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| The National Citizen Survey (The NCS) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The NCS was developed by NRC to provide a statistically valid survey of resident opinions about community and services provided by local government. (NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER, INC.) |
Jean Clark has watched the Rockbridge area grow for most of her life.
She has attended dozens of local parades, seen the construction of the Virginia Horse Center, and watched local businesses rise and fall in Lexington’s historic downtown. So as director of tourism for Rockbridge Regional Tourism and a lifelong Rockbridge County resident, Clark was not surprised at the results of a survey commissioned by Lexington City Council last summer.
According to the results, published in August, 81 percent of survey respondents believed that the overall quality of life in Lexington is either excellent or good. But the survey also showed that Lexington citizens have mixed feelings about government services and some other aspects of the community.
And people who spent their childhood in Lexington are the most likely to leave. The number of individuals surveyed who are likely to remain in Lexington for the next five years was below the national average.
“Kids who grow up here, the first thing they want to do is get the hell out of Dodge,” Clark said.
Survey respondents rated Lexington above a national benchmark in 10 of the 36 services compared. Transportation, safety and cleanliness were rated above the national average. But many respondents rated availability and variety of affordable housing and economic sustainability and development below the national benchmark.
Respondents also rated Lexington government below average in listening to its citizens.
“Listening and agreeing are two different things,” said City Manager Jon Ellestad. “I think in a survey people can get those two things mixed up.”
About 1,200 addresses that were randomly selected by the post office received copies of the survey in the mail in June, Ellestad said. Of those, about 400 responded, much higher than the national average. Survey recipients included males and females, old and young, students and permanent residents.
City Council and Ellestad discussed the results of the survey last fall, and both manager and council cited the shortcomings of a large-scale survey in a small town like Lexington. Recipients were asked to rate nearly every facet of life on a scale between “excellent” and “poor,” distinctions Ellestad said he found too general.
“Informal feedback is far more [valuable here] than the formal feedback,” he said.
The National Citizen Survey was the first outside public interest study in Lexington’s history. The survey is a standardized study distributed to approximately 500 cities and towns nationwide at the request of each community.
It was created by two national organizations, the National Research Center Inc., which designs research surveys, and the International City/County Management Association, an international organization of city and county officials that provides training, technical assistance and resources for members.
Overall, Ellestad said, the survey revealed “nothing earth-shattering,” and for now, the city does not have a definite plan for using the survey results. He said the city intends to conduct the survey every few years to see if any trends develop.
“I don’t know if anything concrete is going to come of it,” he said.
Mike Webb, director of the Rockbridge Partnership, an organization that promotes economic development in Rockbridge County, said he had not yet reached a conclusion about the survey results.
The organization conducted its own study last summer and found that increased city parking and a downtown hotel are priorities in Lexington. Webb said the Partnership is constantly looking for feedback from citizens; it held three public meetings last year.
Clark said Rockbridge Regional Tourism also conducts market research assessments every few years to profile the average visitor who comes to Lexington. The organization plans to conduct another study later this year.
Despite residents’ mixed feelings about life in Lexington, in her office Clark often hears from tourists about how they enjoyed the city’s rich history and beautiful scenery.
“People who live here don’t appreciate it as much as those who don’t,” she said.
Produced by
Washington and Lee
journalism students.
Lead Supervisors:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
Prof. Lisa Tracy
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd