Resident survey launches next week
What are your top priorities for the City of Georgetown? How would you rate our City parks, library, police, fire/EMS, and other City services? How can the City improve?
Here is your chance to tell us. The City is seeking resident input on its biennial resident survey on City services. The survey will be mailed to a random sample of 2,500 residents starting the week of Oct. 16. The survey is expected to take about 20 minutes to complete. All answers are anonymous.
An online survey will be open to all Georgetown residents Nov. 30-Dec. 15. The online open survey, as well as a mailed survey, is being conducted by Texas State University for the City of Georgetown.
Results from the survey help inform future City budgets, capital improvement projects, departmental workplans, and new programs. The survey is a way to measure resident satisfaction with City services and perceptions about City conditions.
“The data from this survey will be instrumental to me, City Council, and staff in strategic planning and budgeting of available resources to maintain high-quality services,” Mayor Josh Shroeder said. “Your responses will contribute to a quality dataset that City leaders will use to make decisions regarding current and future services. Thank you for taking the time to weigh in on the future of Georgetown.”
The most recent resident satisfaction survey in 2020 showed residents said the overall quality of life and the general quality of service received from City departments was good or excellent.
Areas in the survey rated lower by residents included traffic, mobility, and development, with traffic flow on major streets being a top concern. An open-ended question in the last survey asked residents to identify their top priorities. The most frequent top priorities mentioned were crime and public safety, growth management, water, utility bills, parks, trails, and bike lanes and sidewalks.
The City continues to invest in public safety, planning, mobility, and infrastructure. Since Fiscal Year 2021, the City has:
- Started work on the $120 million mobility bond election voters approved in 2021; continued to work with Williamson County and state and federal transportation agencies for other regional transportation projects.
- Increased the police budget by 43 percent. Georgetown continues to be a safe place: Part 1 crimes have remained relatively flat, while the population has increased an estimated 74 percent since 2011.
- Prioritized managing growth by leading the development of several long-term management plans, including water/wastewater, Downtown Master Plan, Unified Development Code rewrite, the Future Mobility Plan, and multiple corridor and transportation plans.
- Invested significantly in water infrastructure, including the $200 million South Lake Water Treatment Plant and entered into a two-year negotiation agreement to secure additional raw-water supply.
- Improved multiple trails, parks, and sidewalks, including the South San Gabriel Trail extension, starting on Phase III improvements to San Gabriel Park, and sidewalks in and around downtown.
The 2023 Georgetown Resident Survey will build on past resident survey results by allowing the City to observe trends in resident priorities or preferences. This survey ensures the City is collecting feedback from a representative sample of Georgetown residents. Results will be shared with the City Council and public in January.
