The City of Hastings wants to know what residents think about their community life and municipal government. An open participation survey is now open for all residents. The open participation survey requires that respondents provide their email address and zip code before they can submit their response. This information is confidential and private and helps to ensure that we have only have one response per person.
Last month, the community survey was mailed to sample groups of residents to better understand the opinions of residents as they relate to city amenities, infrastructure, services and more. Now, the survey is open to all residents. For residents who received a survey invitation in the mail, it is very important that they complete that version (and access the survey using the URL provided in the mailed materials) rather than responding to the open participation survey/link.
“We’re very excited to be conducting this survey,” says City Administrator Dan Wietecha. “This survey will help our staff and Council identify priorities for the community and improve the quality of life in Hastings. If you are one of the selected residents to receive the survey in the mail, please take it. We rely on a strong sample for our survey results.”
City staff worked with Polco, an independent consultant and civic engagement company, to develop the survey. The survey includes questions about quality of life, important characteristics of community, services provided by Hastings and priorities for the future.
The instrument, known as The National Community Survey™, allows Hastings to compare results and benchmark residents’ opinions against other communities across the country. Hastings has conducted a community survey every three years since at least 2011. This allows the city to evaluate changes and trends over time.
On the survey, residents are asked to identify their aldermanic ward and answer questions on varying aspects of life in the city.
The first series is on quality of life in Hastings and has a series of statements on the city and neighborhoods that respondents rank either excellent, good, fair, poor or don’t know.
The next series of questions asks opinions on “characteristics as they relate to Hastings as a whole,” such as:
•Overall economic health of Hastings
•Quality of transportation system
Design of layout of residential and commercial areas
•Quality of utility infrastructure
•Quality of parks and recreation opportunite4s
•Health and wellness opportunities
•Opportunities for education, culture and the arts
•Residents’ connection with the community.
The following series asks residents if they would recommend living in Hastings to someone who asks and if they intend to remain in Hastings for the next five years.
Residents are asked about a number of other topics including “how safe or unsafe” they feel and about the mix of businesses and employment opportunities, as well as traffic flow, ease of public parking and recreational opportunities.
A link to the survey is located on the city website, hastingsmn.gov.
