City of Wilmington

2019 Community Survey

PRESENTED BY ETC INSTITUTE
A National Leader in Market Research for Local Governmental Organizations
More than 2,000,000 Persons Surveyed Since 2009 in more than 900 cities in 49 states
Helping organizations make better decisions
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Purpose
To objectively assess citizen satisfaction with the delivery of major City services
To measure trends from previous surveys
To compare the City’s performance with residents regionally and nationally
To help determine priorities for the community

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Methodology
Survey Description
◦ 6th Community Survey conducted for the City by ETC Institute
◦ Included many of the same questions that were asked in previous years

Method of Administration
◦ By mail and online to a random sample of City residents
◦ Each survey took approximately 15-20 minutes to complete

Sample Size
◦ Goal: 800 surveys
◦ Completed: 833 surveys
◦ Demographics accurately reflect the actual population of the community

Margin of Error
◦ +/- 3.4% at the 95% level of confidence

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Good Representation by Age 5
Good Representation by Race/Ethnicity 6
Good Representation by Household Income 7
Good Representation by Gender 8
Location of
Survey
Respondents
Good representation by location

2019 City of Wilmington Community Survey 9

Bottom Line Up Front
Residents Have a Positive Perception of the City
◦ 83% rated Wilmington as an excellent or good place to live, only 4% rated it as below average or poor
Satisfaction with the Overall Quality of City Services is Higher Than in Other Communities
◦ 6% above the Atlantic Regional average
◦ 8% above the U.S. average
Employees are Setting the Standard for Customer Service Excellence
◦ City employees performed significantly better than the Atlantic Regional and U.S. averages in all but one
service category
Priorities for Improvement Remained the Same
◦ Management of traffic flow on City streets
◦ Maintenance of City streets and sidewalks
◦ Overall quality of police services
◦ Management of stormwater runoff by the City

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Perceptions
RESIDENTS HAVE A POSITIVE PERCEPTION OF THE CITY
58% Are Satisfied with the Overall Quality of Services Provided by the City Compared to Only 11% Dissatisfied
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Most Services Received High Ratings, but There Are Concerns with the City’s Transportation Network
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Most Residents Have a Positive Perception of Wilmington as a Place to Visit, Live, Retire, and Raise Children
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Geospatial Analysis
THE CITY IS EQUITABLY PROVIDING SERVICES TO RESIDENTS
THROUGHOUT THE CITY
Overall Quality
of Services
Provided by the
City
Although there are some differences
among the 10 major services that
were rated, the overall satisfaction
with the quality of services provided
by the City is similar throughout the
City

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Trend Analysis
LONG AND SHORT -TERM TRENDS ARE MIXED
The Overall Satisfaction Index Dropped Below the Base Year For the First Time Ever 18
 Long-Term Trends: 2007 to 2019
NOTABLE INCREASES
Biking trails in the City (+23%)
Walking trails in the City (+18%)
Feeling of safety in City parks (+15%)
Feeling of safety downtown at night (+12%)
City efforts to prevent fires (+9%)
How quickly police respond (+7%)
Curbside recycling services (+7%)
Number of City parks (+6%)
Frequency police patrol neighborhoods (+4%)
Long-Term Increases Are Mostly Associated With Parks and Long-Term Decreases Are Associated With Top Priorities
NOTABLE DECREASES
Maintenance of neighborhood streets (-23%)
Maintenance of neighborhood sidewalks (-12%)
How quickly street repairs are made (-9%)
Enforcing sign regulations (-8%)
Maintenance of City streets and sidewalks (-8%)
Availability of public transit services (-8%)
Usefulness of info. on City website (-7%)
Maintenance of major City streets (-6%)
Enforcing the mowing of grass on private property (-6%)
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 Short-Term Trends: 2017 to 2019
NOTABLE INCREASES NOTABLE DECREASES

City efforts to prevent fires (+11%) Maintenance of neighborhood streets (-13%)

Maintenance of neighborhood sidewalks (-13%)
Management of stormwater runoff (-12%)
Cleanliness of stormwater drains (-11%)
Maintenance of major City streets (-11%)
Ease of travel by car in the City (-9%)
City efforts to prevent crimes (-9%)

Notable Decreases In Satisfaction Are Directly Related to the Items That Were Determined to be a High Priority for Improvement
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Priorities for Investment
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES AND
IMPORTANCE-SATISFACTION ANALYSIS
Importance-Satisfaction Rating
City of Wilmington
Overall
Most Most Importance-
Important Important Satisfaction Satisfaction Satisfaction I-S Rating
Category of Service % Rank % Rank Rating Rank

Management of traffic flow on City streets 47% 3 18% 10 0.3829 1

Maintenance of City streets and sidewalks 50% 2 25% 9 0.3758 2
Overall quality of police services 58% 1 68% 3 0.1866 3
Management of stormwater runoff by the City 20% 5 29% 8 0.1413 4
Enforcement of City codes and ordinances 13% 8 42% 7 0.0731 5
Overall quality of fire services 35% 4 83% 1 0.0598 6
Effectiveness of City communication w/ public 10% 9 46% 6 0.0551 7
Quality of trash/recycling/yard waste collection 19% 6 73% 2 0.0513 8
Quality of parks & recreation programs 14% 7 67% 4 0.0449 9
Quality of customer service from City employees 5% 10 56% 5 0.0220 10

