Algonquin releases results from 2018 community survey

At their meeting on Jan. 8, the Algonquin Village Board reviewed the results from the 2018 Algonquin Community Survey.

This is the seventh year the survey has been administered, asking residents for their input on quality of life factors in Algonquin as well as rating the quality and importance of municipal services.

Residents gave high praise to several categories including: Your neighborhood as a place to live (90.7 percent positive rating); Algonquin as a place to raise children (87.7 percent positive rating); and Algonquin as a place to live (86.8 percent positive rating).

The largest improvements since the inception of the survey in 2012 have been the following: ease of car travel (13.2 percent improvement); employment opportunities (10.7 percent improvement); and traffic flow on major streets (9.9 percent improvement).

"The survey really helps us get a pulse on overall resident perceptions about living in Algonquin and satisfaction with village services" said Village President John Schmitt. "We've been able to make significant, measurable, progress toward long-term strategic goals such as regional transportation and economic development, and we're seeing our residents recognize that."

The highest rated village services include the following: 911 services; online payment options; recycling; ease of water billing services; and responding to citizen calls.

Overall, since the village began administering the annual Algonquin Community Survey, 93 percent of the village services evaluated received their highest quality ratings in 2017 or 2018.

"We are very pleased with the continuously improving service quality that is being delivered to our residents, while simultaneously reducing our tax levy below 2008 levels," Schmitt said.

"We will continue our focus on strategic priorities such as the Algonquin Corporate Campus to promote job growth, the Old Town Algonquin revitalization with new restaurants and shops already open, and also regional transportation improvements, including the ongoing construction on the Randall Road corridor and the anticipated completion of Longmeadow Parkway."

The Algonquin Community Survey provides resident input that is important in setting spending priorities for the village's annual capital and operating budget.

The fiscal year 2019-2020 budget, which is currently being developed, is proposed to feature additional resources allocated to street maintenance/improvement and economic development.

To view the 2018 Algonquin Community Survey Report, visit www.algonquin.org/survey.