Graphic from Wikimedia Commons
Montgomery County is asking residents to complete an online survey assessing opinions about county government, services and quality of life.
Copies of the survey were mailed to 5,000 randomly selected households last month and the online survey is intended to supplement the information collected from the random survey.
The survey is open to residents 18 and older until Nov. 15. Questions ask about a number of topics including opinions of the county’s natural environment, the built environment (overall design, buildings, parks, transportation network), and opportunities for education, health and wellness, among other topics.
Questions also ask about residents’ practices such as recycling, use of county services, sources of news and information, means of transportation and more.
The survey seeks assessments of economic opportunities, community safety, housing options, opinions of county employees, amenities and services, the availability of shopping, social events and volunteer activities, as well as participation in various aspects of county and civic life.
The survey can be taken in English, Spanish or Chinese. It consists of 35 questions, almost all of which have multiple subtopics to answer (it took this writer 12 minutes to complete).
“To give everyone a seat at the table, my administration wants to make sure we know what residents think about their local government and their quality of life,” said County Executive Ike Leggett in an email. “With the 2017 Resident Survey, we’ll get a rating of county services and find out more about what is working well and what needs improvement. The results will be especially helpful for the budget process, in deciding how to most effectively allocate our resources to meet our residents’ needs—even more important at a time when county resources are limited, and hard choices have to be made.”
The county last conducted a similar survey in 2009. The 2017 results will be compared to previous responses, Leggett said.