I-S Ratings .1000 or Greater Are Considered a High Priority for Investment Over the Next Two Years
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Items Found In The Lower Right-Hand Quadrant Should Be Considered For Additional Investments
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Importance-Satisfaction Rating
City of Wilmington
Public Safety
Most Most Importance-
Important Important Satisfaction Satisfaction Satisfaction I-S Rating
Category of Service % Rank % Rank Rating Rank

City efforts to prevent crimes 44% 2 43% 5 0.2525 1

How quickly police respond to emergencies 47% 1 65% 2 0.1652 2
Frequency police patrol your neighborhood 20% 3 42% 6 0.1154 3
Enforcement of local traffic laws 18% 4 52% 4 0.0869 4
City efforts to prevent fires 12% 5 76% 1 0.0288 5
Enforcement of fire codes 4% 6 59% 3 0.0156 6

I-S Ratings .1000 or Greater Are Considered a High Priority for Investment Over the Next Two Years
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Importance-Satisfaction Rating
City of Wilmington
Parks and Recreation
Most Most Importance-
Important Important Satisfaction Satisfaction Satisfaction I-S Rating
Category of Service % Rank % Rank Rating Rank

Maintenance and appearance of City parks 47% 1 77% 1 0.1074 1

Walking trails in the City 24% 2 59% 3 0.0976 2
Biking trails in the City 20% 4 52% 4 0.0950 3
Number of City parks 20% 3 63% 2 0.0747 4
Quality of outdoor athletic facilities 13% 5 51% 5 0.0652 5
Variety of City recreation programs/classes 10% 6 40% 9 0.0606 6
Quality of City recreation programs/classes 10% 7 41% 8 0.0590 7
City recreation centers 8% 8 42% 7 0.0464 8
City swimming pools 6% 9 30% 10 0.0420 9
City golf course 5% 10 47% 6 0.0265 10

I-S Ratings .1000 or Greater Are Considered a High Priority for Investment Over the Next Two Years
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Importance-Satisfaction Rating
City of Wilmington
Maintenance
Most Most Importance-
Important Important Satisfaction Satisfaction Satisfaction I-S Rating
Category of Service % Rank % Rank Rating Rank

Maintenance of major City streets 54% 1 29% 9 0.3799 1

How quickly street repairs are made 27% 2 16% 11 0.2302 2
Maintenance of neighborhood streets 27% 3 28% 10 0.1930 3
Timing of traffic signals in the City 19% 4 30% 8 0.1358 4
Cleanliness of City streets and other public areas 13% 5 44% 5 0.0717 5
Cleanliness of stormwater drains 8% 6 31% 7 0.0573 6
Maintenance of neighborhood sidewalks 7% 8 33% 6 0.0476 7
Adequacy of City street lighting 8% 7 49% 4 0.0398 8
Mowing/trimming along City streets/public areas 6% 9 49% 3 0.0286 9
Condition of street signs and traffic signals 5% 10 57% 1 0.0202 10
Maintenance of city buildings 1% 11 49% 2 0.0071 11

I-S Ratings .1000 or Greater Are Considered a High Priority for Investment Over the Next Two Years
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Importance-Satisfaction Rating
City of Wilmington
Code Enforcement
Most Most Importance-
Important Important Satisfaction Satisfaction Satisfaction I-S Rating
Category of Service % Rank % Rank Rating Rank

Enforcing cleanup of debris on private property 61% 1 32% 4 0.4168 1

Enforcing the mowing of grass on private property 27% 2 31% 5 0.1891 2
Enforcing exterior maint. of residential property 23% 3 28% 6 0.1678 3
Enforcing exterior maint. of commercial property 22% 4 35% 2 0.1417 4
City efforts to remove inoperable vehicles 21% 5 35% 3 0.1333 5
Enforcement of sign regulations 13% 6 36% 1 0.0851 6

I-S Ratings .1000 or Greater Are Considered a High Priority for Investment Over the Next Two Years
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Transportation Network Improvements Are the Most Important Capital Improvement for Respondents
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In Addition to High Levels of Importance, Respondents Are Willing to Pay an Increase In Taxes to Support Transportation Network Improvements
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Respondents Indicated They Think Funding For Transportation Network Improvements Should Increase
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Summary
Residents Have a Positive Perception of the City
◦ 83% rated Wilmington as an excellent or good place to live, only 4% rated it as below average or poor
Satisfaction with the Overall Quality of City Services is Higher Than in Other Communities
◦ 6% above the Atlantic Regional average
◦ 8% above the U.S. average
Employees are Setting the Standard for Customer Service Excellence
◦ City employees performed significantly better than the Atlantic Regional and U.S. averages in all but one
service category
Priorities for Improvement Remained the Same
◦ Management of traffic flow on City streets
◦ Maintenance of City streets and sidewalks
◦ Overall quality of police services
◦ Management of stormwater runoff by the City

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Questions?
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