Preserving Your Tax Base and Promoting Trust through Citizen Research

Transcription

1 Preserving Your Tax Base and Promoting Trust through Citizen Research Supporting Decisions Inspiring Ideas Michigan Municipal League Cobalt Citizen Satisfaction Index Supporting Decisions and Inspiring Ideas in Local Government Administration MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2008 CobaltCommunityResearch Agenda Background on the non-profit Cobalt Community Research and the Citizen Satisfaction Index Results of 2008 Michigan Baseline Study Details of Program Participation 3 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

2 Why Research Matters Keeping and attracting residents and businesses promotes a healthy community Residents know their expectations and opinions: You should too Residents can be a powerful resource for improving and promoting your community Good government requires quality measurement 4 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Cobalt Community Research: Tailored for Local Governments Created to meet the needs of local governments today Tax base shrinking with every citizen or business that moves out Budget constraints Staff have limited available time Proven methodology and low cost Use of automation Power of pooling Non-profit 5 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Cobalt Citizen Satisfaction Index Based on surveys for individual local governments Not an ordinary survey: Results are compared to an index of satisfaction with local government across the state using 2008 baseline study data Identifies communities with best practices Allows local governments to map citizen satisfaction with citizen priorities Measures residents intent such as remaining in the community, recommending it to others, and supporting the current administration Supports efforts to retain and attract residents and businesses (keeping even one resident will pay for the survey in one year) 6 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

3 Areas Evaluated Through the Survey ( drivers ) Local public schools Transportation infrastructure Fire services Police services Utility services Taxes Parks and recreation Library services Internet services Quality of life Health services Cultural elements Economic development elements Behavioral intentions Recommend Volunteer Support administration Option to add questions Millage Policy/project support 7 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Citizen Satisfaction 50 Overall satisfaction 52 Compared to expectations 47 Compared to ideal 49 8 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Public Schools 60 Meeting community needs 62 Preparation for careers 60 Preparation for college 62 Communication with public 58 Significant driver of satisfaction 9 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

4 Transportation 57 Road Maintenance 44 Snow removal 57 Road signage 69 Traffic free of congestion 59 Public transportation options CobaltCommunityResearch.org Fire Department 72 Adequate coverage 75 Fire prevention education 67 Quick response CobaltCommunityResearch.org Police/Sheriff 63 Respectful treatment 63 Fair/equitable enforcement 63 Safety education 63 Quick response CobaltCommunityResearch.org

5 Utility Services 75 Water quality 70 Adequate garbage collection 78 Reliable electric service CobaltCommunityResearch.org Property Taxes 56 Fairness of appraisals 45 Adequate period to pay 67 Bills easy to understand 68 Fairness of tax levels 44 Significant driver of satisfaction 14 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Parks and Recreation 66 Facilities meet your needs 69 Facility maintenance 68 Quality of programs 65 Variety of programs CobaltCommunityResearch.org

6 Library 75 Hours of operation 74 Adequacy of resources 76 Location(s) CobaltCommunityResearch.org Cost of Living 51 Cost of living 48 Affordability of housing 46 Neighborhood attractiveness 57 Community Events 48 Range of cultural offerings 48 Strong/vibrant art community 47 Quality sporting events 50 Internet Service 61 Access of internet 63 Quality of internet 61 Community Health Care 68 Access of health care 68 Quality of health care 67 Community Environment 48 Quality of jobs 37 Shopping for everyday items 64 Shopping for major items 57 Ethnic group interaction 45 Significant driver of satisfaction 17 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Outcomes Recommend as place to live 62 Remain in community 66 Plan to volunteer 42 Business Climate 42 Encourage business start up 40 Great place for business 44 Support government admin 48 Consider moving due to weather CobaltCommunityResearch.org

7 Great Place to Live 65 Safe place to live 72 Enjoyable for children 68 Enjoyable for young adults 54 Enjoyable for seniors 67 Enjoyable for everyone else 65 Community growing responsibly 55 Great place to live CobaltCommunityResearch.org Leadership 46 Leaders are trustworthy 48 Well managed government 47 Well trained gov't employees 49 Wisely spent money CobaltCommunityResearch.org 2008 Benchmarks y Overall Sat - ACSI Governmental Overall Sat - ACSI Private and Public Sectors Overall Sat - Cobalt Index Great Place to Live Schools Transportation Infrastructure Fire Police Utilities Tax es Parks and Recreation Library Access to Health Access to Internet Cultural/Sports Events Recommend to Others Remain 5+ Years Willing to Volunteer Encourage a Business Startup Quality of Local Government Support Current Administration 21 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

8 Sample Survey 22 CobaltCommunityResearch.org High-level performance and trend 23 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Filtering Results 24 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

9 Comparing to outside organizations 25 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Mapping Priorities How Are We Performing? Parks and Rec Fire Library Community Health Care Utilities Culture and Events Police/Sheriff Public Schools Transportation Taxes Economic Health 60 What Happens to Citizen Satisfaction if We Improve? 26 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Mapping Priorities 27 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

