use improvement: - Roads (Condition & Snow Removal) - Flood Control and Drainage - Water and Sewer Systems Overall service satisfaction (89%) is quite high. - Ratings are somewhat higher than Provincial & Regional benchmarks. - With two-thirds being only somewhat satisfied, there is room for improvement Important Services: Majority considers every service important. - Most Important: Roads & Snow Removal - Least Important: Arenas

5. 5 Key Findings Service Evaluation (contd) User Satisfaction: Overall, majority of users are satisfied with the services. - Lowest satisfaction: Planning/Building, Road Maintenance, Tax/Water billing. Non-User Satisfaction: Overall, usage breeds positivity, with non- users reporting lower perceived satisfaction ratings on almost all services. - Users may be leveraged as ambassadors for city services. Gap Analysis - Most Important w/ Least Satisfaction: - Key Areas of Improvement are: Snow Removal (-34), Road Maintenance (-33), Water Drainage/Flood Control (-23).

6. 6 Key Findings City Initiatives Important Initiatives: Majorities consider each initiative important. - Most Important: Economic Development Satisfaction: Overall, majority of users are satisfied with the services. Gap Analysis - Most Important w/ Least Satisfaction: - While Economic Development achieves highest importance rating, it achieves lowest satisfaction scores (-32).

7. Services – Importance, Usage and Satisfaction

8. 8 Overall Satisfaction with Services Provided by Thorold Somewhat higher than Provincial and Regional Benchmarks B1. Now, I would like you to think about all of the services that are provided by the City of Thorold… Overall, are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the overall quality of services provided by the City of Thorold municipal government? Base: Total respondents (n=400) Satisfaction with the City of Thorold is quite high, with nine-tenths (88%) saying they are very or somewhat satisfied. However, there is room for improvement as most of those who are satisfied are only somewhat so.

9. 9 Importance Rating Of City Services Most: Emergency response Least: Traffic/Building Now, I am going to read a number of different services and programs provided by the City of Thorold. For each, I would like you to tell me how important it is to you and your household Base: Total respondents (n=400)

10. 10 Importance Rating Of City Services The majority of residents find all the services tested to be at least somewhat important. However, roads are clearly a top priority right behind the emergency response by the fire department, with almost all residents believing that snow removal, as well as the condition and the appearance of the roads is important. Maintenance and condition of the water and sewage systems and drainage / flood control are also high on the priority list. Services considered less important are those related to planning and building, the level of traffic on roads, and arenas. A full breakdown of individual results can be found in Appendix 1.

11. 11 Usage of City Services – Summary Most: Roads /Parks/Libraries Least : Fire Dept. And, please tell me what BEST represents how often you and your household use the service or program within a typical year Base: Those respondents who use the service

12. 12 User Satisfaction with Services – Summary Highest: Fire Dept./Libraries/Heritage. Lowest: Roads/Tax & Water Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using each service.

13. 13 Gap Analysis – Importance vs. Satisfaction Base: Total respondents (n=400) Find ImportantAre SatisfiedGAP Condition/ Maintenance of arenas65%86%+21 Heritage and Historical preservation services 79%92%+13 Public Libraries81%93%+12 Level of traffic on roads77%82%+5 Number and Maintenance of parks, open spaces, sportsfields 86%87%+1 Emergency response by Fire Department100% 0 Planning and Building Services71%65%-6 Condition/ Maintenance of water and sewage systems 97%80%-13 Storm water drainage and flood control92%69%-23 Condition/ Maintenance of roads97%64%-33 Snow removal of city roads98%64%-34

14. 14 Gap Analysis – Importance vs. Satisfaction When comparing the level of importance assigned to the services and the level of satisfaction these services received, the City of Thorold is doing particularly well on a number of services, particularly the maintenance and condition of arenas, heritage and historical preservation services, and public libraries. Roads, storm water drainage and flood control, and the condition and maintenance of water and sewage systems are the areas that need the most improvement. Overall, residents perceive these services to be important, but are not nearly as satisfied with the current level of service.

15. 15 Non-User Perceived Satisfaction with Services – Summary Highest: Fire Dept. Lowest: Arenas/Planning & Building Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those not using each service.

