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Bozeman, MT , Gallatin Valley |
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Survey says: Residents' opinions mixed on Bozeman issues By CAMDEN EASTERLING Chronicle Staff Writer How happy are Bozemanites? Depends on whom you ask and what you ask about, based on data collected from a recent survey of city residents. More than 83 percent of the respondents called the quality of life in Bozeman good or excellent. Yet the city's land-use planning and zoning earned a low score, just 30 on a 100-point scale. Respondents also were critical of traffic issues. Bozeman commissioned the National Citizens Survey, based in Boulder, Colo., to survey residents this summer on a variety of issues. The data came back in August and the Bozeman City Commission is scheduled to review it in October. The survey was mailed to 1,200 households and 500 people sent it back. When looking at the big picture, the survey indicated that Bozemanites are pretty happy with the place they call home - 59 percent of the respondents rated the overall quality of life in the city as good, and 24 percent called it excellent. Just 2 percent said the quality of life was poor and 15 percent characterized it as fair. While most, if not all, of the people enjoying Cooper Park on Tuesday afternoon had not received the survey, several city residents said they agreed with the survey's assessment that the majority of people are happy with Bozeman's quality of life. “I like everything,” Katrina Hamilton, 34, said as she strolled near the park with daughters Emery and Eudora. “I like the layout, I like the trees, I like the parks.” “I like the schools,” piped up Eudora, 6, a first-grader at Irving School. Hamilton, who grew up in Bozeman, said she also likes that Bozeman has lots of options for children, ranging from nonprofit organizations that put on programs to open spaces for her daughters to play in. Parks were one component of the city that ranked well on the survey. On a scale that factors in all of the responses to produce an overall score between 1 and 100, with 1 being poor and 100 being excellent, Bozeman's parks scored a 73. Data from a similar National Citizens Survey done in 2005 showed a score of 70 for the quality of Bozeman's parks. Less popular, however, was Bozeman's management of growth and development. Respondents gave the city an overall score of 30 when asked about the quality of land use, planning and zoning. That score was unchanged from 2005. “We're not happy with that,” Planning Director Andy Epple said, “and we are exploring ways to improve our level of customer service and outcomes of the planning process any way we can.” Exactly what it is people are unhappy about isn't clear as far as that score is concerned, Epple said. The question doesn't ask residents to state what they're concerned about, so determining if people are upset about existing policies, particular developments or the larger planning picture in the greater Bozeman area (which the city doesn't control) or other issues is tough, he said. “We're not sure what people aren't (satisfied with),” Epple said, “but we're going to try to figure it out.” One planning-related issue that has longtime Bozemanite Harold Krislock, 75, concerned is traffic. “I think we better say this is a continuous expansion and we better plan for it,” Krislock said Tuesday as he walked his dog at Cooper Park. Although Krislock did not receive a survey, his sentiment was one echoed by respondents. Traffic congestion was ranked by 39 percent of respondents as a major problem facing Bozeman. Two years ago, 41 percent said traffic was a serious issue. Too much growth was a top concern of 42 percent of the respondents, compared to 35 percent in 2005. The “rapid rate of development” is one issue John Knutson, a Montana State University student, said he sees Bozeman facing in the next few years. Knutson, who spent time in Cooper Park on Tuesday, said he's noticed that growth has brought on the arrival of more big-box stores. “It's kind of becoming more homogeneous,” Knutson said “more and more like everywhere else.” What Mayor Jeff Krauss said most concerns him about the survey results is the ratings of interactions with city employees. Respondents gave the city an overall score of 63 when it comes to employees' knowledge, a 61 for responsiveness and a 62 for courtesy. Those scores from 2005 were 65, 61 and 62, respectively. Survey takers' overall impression of their contact with city workers earned Bozeman a score of 58, a few points lower than the 61 it got in 2005. “I think there were a lot of things we need to look at there,” Krauss said. The city will need to work on freeing up time for employees to be more responsive to residents' concerns, even if they city isn't always able to correct a given problem, he said. Now that Bozeman has fresh data in hand, the city will keep it in mind as the commission and staff review policies and update plans, such as the 2020 Community Plan that guides growth, Commissioner Kaaren Jacobson said. People interested in obtaining a copy of the survey should call 582-2306 What residents think The 2007 National Citizen Survey commissioned by the city asked residents questions on a number of issues. Among their responses: € 95 percent had visited a Bozeman park in the past 12 months € 87 percent said the quality of city parks is “excellent” or “good” € 82 percent characterized the rate of population growth as “too fast” € 74 percent said they felt “very” or “somewhat” safe from violent crime € 71 percent said they felt “very” or “somewhat” protected from fire € 62 percent rated access to affordable quality housing as poor; 27 percent rated it as fair € 37 percent said they thought Bozeman is an excellent place to live; 50 percent rated it as good € 32 percent would strongly support a local sales tax on some goods if the revenue were used in part to fund property tax reduction; 28 percent would strongly oppose the tax € 48 percent of those who wrote responses to an open-ended question on the city's greatest challenge listed growth, planning or sprawl as a worry € 19 percent named affordable housing or the cost of living as a primary concern € 12 percent mentioned improving or keeping up with infrastructure Source: City of Bozeman's commissioned National Citizens Survey |