10 Structural Strategy General Survey Focused Follow-up The point is to map satisfaction and priorities and keep costs low in three ways: Avoid wasted time and resources of detailed research conducted on areas that do not need it Avoid the opportunity cost of a priority missed because you have too much data Focus resources on follow-up projects or research only in key areas identified in the general survey 28 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Who is involved: American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Only national indicator of customer satisfaction Deep experience in satisfaction measurement Measures 40 industries Covered sectors account for 66% of the U.S. economy Well respected in scholarly and business literature Quarterly findings are widely covered in the media For more information, see 29 CobaltCommunityResearch.org ACSI Scores National, Sector, Industry Source: Local Government 66 Federal Government 71 Public Public Administration/ Government E-Business News & Information 76 Portals 79 Search Engines Airlines 65 U.S. Postal Service 71 Express Delivery 83 Newspapers 63 Motion Pictures 73 Network/Cable TV News 69 Computer Software 74 Fixed Line Telephone Service 70 Wireless Telephone Service 66 Cellular Telephones 70 Cable & Satellite TV 63 Hospitals 74 Transportation & Warehousing Information Health Health Care Care & Social Social Assistance Manufacturing/ Nondurable Goods Goods Utilities Utilities Retail Retail Trade Trade Food Manufacturing 84 Soft Drinks 83 Pet Food 82 Breweries 76 Athletic Shoes 78 Cigarettes 84 Personal Care & 80 Apparel Cleaning Products 72 Energy Utilities 74 Supermarkets 69 Gasoline Stations 75 Department & Discount Stores 74 Specialty Retail Stores 76 Health & Personal Care Stores Hotels 75 Limited-Service Restaurants 77 Accommodation & Food Food Services Services Finance Finance & Insurance Banks 75 Life Insurance 68 Health Insurance 78 Property & Casualty Insurance Personal Computers 77 Electronics (TV/VCR/DVD) 80 Major Appliances 81 Automobiles & Light Vehicles 81 Manufacturing/ Durable Durable Goods Goods E-Commerce Retail 78 Auctions 76 Brokerage 77 Travel 30 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

11 Some Private Sector Clients ABN AMRO (Interfirst) AAFES (Worldwide) Apple, Inc. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya (Spain) Bell South (U.S.) Best Buy (U.S.) Blue Cross Blue Shield Assoc. Cable & Wireless (19 countries) Coca-Cola (U.S.) Comerica (U.S.) Compuware (U.S.) Deutsche Bank (Europe) Earthlink (U.S.) Electrolux (Europe) FedEx Ford Motor Company (U.S.) GE Capital (U.S.) Gateway (U.S.) General Motors Google H & R Block (U.S.) Hyatt Corporation Magotteaux (Europe) McDonald s (U.S.) MSNBC Nordea (Sweden, Finland) Scandinavian Airlines (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) Sears Roebuck and Co. (U.S.) ServiceMaster (U.S.) Sprint Nextel Starbucks Telecom Italia (Italy) Vattenfall (Sweden) 31 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Some Public Sector Clients Bureau of Labor Statistics Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Central Intelligence Agency Corporation for National Service Department of Commerce Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Department of Housing and Urban Development Department of State Export-Import Bank Federal Aviation Administration Food Safety and Inspection Service General Services Administration Health Resources and Services Administration Internal Revenue Service National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Cancer Institute National Institutes of Health National Science Foundation Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation Railroad Retirement Board Small Business Administration Social Security Administration United States Customs Service United States Food and Drug Administration United States Mint University of Michigan 32 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Putting Results to Work 1: Measure 5: Implement Satisfaction/ Behaviors 2: Hypothesis 4: Train 3: Validate 33 CobaltCommunityResearch.org

12 Case Study City of North Maple s Cobalt Citizen Satisfaction survey showed that citizens had low satisfaction with the police department a big driver of overall satisfaction The City prioritized action in this area. They talked to police officers, held focus groups, and reviewed best practices of communities that scored strongly on the survey The police department used the information to make process changes and share more information with the public The conversations helped the department improve operations and reduce costs by $50,000 The following year, North Maple confirmed their effectiveness through the Cobalt Survey: Satisfaction jumped for both the police department and the community overall 34 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Value Proposition for Local Governments Raise citizen trust in in your local government and build active support Support allocation decisions Identify citizens priorities and the services they value Identify areas for improving quality of service Citizen Satisfaction Predict how your actions affect satisfaction and behavior Set baseline for citizen satisfaction Share best practices in in government Focus staff on core mission 35 CobaltCommunityResearch.org Conclusion Participating with the non-profit coalition gives local governments a highly credible, proven tool By pooling information, local governments can learn from others who are producing superb results both reducing costs and improving satisfaction Provides aggregate data to support regional/statewide strategic planning and policies wsaintamour@cobaltcommunityresearch.org 36 CobaltCommunityResearch.org