16. 16 Gap Analysis – Actual Satisfaction vs. Perceived Satisfaction Base: Total respondents (n=400) Actual Satisfaction Perceived Satisfaction GAP Storm water drainage and flood control69%77%+8 Planning and Building Services65%63%-2 Emergency response by Fire Department100%89%-11 Number and Maintenance of parks, open spaces, sportsfields 87%59%-28 Public Libraries93%63%-30 Heritage and Historical preservation services 92%59%-33 Condition/ Maintenance of arenas86%53%-33 When comparing actual versus perceived satisfaction, it is evident that usage breeds positivity, with user satisfaction being higher than non-user perceived satisfaction in most case. The only case where this is not true is storm water drainage and flood control.

17. 17 Personal Experience with Staff ExperiencePercentage Anytime Ive dealt with them, Ive been generally satisfied34 Above average / top marks / excellent14 Staff are good at communicating with public / pleasant /friendly14 Helpful / reasonable / knowledgeable12 Somewhat dissatisfied11 Very responsive / Good with questions / Quick to respond9 Have had little dealings with them / Cant really respond6 Staff are slow to respond5 Need to be more sensitive to concerns / complaints of residents4 Some staff are good / courteous, while other are not4 Polite / courteous / professional3 People not treated equally / favouritism2 Good mayor / doing good job2 Problem with response to sewage / water / drainage2 Hypocritical / say one thing and do another1

18. Municipal Initiatives

19. 19 Importance of Initiatives Highest: Economic Development For the most part, Thorold residents find all tested initiatives to be important, especially economic and development initiatives. Those under 35 are most likely to find the downtown re-development (98%) and economic development initiatives (98%) important. Residents between 35 and 54 find increasing tourism to be the most important (90%).

20. 20 Satisfaction with Initiatives While most residents tend to find these initiatives very as opposed to somewhat important, they are more likely to be somewhat instead of very satisfied with them. They are most dissatisfied with the re-development of downtown and economic development initiatives (24% each).

21. 21 Gap Analysis – Importance vs. Satisfaction Base: Total respondents (n=400) Find ImportantAre SatisfiedGAP Promote heritage and history81%78%-3 Increase tourism85%72%-13 Re-development of downtown84%64%-20 Economic development93%61%-32 Generally, residents find the Citys initiatives to be important, but there is a gap between this importance and their satisfaction. This is especially true for economic development and the re- development of downtown.

22. Other Comments

23. 23 Other Comments CommentsPercentage Better / quicker snow removal8 Maintain roads / fix potholes7 Dont raise taxes / give notice when you do / lower taxes6 Need to work on water / sewers / drainage system6 Focus on cleaning / business generation / more money going into downtown 5 Satisfied / happy / doing a good job4 More playgrounds, parks / better maintenance of parks, arenas4 Better enforcements of law / traffic violations / better police presence5 Few sidewalks / no bikepaths / in poor condition3 Spend more on Heritage / history of area / old buildings3 Need recreation / community centre / place for youth3 Student housing: more monitoring of / more restrictions on2 Better public transportation / bigger busses2 No parking on streets2 Need to public / changes and progress on city projects2 Lower water costs / dont bill for water2 Housing for seniors: tax breaks / nursing homes2 Job creation / tax breaks for businesses willing to locate nearby1

24. Importance, Usage and Satisfaction with City Services Appendix 1

25. 25 Emergency Response by Fire Department - Importance Not surprisingly, emergency response by the fire department is considered very important (97%). Now, I am going to read a number of different services and programs provided by the City of Thorold. For each, I would like you to tell me how important it is to you and your household Base: Total respondents (n=400)

26. 26 Emergency Response by Fire Department - Usage Most Thorold residents have never used the fire departments emergency response services.

27. 27 Emergency Response by Fire Department - Satisfaction Those who have used these services are very happy with them, with no one reporting it to be even somewhat unsatisfactory. Only one percent of those who have not used the service perceive it to be very dissatisfactory. Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using each service n=66; Those not n=334

28. 28 Condition and Maintenance of City Roads - Importance Residents find the condition and Maintenance of City Roads to be very important.

29. 29 City Roads - Usage Roads are used on a daily basis by Thorold residents.

30. 30 Condition and Maintenance of City Roads - Satisfaction Two-thirds of residents are at least somewhat satisfied with the condition and maintenance of city roads (64%). Those who are dissatisfied tend to be under 35 (40% of are at least somewhat dissatisfied). Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using service n=398

31. 31 Level of Traffic on City Roads – Importance The amount of traffic on city roads is thought to be important. Older residents are most likely to find it very important (44% of those over 55) while younger residents are most likely to find it not very important (27% of those under 35).

