2005 Community Survey

Decision Resources, Ltd.
3128 Dean Court
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416

January 2005

Hello, I'm __________ of Decision Resources, Ltd., a polling firm located in Minneapolis. We've been retained by the City of Woodbury to speak with a random sample of residents about issues facing the city. The survey is being taken because your city representatives and staff are interested in your opinions and suggestions. I want to assure you that all individual responses will be held strictly confidential; only summaries of the entire sample will be reported. (DO NOT PAUSE)

1. Approximately how many years have you lived in the City of Woodbury?

2. Thinking back to when you moved to Woodbury, what factors were most important to you in selecting the city?

LOCATION, 6%; HOUSING, 19%; SCHOOLS, 15%; SMALL TOWN FEEL, 4%; OPEN SPACE, 11%; JOB, 25%; FAMILY/FRIENDS, 11%; NICE NEIGHBORHOOD, 4%; SCATTERED, 4%.

3. Where did you live prior to moving to Woodbury?

MINNEAPOLIS, 8%; SAINT PAUL, 19%; OUT OF MINNESOTA, 27%; RURAL MINNESOTA, 5%; REST OF RAMSEY, 12%; REST OF WASHINGTON, 9%; REST OF HENNEPIN, 8%; DAKOTA COUNTY, 10%; REST OF METRO, 3%; ALWAYS WOODBURY, 1%.

4. How would you rate the quality of life in Woodbury -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

5. What do you think is the most serious issue facing the City of Woodbury today?

UNSURE, 10%; GROWTH, 53%; TAXES, 10%; CROWDED SCHOOLS, 5%; SCHOOL QUALITY, 3%; TRAFFIC, 12%; POOR CITY SERVICES, 3%; NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, 2%; SCATTERED, 3%.

     IF AN ANSWER IS GIVEN, ASK: (N=362)

6. Why do you feel that way?

TOO MUCH GROWTH, 37%; HIGH TAXES, 11%; CROWDED SCHOOLS, 5%; TRAFFIC CONGESTION, 20%; SCHOOLS UNDER FUNDED, 3%; NEED OPEN SPACE, 6%; TOO MUCH RETAIL, 4%; TOO MANY STOPLIGHTS, 5%; HOMES ARE TOO EXPENSIVE, 2%; NEED BETTER MAINTENANCE, 3%; SCATTERED, 4%.

7. How would you rate the general sense of community among Woodbury residents -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

8. In your opinion, should the City of Woodbury do more to promote a sense of community?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=112)

9. What actions would you recommend?

UNSURE, 22%; NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS, 10%; COMMUNITY EVENTS, 39%; IMPROVE CITY COMMUNICATION, 5%; COMMUNITY GATHERING AREA, 14%; AQUATIC CENTER, 5%; SCATTERED, 5%.

10. How safe would you feel walking alone in your neighborhood after dark -- very safe, reasonably safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe?

11. Do you think Woodbury currently has too much, too little, or about the right amount of retail shopping opportunities?

I would like to read you a list of a few city services. For each one, please tell me whether you would rate the quality of the service as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Roadways in the City of Woodbury consist of both city and county streets. City streets are those found in residential neighborhoods and also include major streets such as Woodlane Drive and Lake Road. County streets are the following major roadways: Valley Creek Road, Bailey Road, Radio Drive, Woodbury Drive, and Military Road.

Again, please tell me whether you would rate the quality of the following services as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

IF "ONLY FAIR" OR "POOR" ON ANY OF ABOVE CITY SERVICES #12-34, ASK: (N=243)

35. Why do you feel that way?

NEED MORE STREET LIGHTS, 30%; FLOODING, 7%; POOR DRINKING WATER, 13%; POOR TRAIL MAINTENANCE, 8%; STRICT BUILDING INSPECTIONS, 4%; POOR STREET MAINTENANCE, 24%; POOR CODE ENFORCEMENT, 5%; SLOW SERVICE, 5%; NEED MORE PATROLLING, 2%; SCATTERED, 4%.

36. Are there any services not currently offered by the City of Woodbury you would like to see offered? (IF "YES," ASK:) What are they?

UNSURE, 4%; NONE, 86%; MORE FOR SENIORS, 1%; AQUATIC CENTER, 1%; TAKE YARD WASTE, 2%; MORE SIDEWALKS, 1%; SCATTERED, 5%.

