MUSCATINE, Iowa – The City of Muscatine is excited to announce the launch of a comprehensive quality of life survey through March 11. The survey is currently available online for randomly selected residents and will be available to all residents starting Friday (Feb. 25).
If a resident received a survey invitation in the mail, it is very important that the resident completes that version (accessing the survey using the URL provided in the mailed material). The community-wide open participation survey is available by clicking the following link: https://polco.us/sr4w8x. An email address and zip code are required to register for the survey that ensures that Polco receives only one response per person.
“We’re very excited to be conducting this survey,” Kevin Jenison, City of Muscatine Communications Manager, said. “This survey will help City staff and Council identify priorities for the community and improve the quality of life in Muscatine.”
Muscatine Mayor Brad Bark hopes all residents will participate in this survey.
“Muscatine is a great community and the results will help to create a better community for individuals and families to come live in, work in, and raise a family in,” Bark said. “I encourage everyone living in Muscatine to take the survey and help us chart our community’s future.”
City Administrator Carol Webb and Jenison have been working with independent consultant Polco to develop the survey over the past few months. The instrument, known as The National Community Survey™, allows City staff and Council to compare results and benchmark residents’ opinions against other communities across the country. The survey includes questions about quality of life, important characteristics of community, services provided by the City of Muscatine and priorities for the future. The survey is available online in English and Spanish.
Polco is an innovative online engagement platform that lets residents provide direct input to the local government decision-making process. By using Polco, the City of Muscatine is making public participation easier for residents.
The survey questions in the open participation survey are the same as in the sampled survey, but with two small updates including a map at the beginning that asks where the respondent lives, and a question at the end that asks where they heard about the survey.
Both versions of the survey are scheduled to close on March 11. If a resident received a survey invitation in the mail, it is very important that they complete that version (accessing the survey using the URL provided in the mailed material). An email address and zip code is required to register for the survey that ensures that Polco receives only one response per person.
Residents with questions about the survey may contact the City of Muscatine by phone at 563-264-1550, by email at kjenison@muscatineiowa.gov or by visiting the City of Muscatine website.
About The National Community Survey™ (The NCS™): The NCS was among the first scientific surveys developed to gather resident opinion on a range of community issues, and has been used in more than 350 jurisdictions across 46 states. The NCS is a cost-effective survey of resident opinion and an important benchmarking tool that allows for comparison among communities. Communities using The NCS have reported that the tool improved service delivery, strengthened communications with community stakeholders and helped leaders identify clear priorities for use in strategic planning and budget setting. The NCS is the only resident survey endorsed by the International City/County Management Association and the National League of Cities.
About Polco: (www.polco.us) Polco was developed to quickly deploy and analyze surveys online, providing the agility to gather critical information from community stakeholders throughout the nation. We have created tools for governments, economic development organizations and nonprofits to measure community livability. Respondents to The NCS are asked to join the City’s Polco panel to see the survey results and continue to engage with the city on future research.
