CCP 03-10-1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I Decision Resources, LId. ,. February, 1997 I they could have a say in the way the City of Arden Hills runs things, if they wanted. An unusually small twenty percent thought they could not. This group of alienated citizens remained one of the smallest present in any Metropolitan Area suburb. I The Mayor and Council were awarded a job approval rating of sixty-six percent and a disapproval rating of fifteen percent. Although eleven percent lower than the 1990 benchmark I level, the approval rating was high in comparison with other Metropolitan Area suburbs, and the almost four-to-one approval-to-disapproval rating was strong. Additionally, a moderately high forty-three percent felt they knew "a great deal" or "fair amount" about the work of the Mayor I and City Council; even so, many of the ratings were based upon generalized feelings that a "good job was occurring" or "no problems had arisen in the past." The City may wish to consider highlighting more fully City Council actions and activities in the city newsletter. I The City Staff received a job approval rating of seventy-eight percent and a disapproval rating of ten percent. Both the absolute level of approval and the almost eight-to-one ratio of approval-to- I disapproval were much higher than the suburban norm. In fact, the approval level reflected an eight percent increase since the 1990 benchmark study. The thirty-eight percent of the residents Ie reporting first-hand contact with the staff was much higher than comparable suburban areas. The approval ratings of staff stemmed primarily from good experiences with them; the negative ratings resulted from feelings that the staff could improve. I Experiences with City Half: I Forty-six percent Qfthe sample reported visiting City Hall during the past year. Forty-one percent were aware of its operating hours and the differences between standard hours of I operation and summer hours. A comparatively high eighty-three percent felt the current hours were either "very convenient" or "somewhat convenient;" only fifteen percent were more critical. But, the residents split on the relative convenience of standard operating hours versus summer I hours: while forty-four percent indicated it made no difference to their visiting the facility, twenty-nine percent reported summer hours were more convenient and twenty-three percent felt similarly about current standard operating hours. Residents were specific, though, on the issue of I additional personnel costs to expand operating hours: fifty-eight percent opposed either "longer evening hours on one weeknight" or "Saturday morning hours" if additional staff costs were incurred. I Fifty percent of the sample had either visited City Hall or contacted it by telephone during the I past year. The Park and Recreation Department accounted for the most contacts, at twenty-eight percent. General information queries followed at eighteen percent, while the Public Works Department was either telephoned or visited by seventeen percent. Rounding out the list, thirteen f' Page 3 I