Elgin survey delayed to spring 2017

The long saga of completing a citywide survey of Elgin residents is still ongoing.

The survey initiative was approved by the city council in July 2015, but the process has been delayed for various reasons. The plan now is to mail it out in spring 2017, Elgin senior management analyst Laura Valdez-Wilson said.

Last month, former city manager Sean Stegall told the Daily Herald he expected the survey to be wrapped up in August so it could be mailed out. But staff members recently decided it makes more sense to wait until next year and incorporate it into the city's strategic plan process, Valdez-Wilson said. Elgin's five-year strategic plan runs out in 2017.

"We need the survey results to inform that (strategic planning) process," she said. "We felt very comfortable about slotting this into 2017."

Kristine Rogowski, the director of communications who initially oversaw the project, left Elgin in June. Stegall left in late July, and Assistant City Manager Rick Kozal was appointed city manager. The assistant city manager's post is vacant.

"(Staff members) are moving into the budget phase and, truly, with the staff resources we have right now, we just aren't able to focus on (the survey)," Valdez-Wilson said, adding the best times to mail out surveys are spring and fall.

The last time the city conducted a residents' survey was in 2007; Stegall said last year that such surveys should be done every three to five years.

The city has a contract with ETC Institute, Inc., of Kansas to do the survey at a cost of $25,750, to be split equally between the city and the Elgin Community Network.

Rogowski, who had expected the survey would be completed by October or November 2015, said at the time it took longer than anticipated to tailor questions to fit Elgin's needs.

Stegall then said he hoped the survey could be mailed in January, but that also took longer than anticipated, partly due to the challenges posed by the city's budget process tied to the state's own lack of budget.

The city's strategic planning committee has provided input on suggested survey questions. "I am sorry there is a long delay," committee member Armida Dominguez said. "I would hate to have this delay and then it never gets done. But if it gets done, I'm satisfied."

The plan is to mail the residents' survey to nearly 5,000 households to obtain a statistically accurate sample of 500 residents. Valdez-Wilson said there might be some additional costs since the original agreement with ETC. "So far we haven't seen those invoices come through," she said.