37. Would you support or oppose greater landscaping and beautification of the major roadways in the community? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

The State of Minnesota sets all speed limits in the city, but the city can request MnDOT to perform a speed limit study to determine an appropriate speed limit. Most County roads in Woodbury, such as Woodbury Drive and Radio Drive, are designed to a 50 MPH standard, which does not allow trees and structures within ten feet of the driving lane. Lowering the design speeds would reduce noise and allow landscaping closer to the roadway, which would improve roadway aesthetics. But a lower design speed would also increase travel times between locations and increase congestion on County roads.

38. Would you be willing to accept lower design speed on County Roads in exchange for improved roadway aesthetics if your daily commuting time each way was extended? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

The City's street lighting ordinance provides residential streetlights at intersections, at the ends of cul-de-sacs, at sharp turns and steep hills. The City also provides street lights at major intersections and driveway entrances in commercial areas and at the entrance to or within publicly-owned parking facilities.

The cost of the residential streetlights are billed quarterly to the residents in the area. The major intersection streetlights are paid for by property taxes.

39. How satisfied are you with this current ordinance on street lighting -- very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?

40. Do you think more street lighting is needed?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=157)

For each of following areas in Woodbury, please tell me if you think it needs more street lighting.

44. Would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain city services at their current level?

As you may know, property tax revenues are divided among the City of Woodbury, Washington County, and your local public school district.

45. For each dollar of property taxes you pay, about what percentage do you think goes to city government -- ten percent or less, 11 to 20 percent, 21 to 30 percent, 31 to 40 percent 41 to 50 percent or over 50 percent?

The actual percentage of your property taxes going to the City of Woodbury is about thirty percent.

46. Do you consider city property taxes in Woodbury to be very high, somewhat high, about average, somewhat low, or very low?

47. When you consider the property taxes you pay and the quality of city services you receive, would you rate the general value of city services as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

IF A RATING IS GIVEN, ASK: (N=382)

48. Why do you feel that way?

UNSURE, 4%; GOOD CITY SERVICES, 47%; TAXES TOO HIGH, 9%; COULD IMPROVE, 4%; GOOD VALUE, 13%; NEED BETTER STREET MAINTENANCE, 8%; LOW TAXES, 3%; CITY IS WELL-MAINTAINED, 11%; SCATTERED, 2%.

For your information, the City of Woodbury's average property tax rate for 2004 ranked 63rd lowest out of 111 metropolitan area cities.

Changing topics.....

As you may know, the current Woodbury Fire Department and ambulance service is staffed with full-time firefighters fourteen hours per day supplemented by paid-on-call volunteers. For ten hours a day, from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am, the fire department is staffed by paid on-call firefighters.

49. Were you aware of how the City's Fire Department, which includes ambulance transport, is staffed?

50. Would you support or oppose extending full-time firefighter coverage from 14 hours per day to around-the-clock 24 hours a day coverage at the station? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

IF A RESPONSE IS GIVEN, ASK: (N=296)

51. Why do you feel that way?

BETTER SAFETY FOR RESIDENTS, 26%; HIGHER COST, 5%; NEED 24 HOUR COVERAGE, 13%; COMMUNITY IS GROWING, 16%; PREFER FULL-TIME FIREFIGHTERS, 8%; NO NEED, 29%; SCATTERED, 3%.

Moving on....

52. Other than voting, do you feel that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way the City of Woodbury runs things?

53. How much do you feel you know about the work of the Mayor and City Council -- a great deal, a fair amount, or very little?

54. From what you know, do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of the Mayor and City Council? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) And do you feel strongly that way?

     IF OPINION STATED IN QUESTION #54, ASK: (N=295)

55. Why do you feel that way?

UNSURE, 6%; GOOD JOB, 41%; NO PROBLEMS, 26%; LISTEN, 14%; DON'T LISTEN, 6%; TOO MUCH GROWTH, 3%; COULD IMPROVE, 2%; SCATTERED, 3%.

56. How much first-hand contact have you had with the Woodbury City Staff -- quite a lot, some, very little, or none at all?

57. From what you know, how would you rate the job performance of the Woodbury City Staff -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

     IF RATING IS GIVEN IN QUESTION #57, ASK: (N=267)

58. Why did you rate city staff as ___________?

UNSURE, 2%; GOOD JOB, 7%; NO PROBLEMS, 8%; LISTEN, 3%; DON'T LISTEN, 4%; HELPFUL, 53%; FRIENDLY, 18%; COULD IMPROVE, 5%; SCATTERED, 2%.

Changing topics....

59. How would you rate your ability to get where you need to go in Woodbury in a reasonable amount of time -- excellent, satisfactory, marginal, or poor?

     IF "MARGINAL" OR "POOR," ASK: (N=80)

60. Why do you feel that way?

TOO MUCH TRAFFIC, 70%; TOO MANY STOPLIGHTS, 30%.

