City of Washougal will conduct community survey

Some residents of Washougal will receive a survey in the mail next week. The city is conducting the community survey, as part of its ongoing strategic planning effort. According to City Administrator David Scott, the survey is designed to measure which city programs and services are most important to Washougal residents as well as their level of satisfaction with city services. Those include police, fire and emergency medical services, as well as parks, streets, utilities, code enforcement, economic development and growth management. There will also be questions regarding potential funding for enhanced street maintenance, continuation of fire and emergency medical services, library use and views regarding allowing recreational marijuana related land uses within city limits. "We are facing important decisions about our programs and services, and we look forward to receiving feedback from our residents," Mayor Sean Guard said, in a press release. The survey is being administered by ETC Institute, a company that has assisted communities with measuring residents' views on issues. The contract amount with ETC, $14,450, is in the 2014 city budget, in the category of strategic planning initiatives. The survey should not take longer than 10 minutes to complete. It will be mailed to a number of randomly selected participants. The residents who receive surveys will be provided self-addressed, stamped envelopes to return their responses. Some residents might receive a telephone call, reminding them to complete the survey. Results will remain confidential, and the city will not be informed which residents received or completed surveys. ETC Institute will provide a summary of survey results to the city council in mid-July. Questions about the survey can be directed to Rose Jewell, assistant to the mayor and city administrator, at 835-8501.

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