City seeks public input on services, planning

Last edited 12:29 p.m., June 13, 2023 [Editor's note: The contract cost with ETC Institute has been added]

The city of Springfield is asking residents to weigh in on currently offered services, as well as long-term planning efforts.

The city hired Olathe, Kansas-based ETC Institute to survey 12,000 randomly selected households in city limits, according to a news release.

Residents will be asked to take an estimated 15-minute survey that gauges their satisfaction on community services, such as public safety, parks and recreation, code enforcement, public works, communication and customer service. The city's planning efforts also will be assessed, officials say.

“The purpose of our citizen satisfaction survey is to gather feedback on city programs and services. It’s a valuable tool that we’ll use to measure the progress of our City Council and staff priorities, and will help us plan for the future," City Manager Jason Gage said in the release. "The long-term planning survey will provide guidance on more specific types of projects.”

Council will receive the results of the survey later this summer. They'll also be made available to the public.

The ETC Institute is being paid nearly $30,000 for its work, said city spokesperson Cora Scott. The city also hired ETC for resident surveys in 2019, 2014 and 2011, and this year the company was awarded the contract through a competitive bidding process, according to the release.