If you work outside of the home, please answer the next questions about your own job; if you do not work outside of the home, please answer the next questions in terms of the job of your spouse or partner, if applicable.

61. What is your average commute time to your job location?

62. In what city is your job located?

63. How do you normally commute to work -- drive alone, ride in a van or car pool, take the bus from near home, use a park and ride lot, walk or bike or something else?

     IF "DRIVE ALONE," "VAN OR CAR POOL," OR "WALK/BIKE,"
     ASK: (N=316)

64. If it were convenient, would you be willing to commute using public transit?

65. What changes would make public transit more convenient for you to use?

UNSURE, 9%; NOTHING, 55%; MORE ROUTES, 10%; DIRECT ROUTE TO WORK, 10%; MORE LIGHT RAIL, 5%; EARLIER PICKUP TIMES, 4%; CLOSER PICKUP LOCATIONS, 7%; SCATTERED, 1%.

Moving on....

Let's talk about housing opportunities in Woodbury. For each of the following types of housing, please tell me if you feel the city has enough, too many, or too little....

Changing topics....

74. Are you currently involved in any volunteer service? (IF "YES," ASK:) What kind?

NO, 68%; SCHOOLS, 7%; NURSING HOME/SENIORS, 3%; CHURCH, 12%; BOY AND GIRL SCOUTS, 2%; HOMELESS, 2%; VARIOUS CAUSES, 6%.

On another topic....

75. During the past year, have you telephoned Woodbury City Hall?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=136)

76. Thinking about your last telephone call to the City, would you rate the overall service you received as excellent, good, only fair, or poor....

     IF "ONLY FAIR" OR "POOR," ASK: (N=6)

77. Why do you feel that way?

VOICE MAIL NOT RESPONDED TO, 17%; NOTHING DONE, 83%.

Moving on....

As you may know, the City of Woodbury recycling program allows you to recycle glass containers, metal cans, newspapers, magazines, office paper, junk mail, narrow-neck plastic bottles, corrugated cardboard and paperboard, such as cereal and cracker boxes.

78. Would you say you recycle all of these items, most of these items, a few of these items or none of these items on a regular basis?

As you may know, several city parks contain natural areas where vegetation is allowed to grow wild.

79. Would you favor or oppose expanding the amount of existing park land area left as natural areas?

80. How would you rate the city in terms of the amount of trees -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

81. Should the City of Woodbury make the planting of trees a higher priority? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

82. How would you rate the water quality in city lakes -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

On another topic....

83. How would you rate the safety of city park and recreational facilities -- excellent, good, only fair or poor?

84. Does location and placement of parks in the City of Woodbury seem well-planned?

85. Are you aware that you can register online for a Park and Recreation program?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=230)

86. Have you registered for a program online during the past twelve months?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=73)

87. How satisfied were you with the on-line registration process -- very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?

Now, I would like to read you a short list of programs. For each one, please tell me if you or members of your household would be very interested in it, somewhat interested, not too interested, or not at all interested. If you have no opinion, just say so....

The City of Woodbury is considering a bond referendum for the acquisition and development of open space in urban and rural areas of the city and the expansion of the athletic fields at the Bielenberg Sports Center.

If the referendum were successful, the owner of a $250,000 home would see a yearly property tax increase of about $34. The owner of a $400,000 home would see a yearly property tax increase of $54.

99. If the election were held today, would you support or oppose this referendum proposal? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

     IF A RESPONSE IS GIVEN, ASK: (N=341)

100. Why do you feel that way?

UNSURE, 2%; TAXES TOO HIGH, 20%; NO NEED, 19%; PRESERVE OPEN SPACE, 20%; NEEDED, 14%; COST IS REASONABLE, 11%; NEED MORE FIELDS AT BIELENBERG, 11%; GOOD FOR COMMUNITY, 3%.

Some City of Woodbury residents have expressed an interest in the past for an outdoor swimming pool and water park. The concept would include a water slide, fountains and zero-depth entry similar to a beach.

101. Would you support or oppose the construction of an outdoor water park? (WAIT FOR A RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

102. Should this facility be built and operated by the City of Woodbury, the City in cooperation with a non-profit provider, such as the YMCA, the City in cooperation with a for-profit provider, such as a private health club, or should there be no city involvement?

Some Woodbury residents have also expressed an interest in a Community Arts Center. The facility would include an auditorium for presentations, studio space, classrooms, and arts and crafts equipment.

103. Would you support or oppose the establishment of a Community Arts Center? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

104. Should this facility be built and operated by the City of Woodbury, the City in cooperation with a non-profit provider, such as the Woodbury Arts Connection, or should there be no city involvement?

