City “Report Card” Now Available

Residents continue to express high satisfaction levels in Westerville, as measured in the 2023 online resident survey, with consistently high rankings for City programs and services.

The survey was active online earlier this spring and was conducted by Strategic Research Group (SRG), a Columbus-based survey research firm.

Among the key outcomes of the survey:

Residents’ perceptions of Westerville, its government, and the various services and facilities it offers continue to be “very positive overall.” Roughly 89% of respondents indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with City services; only 4% indicated some level of dissatisfaction.

The “overall safety of the community,” “quality of services” and “family-friendly nature” of Westerville were the highest-rated aspects.

“Property taxes” and “too much development” were rated lowest.

Community priorities remained largely steady in terms of their ratings as compared to previous years. The top three issues residents want prioritized, in order, are “Public Safety and Emergency Management,” “Fiscal Management and Responsibility” and “Reliable and Efficient Utility Services.”

While Westerville residents say they generally feel safe in the community, specific areas, including “inside your home” and “in a City park,” were rated slightly lower regarding safety. “Routine safety patrols” are the most frequently selected public safety priority for the Westerville Division of Police (WPD), according to residents.

Residents rated the Westerville Community Center facility highest in the Westerville Parks & Recreation system. “Special events” are rated best in this section in terms of programs.

In a special section designed to better understand how residents wish to engage with the City, feedback demonstrated a wide range of both interest and awareness.

“As an organization, we wanted to better understand if residents know where, how and when to get involved, if they have an interest in public or volunteer service,” said Westerville City Manager Monica Irelan. “The City knows there’s an incredible demand for the time and attention of our residents, so this feedback can help us determine future community engagement opportunities.”

Responses in this section indicate that most residents do not know or have not noticed calls for public service on Boards and Commissions. The level of familiarity with specific Boards and Commissions is low. Generally, residents do not appear to have a strong appetite for public service volunteerism at this time. About half of the respondents said they had volunteered, and approximately 30% were aware of volunteer opportunities with the City. Only about 39% said they would consider volunteering with the City.

The City’s Facebook account is the most used and active platform.

More than 62% of respondents would support fiber-to-home

More than 84% of respondents would support a one-stop shop for all City services located at City Hall.

For a complete breakdown of the 2023 survey results, visit www.westerville.org/survey.