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According to a resident survey conducted by the city, most residents have seen an improvement in the quality and level of city services during the past 18 months.
Residents rated most services higher this year compared to 2006. The results, which are based on 1,821 responses from surveys randomly mailed to all areas of Irving, will help the city improve accountability and service delivery, and assist the City Council and management in setting budget priorities.
Improved City Services
According to the responses, residents overall are pleased with the quality of services offered by the city. Services that received top ratings of excellent/good are:
- Fire – 87 percent
- Ambulance – 86 percent
- Solid Waste Services – 80 percent
- Library – 78 percent
- Irving Arts Center – 78 percent
- Recreation Centers – 75 percent
- Parks – 72 percent
- Landfill – 69 percent
- Police – 68 percent
- Drinking Water – 57 percent
Service Ratings Increase
Many services saw significant increases in the excellent and good ratings between 2006 and 2008. Code Enforcement ratings increased 16 percent, from 34 percent in 2006 to 50 percent. Animal Services is up 6 percent to 56 percent for 2008. Also receiving increases were the categories of:
- Traffic enforcement
- Feeling of safety in neighborhoods during the day and at night
- The condition of traffic signs and roadway striping
- The placement and number of streetlights
The areas of parks, recreation centers, library and arts center retained high customer service rankings and improved upon quality of facilities, programming and staff assistance.
Aligned Priorities
Looking ahead, residents were asked to identify the services that should receive the most emphasis from city leaders during the next two years. Top ranking services included: economic development, code enforcement, neighborhood improvements, police/fire and streets.
These target areas identified by residents align with the proposed FY 2008–09 budget, as do the capital improvement projects residents noted should receive the highest priority:
- Major streets
- Neighborhood streets
- Fire station replacement/renovation
- Animal shelter
- Sidewalks and alleys
Posted Sept. 9