Survey says Camas residents satisfied with city services

A recent communitywide survey shows Camas residents tend to be more satisfied with their city services than the majority of respondents in cities nationwide. In late 2024, ETC Institute, a Kansas-based market research and survey company, sent the six-page survey to about 3,000 randomly selected Camas households. The firm received 437 responses — more than its goal of 400 — and said the survey had a 95 percent confidence level. ETC Institute has conducted the Camas community survey every two years since 2017. The firm said the city’s responses show a higher level of satisfaction than other cities it has surveyed in the U.S. and the Pacific Northwest. “Satisfaction ratings for the city of Camas rated above the U.S. average in 35 of the 38 areas that were assessed,” ETC Institute’s director of community research, Jason Morado, told Camas City Council members during their Jan. 21 workshop. Camas residents were asked to rate their satisfaction with city services in 16 categories and were most satisfied with the city’s garbage services (90 percent were “satisfied” or “very satisfied”); public library services (90 percent); and fire, emergency medical and ambulance services (87 percent). “Since 2022, Camas increased satisfaction in 50 out of 57 areas,” Morado told the council members. Other Camas services that received high satisfaction ratings in the 2024 survey included: public safety (86 percent), quality and maintenance of city parks and trails (81 percent), how quickly local fire and EMS personnel respond to an emergency (90 percent), quality of local fire protection and rescue services (89 percent), how fast police respond to an emergency (82 percent) and customer service when paying a city utility bill (86 percent). Compared with other Pacific Northwest cities that have conducted similar ETC Institute surveys, Camas rates much higher than average in several categories, including the quality of customer service from city employees; in Camas, 78 percent of respondents were satisfied with the city’s customer service compared with a Pacific Northwest average of 38 percent satisfaction. Camas residents also were much more likely to rate the overall quality of city services higher than their counterparts in the Northwest, with a 78 percent satisfaction rating compared with 44 percent; for overall image of the city (79 percent compared with 50 percent); the city’s efforts to prevent crime (77 percent compared with 49 percent); and the quality of the city’s public library services (90 percent compared with 64 percent). Morado added that these satisfaction levels were high in all parts of the city. “We usually see some pockets where residents are dissatisfied, but that’s not the case here at all,” Morado told city officials. Camas City Council member and Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce Director Jennifer Senescu said she was pleased to see that the respondents’ levels of satisfaction with the city’s customer service was nearly double the national average. “I want to applaud the city,” Senescu said. “That’s exciting.” While the survey results were mostly positive, some city services had higher levels of dissatisfaction, including the effectiveness of the city’s economic development efforts — which had a 22 percent “dissatisfied” rating — maintenance of city streets (22 percent), quality of city water utilities (19 percent), enforcement of city codes and ordinances (16 percent), quality of services and utilities compared with cost (13 percent), and effectiveness of communication with the public (12 percent). Morado said the survey showed a few areas where the city could improve its efforts. “The three services respondents think should receive the most emphasis over the next two years are maintenance of city streets, effectiveness of economic development efforts and the quality of the city’s parks, trails and open space,” Morado said. The survey also asked Camas residents to give feedback on which city services they would reduce first if the city’s budget shortfalls demand budget cuts. Some of the answers included billing and finance, “any DEI related activities,” economic development, city events, city leaders’ salaries, code enforcement, communications, customer service, the library, parks and recreation, police and pool planning. Another open-ended question asked residents to name one new community amenity they would like to see in Camas. Some popular responses included a swimming pool or aquatic center, dog park, community center, lower taxes, more athletic facilities, more sidewalks and more pickleball courts. Kelly Moyer: 360-735-4674; kelly.moyer@columbian.com

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