Hillsborough is asking residents to take its community survey. For the town, it is a way to gauge how well the local government is meeting its residents’ needs, as well as identify improvement areas when it comes to developing, monitoring and evaluating priorities. And this year, the input will also help inform the town’s upcoming strategic plan.
The survey asks residents about their level of satisfaction and priorities for a variety of community services including public safety, parks and recreation, public works, communication and customer service. Other questions relate to current and future town goals.
“We do a community survey every couple years,” Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell told 97.9 The Hill. “And this is one of the primary tools we use to understand from residents, ‘How are we doing, what are we doing that we don’t need to do, and what are we not doing that we should start doing?’”
Responses from the survey will also inform Hillsborough’s strategic plan, so Bell said it is important the town gets responses back from residents as soon as possible. Alongside a comprehensive sustainability plan, the strategic plan will help prioritize town goals for the next three years. It seeks to align available resources with policy initiatives, capital investments, and decisions on budgeting and staffing that matter most to residents.
According to the town, all residents should have received a copy of the survey by mail. Residents can also take the survey online in English or Spanish, and it takes about 15 minutes to complete. Individual responses will remain confidential. For those who need internet access, computer use is available during business hours in the Administration Building at 101 E. Orange St. while the survey is open. Additional computers are available at the Orange County Public Library at 137 W. Margaret Lane.
The community survey has currently received about 200 responses. The town is asking for at least one response per household. (Image via The Town of Hillsborough.)
Bell said the town has taken part in the national survey process for several cycles, ranking in the top 10% of respondents during that time.
“[That means] our citizens are happy with the services that we’re providing and the job that we’re doing as a town,” Bell said. “So we’re proud. It’s just really good to know that the work that we’re doing has aligned so well with our citizens. We want to keep refining that and keep on doing the best job that we can.”
Hillsborough has currently received half of the 400 total survey responses it needs from residents. The town’s board of commissioners and staff will discuss the survey results later into the fiscal year. The results also will be available on the town’s website.
To take the survey online, click here.
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group
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