March 4, 2022
Roanoke Residents Remain Satisfied with City Services While Identifying Specific Concerns
Every two to three years the City of Roanoke conducts a statistically valid survey of its residents to determine their satisfaction with several City services and their overall impression of the City. Once again, City residents validated that Roanoke is a good place to live:
- more than three-quarters of those surveyed agreed they would recommend Roanoke as a place to live to someone who asks
- 78% agreed that Roanoke’s neighborhoods are good places to live
- Two-thirds of those surveyed rated Roanoke’s quality of life as good or excellent
More than 80% of those surveyed indicated they were satisfied with the overall quality of services provided by the City of Roanoke with fire protection (95%), emergency medical services (94%), 911 emergency call center (93%), trash collection (87%) and libraries (85%) leading the way.
One objective of the survey is to assist the City Council and City Administration in identifying resident priorities where there is either concern or room for improvement. The current survey results highlight concerns with public safety, specifically the surge in gun-related violence. While the overall perception of safety remains strong (79% in neighborhoods and 72% in downtown) and satisfaction with policing (73%), all represented significant declines from previous surveys. Other opportunities for improvement include quality of housing, needs of area youth, and mowing of street medians and rights of way.
The survey helps the Council shape policy and budgetary decisions; for example, additional funds have been included in recent budgets for added street paving and sidewalk repair, resulting in increases in the rate of satisfaction with these services. The timing of the survey results intentionally aligns with the annual budget preparation allowing for such considerations.
The City Council will receive a briefing on the survey results at their meeting on Monday, March 7 at 2:00. The presentation and survey results report will be available on the City’s website.
Media Contact: Chief Strategy Officer, Angie O’Brien
Best way to contact: Email - angela.o’[email protected]
You may also call (540) 853-2333