City Survey Results 

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In order to continue growing and thriving, the City of Meridian knows it must offer a mix of services and benefits that fits the needs of citizens and businesses today while also preparing to serve the needs and expectations of the future.

For this reason, the City of Meridian contracted with Opinion Research Corporation to conduct its first comprehensive citizen survey during the fall of 2010. The goal of this study was to design and implement benchmarking and measurement tools for the City to use in an effort to continue its commitment to citizen satisfaction. The key objectives of the survey were to assess citizen satisfaction with and perceptions of a variety of topics, including (but not limited to) overall quality of life, perceived direction of the City, key city issues, city strengths and weaknesses, quality of city services, and budget priorities. Specifically, the research:

□ Identified citizen requirements, expectations, and priorities for services.
□ Measured current performance on key quality of life and service metrics.
□ Set up the tools with which to measure changes in performance over time.
□ Compared key measures with CityMARKS™ Benchmark© standards.
□ Determined citizens’ priorities for services.

In all, 575 randomly selected Meridian residents, aged 18 or over, completed the survey — 259 via telephone and 316 via the Internet. The results of this survey will be a useful tool as City leaders seek ways to enhance City services, plan for the future, and maintain good stewardship of the public trust.

Overall, Meridian’s rating were relatively consistent across the city with regards to the survey’s five key metrics:

1. The overall quality of life in Meridian
2. The direction the city is headed
3. The perceived value of services provided by the city
4. How closely Meridian matches the ideal city
5. The overall quality of services provided by the City of Meridian

Respondents gave the City of Meridian positive ratings for all five key metrics measured in the citywide survey.

□ Nearly nine out of ten (89%) residents report that the quality of life in Meridian exceeds or greatly exceeds their expectations.
□ More than three out of four (78%) residents report that Meridian is strongly headed or heading in the right direction.
□ Just over four out of five (82%) residents say the quality of city services exceeds or greatly exceeds their expectations.  
□ More than two-thirds (68%) of residents perceive they are definitely or somewhat getting the value of services received for tax dollars paid.
□ More than four out of five (85%) residents report that the quality of life is ideal or nearly ideal.

Additional areas in which Meridian performed exceptionally well:

A Place to Raise a Family            
Quality of Neighborhoods
A Place to Live        
Public Safety
City Parks
Emergency Services

Residents were given a list of ten spending priorities and were asked to order them in terms of importance for the city for the next two years. The list included: parks and open space; retaining and attracting businesses; public transportation; public safety; community services; visual and performing arts; planning for growth; environmental programs; pathways and bike lanes; planning for growth; and downtown redevelopment.

Priority One — Retaining and attracting businesses
Priority Two — Planning for growth

The citywide survey also included an open-ended question asking residents what they feel is the single most important issue facing Meridian. The issues mentioned most often:
1. Traffic    2. The Economy   3.  Community Planning
  

CLICK HERE to View the Entire Survey Results Report