The city of Sedona wants to know what’s on your mind.
At the end of last month the city posted a comprehensive community survey on its website. The results are used by staff and the Sedona City Council in a variety of ways to gauge the views and thoughts of residents.
The survey, which is administered every two years, consists of 35 questions, many of which have secondary questions. Each includes five options as answers, and there is no area to add additional comments. A wide range of topics are covered by the survey such as quality of life, sense of community, the city’s economy, housing and public safety.
“When you look at a local government operation like the city of Sedona, you may only hear directly from a very small percentage of the people we’re charged with serving,” Sedona City Manager Justin Clifton said.
He said community surveys like this one are an important way to check in and get generalizable information.
“It helps us track a number of key indicators in areas like safety, quality of life and quality of services that are not project-specific,” he said. “Additionally, we can monitor citizen feedback in areas like traffic flow and perceptions of tourism over time as we complete projects and initiatives and see if they impact perceptions of our citizens.
“Simply put, this is an important tool to see how we’re doing and what else we can do to help build and maintain the best community possible.”
The city worked with independent consultant National Research Center Inc. to develop the survey. The instrument, known as the National Community Survey, allows the city of Sedona to compare results and benchmark residents’ opinions against other communities across the country.
“The survey results will help city staff and city council have a deeper understanding of the community’s priorities and in turn, assist in making more informed decisions,” said Lauren Browne, communications and public relations manager for the city of Sedona.
This online survey is part of a broader community survey effort with National Research Center that started with a survey mailed to a random sample of Sedona residents in September, Browne said. The random sample will ensure the results are statistically valid. If you have already taken the survey through that initial mail effort, you do not need to take the survey again now that it is open to the general public.
Residents may complete the survey by visiting sedonaaz.gov/2020survey. Results from the 2020 survey will be published online on the city’s website at sedonaaz.gov/communitysurvey.
Residents with questions about the survey may contact Browne at 203-5068 or by email at lbrowne@sedonaaz.gov.
