City consultant Jason Neumeyer, director of survey research at Polco, presented results of a spring communitywide survey to the City Council on Monday night.
Results from the National Community Survey (NCS), conducted by Polco, show that Bartlesville residents feel safe in their community and generally approve of city services, while also identifying areas for improvement in economic health, wellness and recreation. The survey compared Bartlesville’s performance to national benchmarks.
City Manager Mike Bailey noted that the survey results would offer valuable insights for future planning.
“A natural question at this point is, what’s next?” Bailey said. “This survey is not an end result. This is a tool that we use in our decision making, and it comes at a very good time as we are currently working on the next iteration of our Bartlesville NEXT Strategic Plan.
“What are the strengths and weaknesses of the community? I think that we can look at those areas that are more important to residents to put more of our focus on.”
Bartlesville’s NCS survey included two parts: a statistically valid survey (mailed to 3,500 random households in Bartlesville) and an open participation survey (open to all city residents), both conducted in March and April. The results in Neumeyer’s presentation and discussed below focused solely on the random survey responses.
Strong ratings in safety, city services, cultural amenities
Bartlesville’s highest-rated areas reflect a strong sense of safety and satisfaction with city operations. Nearly nine in ten residents feel safe in their neighborhoods and downtown areas during the day, and over three-quarters feel safe from violent crime. Interactions with City employees were also viewed positively, with 72 percent rating customer service favorably and 65 percent approving of the overall quality of services. Public information services received a 59 percent satisfaction rating.
Education, arts and culture were also well-regarded. Public library services earned an 86 percent approval rating, and 63 percent of residents expressed satisfaction with both K–12 education and opportunities to attend cultural, arts and music events.
Areas for improvement: Economic health, wellness, recreation
While many aspects of city life received favorable ratings, residents expressed concern about Bartlesville’s economic health. Less than half of respondents viewed the city as a place to visit (46 percent) or rated its overall economic health positively (44 percent). Only 37 percent were satisfied with the variety of local businesses and services.
Health and wellness indicators also fell below national averages. Just 43 percent of residents were satisfied with health services, 39 percent with preventive health services, and 34 percent with the availability of affordable, quality health care.
Recreational opportunities present another area for growth. Ratings for recreation programs (55 percent), overall opportunities (54 percent), and facilities (44 percent) suggest room for improvement.
Community support for long-term water planning
In questions unique to Bartlesville’s survey, residents showed strong support for securing the city’s future water supply. About 90 percent supported planning for the next 50 years, and roughly 80 percent supported planning for the next 100 years. However, only 40 percent supported increasing water bills to fund these efforts.
Top priorities for the next 5 years
When asked about future priorities, residents overwhelmingly supported infrastructure and public safety initiatives. Improving streets, paths, and walking trails received 96 percent support, reducing homelessness was backed by 93 percent, and enhancing police and fire services was supported by 91 percent of respondents.
Bailey noted that the survey results are a starting data point, but there should be more “fact-finding” in the future as well.
“What matters more is what happens in the future,” Bailey said. “When we do this survey again, are we moving in the right direction or in the wrong direction? In areas that we excel, we want to continue to excel. In areas where we have fallen behind, we want to find a way to close that gap, especially when it aligns with a priority of our community.
“When it comes to making decisions, I love to have more data. The reality is, we never have all of the data and so we have to make decisions based on what we have. I think this is a great start to accumulating that trend over time so that we can see how we’re doing.”
A pdf of Polco’s survey report with key findings can be found here.
An interactive public dashboard with the NCS report findings, including open participation survey data, can be accessed here.
To view Polco’s Aug. 4 presentation at the Council meeting, visit www.cityofbartlesville.org.