32. 32 Level of Traffic on City Roads - Satisfaction Satisfaction with the level of traffic is high, with 83% being at least somewhat satisfied. Those aged 35 to 54 are most likely to be dissatisfied (19% compared to 4% of those under 35). Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=400

33. 33 Clearing Snow from Roads - Importance Clearing snow from roads is very important to Thorold residents, especially women (94% compared to 85% of men).

34. 34 Clearing Snow from Roads - Satisfaction Two-thirds (64%) of residents are at least somewhat satisfied with current snow removal services, men more so than women (71% and 58%, respectively). Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=400

35. 35 Water Drainage/Flood Control - Importance The drainage of storm water and flood control is thought to be very important. This is particularly true for women (84%) and those aged 35 to 54 (81%).

36. 36 Water Drainage/Flood Control - Usage While the vast majority find this to be important, almost half say they have never used the service.

37. 37 Water Drainage/Flood Control - Satisfaction Satisfaction with the citys water drainage and flood control is quite high among those who have used it. Particularly older residents are satisfied, as 40% of those over 55 say they are very satisfied. Perceived satisfaction is higher than actual satisfaction for this service. Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=150; Those not n=184

38. 38 Condition and Maintenance of Water and Sewage Systems - Importance The condition and maintenance of the water and sewage systems are thought to be very important.

39. 39 Condition and Maintenance of Water and Sewage Systems - Satisfaction For the most part, residents are satisfied with the condition and maintenance of the water and sewage system (80%). This is especially true for those under the 35 (90%). Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=400.

40. 40 Number and Maintenance of Parks/Sportsfields - Importance The number and maintenance of parks, open spaces and sportsfields is considered at least somewhat important to the majority of residents (86%). This is particularly true to 18 to 34 year olds (94%), and to 35 to 54 year olds (91%).

41. 41 Number and Maintenance of Parks/Sportsfields - Usage Parks, open spaces and sportsfields are well used in Thorold, with only 23% saying they never use them. Two in five residents use them at least weekly (43%). Younger residents under 35 tend to use them more often (17% using them daily and 44% using them weekly).

42. 42 Number and Maintenance of Parks/Sportsfields - Satisfaction Overall, residents are happy with the number and maintenance of parks, open spaces and sportsfields, although a greater portion of residents say they are somewhat as opposed to very satisfied. Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using (n=309); Those not n=91

43. 43 Public Libraries – Importance While libraries are considered important to all, women value this importance more than men (67% of women rating them very important, compared to 51% of men).

44. 44 Public Libraries – Usage Usage of public libraries is split, with slightly more than half of residents using them at least once a month. One-quarter of residents say they never use the libraries.

45. 45 Public Libraries - Satisfaction Residents who use public libraries are very satisfied with them. While perceived satisfaction among non-users is quite high, it does not come close to the actual levels of satisfaction. Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=304; Those not n=96

46. 46 Condition and Maintenance of Arenas - Importance While arenas are considered important the the majority of residents, they are not as important as the number of open spaces, parks and sportsfields. They are more important to those aged 35 to 54 (70%) than those over 55 (56%).

47. 47 Arenas - Usage Arenas are not widely used, with just under half of residents saying they never use them, and an additional one-fifth using them less than once a month.

48. 48 Condition and Maintenance of Arenas - Satisfaction The vast majority of those who use arenas are at least somewhat satisfied with them. If users are dissatisfied, they tend to be men (13%) and between 35 and 54 (14%). Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=221; Those not n=179

49. 49 Planning and Building Services - Importance Planning and building services, such as zoning, permits and inspections are deemed as important to residents (71%), with over one-third finding it very important (37%).

50. 50 Planning and Building Services - Usage These services are virtually never used, and if so, less than once a month.

51. 51 Planning and Building Services – Satisfaction While two-thirds (65%) of Thorold residents say they are satisfied with the services relating to planning and building, most are only somewhat satisfied. One in ten users say they dont know or refused to answer (11%) as do 28% of non users. Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=142; Those not n=258

52. 52 Heritage and Historical Preservation - Importance These services are considered important to most residents, especially women (84% compared to 74% of men).

53. 53 Heritage and Historical Preservation - Usage Although perceived importance is high, usage is mostly limited to less than a month.

54. 54 Heritage and Historical Preservation - Satisfaction Those residents who use the heritage and historical preservation services at least once a year are quite satisfied with them. Perceived satisfaction is also 58%. Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=239; Those not n=161

55. 55 Tax and Water Billing - Satisfaction Of all the services, tax and water billing draws the lowest satisfaction rating, as 39% are dissatisfied. The only other services generating dissatisfaction rates of more than 30% are condition and maintenance of city roads (35%) and snow removal from city roads (34%).