Batavia to survey residents for first time since 2010

Batavians soon will be asked what they think about their city in the first such survey since 2010.

The online survey will be conducted through the end of April, city administrator Laura Newman said Monday.

The city is mailing postcards to invite residents to participate and also will advertise it on Twitter, Facebook, utility-bill mailings and community signs at both fire stations.

Residents who don't have access to a computer can obtain a paper copy from the city, or come to the Batavia Government Center to complete the survey on a computer with help from staff, she said.

Since the city already has a subscription to the survey service (SurveyMonkey), the only significant cost will be for printing and mailing the postcards.

The survey will use the same 40 questions as the one in 2010. Ten of the questions are about the respondents, including their sex, age and what area of the city they live in.

Questions ask respondents to rate city services, what kind of place it is to raise children or to retire, where they get information about the city, and what they want to change about their neighborhood.

The 2010 survey was mailed to 1,500 households; 450 were returned.

Aldermen and city administrators will use the results to help them update the city's strategic plan and prioritize goals and spending.