Survey Results Are In!
The results of a random survey of Kalamazoo Township citizens are in. Overall satisfaction with your township government scored 72 out of a maximum 100 - slightly better than the average score of 64 for other Michigan communities of a similar size. Citizens' satisfaction included components ranging from office hours of operation (rated at 7.6 of a maximum 10) to wisely spent money (rated 6.4 of 10). Survey results indicate citizens particularly value the Township's fire and EMS services, recycling and police services.
The lowest scoring area was transportation infrastructure. In that area public transportation options was rated 6.8, accommodation for bicycle and foot traffic was rated 5.8 and street maintenance and repair were rated 5.4, the lowest score of the entire survey. Road repair was also a priority for public funding of improvements. Questions regarding the Township's parks and recreation ranked from 6.6 to 7.1. While respondents could see room for improvement, including making more information available about the locations of the parks, they were not a high priority for public spending. The main priorities and to a lesser extent, for public funding, appeared to be public safety and road maintenance, sidewalk repair, economic development, code enforcement, and the addition of more bike/walking paths.
The survey results indicated support for increasing restrictions concerning properties in disrepair (blight) and to a lesser extent grass/noxious weeds and noise nuisances. The survey results, along with findings from a spring 2013 board retreat, will be used to develop a strategy to guide Board activities in 2014. For many more details concerning the survey results, follow this link to the Survey Report produced by Cobalt Community Research. For a complete copy of the survey results data, contact molly@ktwp.org.