Other residents have mentioned a need for a senior center. A facility could include activities, senior services and wellness programs.

105. Would you support or oppose the establishment of a Senior Center? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly that way?

106. Should this facility be built and operated by the City of Woodbury, the City in cooperation with a non-profit provider, the city in cooperation with a for-profit provider, or should there be no city involvement?

Moving on.....

107. During the past year, were you aware youth sports programs are not organized by the City of Woodbury but run by parent volunteer organizations?

108. Have household members participated in youth sports programs during the past two years? (IF "YES," ASK:) How would you rate the quality of these programs -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=127)

109. How would you rate the value of these programs in terms of the fees -- excellent, good, only fair or poor?

Moving on....

The City publishes a monthly newsletter, called "The Woodbury City Update." The newsletter is mailed to all residents.

110. Do you receive this newsletter? (IF "YES," ASK:) How would you rate the format -- excellent, good, only fair or poor?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=370)

111. How much of the "City Update" newsletter do you read -- all of it, most of it, some of it, or very little?

The City also publishes an annual "Storm Water Update" in the city newsletter.

112. Do you recall receiving this newsletter insert?

113. What is your primary source of information about the City's Park and Recreational programs and facilities?

NONE, 4%; PARK AND RECREATION BROCHURE, 35%; MAILINGS, 6%; WOODBURY BULLETIN, 24%; WORD OF MOUTH, 5%; VISIT PARKS AND FACILITIES, 3%; CITY NEWSLETTER, 16%; INTERNET, 8%; SCATTERED, 1%.

As you may know, the City of Woodbury also publishes an environmental newsletter called "Green Times," which is mailed with the City Update three times a year.

114. Do you receive this newsletter? (IF "YES," ASK:) How would you evaluate its format and content -- would you say excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

The City of Woodbury's Environmental Education Commission sponsors specific events, such as a Spring Landscape Workshop, an annual Earth Day cleanup and buckthorn removal events.

115. Prior to this survey, were you aware of any of these sponsored events? (IF "YES," ASK:) Which ones?

116. Does your household receive cable television?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=261)

117. How often do you watch Woodbury City Council Meetings or City Commission meetings, such as planning, parks or environmental education on the access channel -- frequently, occasionally, rarely or not at all?

"Woodbury Council Report" is a locally produced program providing a summary of all Woodbury City Council Meetings.

118. How often do you watch "Woodbury Council Report" on the access channel -- frequently, occasionally, rarely, or not at all?

119. Do you have access to the Internet at home or work? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) Have you accessed the city Web site from either location?

     IF "YES/YES," ASK: (N=187)

120. Did you find the information you were looking for?

121. What type of Internet service do you use to view the Web site -- dial-up, DSL, or Broadband Cable?

122. Are you aware the City of Woodbury has a 24-hour telephone information line where residents can leave messages or listen to information about city services or programs?

     IF "YES," ASK: (N=191)

123. Have you ever used the information line? (IF "YES," ASK:) Were you satisfied or dissatisfied?

124. How would you rate the City's overall performance in communicating key local issues to residents in its publications, newspaper columns, and on cable television -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Continuing....

125. In what public school district do you reside -- South Washington County Public Schools, North Saint Paul-Maplewood Public Schools, or Stillwater Area Public Schools?

126. How would you rate the quality of education provided by the Public School District in which you reside -- excellent, good, only fair or poor?

127. How would you rate the School District in listening and responding to the concerns of students, parents, and community members -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Now, just a few more questions for demographic purposes....

Could you please tell me how many people in each of the following age groups live in your household. Let's start with the oldest. Be sure to include yourself.

128. First, persons 65 or over?

129. Adults under 65?

130. School-aged or pre-school children?

131. What is your occupation and, if applicable, the occupation of your spouse or partner?

REFUSED, 2%; PROFESSIONAL-TECHNICAL, 37%; OWNER-MANAGER, 18%; CLERICAL-SALES, 12%; BLUE COLLAR, 16%; RETIRED, 15%; SCATTERED, 2%.

132. Is a full-time or part-time home-based business operated out of your residence?

133. Do you reside in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home?

134. What is your age, please?

135. What is the last grade of school you completed?

And now, for one final question, keeping in mind that your answers are held strictly confidential....

136. Is your pre-tax yearly household income over or under $75,000? IF "OVER," ASK: Is it over $100,000? (IF "YES," ASK:) Is it over $150,000? IF "UNDER," ASK: Is it under $50,000?

137. Gender (DO NOT ASK)

138. REGION OF CITY (PRECINCT)