Town’s quality of life increases

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Strathmore, with the help of Framework Partners, launched a citizen satisfaction survey to gauge what is important for residents of the town. 

This is the second year the town has launched the survey, which was launched on Aug. 18, with no set end date. 

The survey was distributed to 1,858 households, receiving 790 responses recorded prior to Framework Partners’ presentation to Town Council, Oct. 19.

Results from the survey were broken down by community within Strathmore, which did not require any weighting or balancing to be recorded accurately, and did not over or under represent any community by a margin of more than six per cent.

A total of 84 per cent of those who responded to the survey reported maintaining a “good” or “very good” quality of life, which was noted to be an increase from the 80 per cent recorded in 2021.

Fewer than two per cent of those who responded noted a “somewhat poor,” “poor,” or “very poor” quality of life.

Those who responded indicated the some of the primary reasons they experience a high quality of life in Strathmore is due to it being a small town with access to quality amenities. 

Secondary recorded reasons included local schools, services and infrastructure, as well as safety and cleanliness.

For those who reported experiencing a poor quality of life, their grievances were recorded to be regarding unaffordability, specific issues, lack of accessibility, or generally having negative comments about the town.

Among the most important issues facing Strathmore, survey respondents indicated property taxes (38 per cent), new or additional recreational facilities (29 per cent) and community safety (28 per cent) were the top three within the town.

Community safety and affordable housing were both noted to be more important issues this year than in 2021. 

Strathmore residents have reported high levels of satisfaction with the town’s infrastructure and operations (67 per cent), as well as with protective services (66 per cent). 

Satisfaction among other services such as infrastructure and operations, municipal planning and development, community development, and community services have all experienced significant growth over the past year. 

Each indicated category experienced 10 per cent growth or more in citizen satisfaction since the previous survey. 

Citizen satisfaction was also recorded to have increased regarding nearly all services indicated in the survey, with the exceptions being the Family Centre Arena, and with outdoor recreation spaces.

With regards to town services, though none of the options presented to residents were indicated as favourable, what appeared as the most popular option was for the town to increase taxes and maintain its levels of service. 

This was indicated as more favourable than decreasing taxes and services, maintaining taxes and decreasing services, or increasing taxes and expanding available services. 

Further information regarding the survey was discussed during the Oct. 19 town council meeting, and survey results are publicly available on the town website.