Survey says: Mount Prospect residents give village services high marks

Happiness and friendliness are a way of life for Mount Prospect residents, at least when it applies to village services, according to the results of a community survey released this week.

Village board members on Tuesday reviewed the results of the survey conducted last year by the Olathe, Kansas-based ETC Institute.

The purpose, Village Manager Michael Cassady said, was "to make sure that our objectives are aligned with our residents."

A total of 450 residents completed the survey, representing all areas of town, officials said. It was administered both online and through the mail to randomly selected residents.

According to the results detailed Tuesday, 90% of respondents are satisfied with the overall quality of village services, and 87% are satisfied with the overall quality of life in Mount Prospect.

Compared to the results of a similar survey ETC conducted in 2016, satisfaction ratings increased in 90 out of 106 areas, ranging from street lighting to yard waste services to social services.

The highest-rated areas were village and neighborhood safety, library services, village maintenance of public property, ease of access and overall quality of life.

The lowest-rated area was the quality of new development, but even then 50% rated it as positive, compared to 22% negative, said Jason Morado, the ETC Institute's director of community research.

Only three areas showed a significant decrease in satisfaction: shopping, retail, and restaurants.

"And those were definitely related to COVID restrictions," Morado said.

Residents rated crime prevention, a balanced budget, and flood prevention/stormwater management as top priorities for the village.

"It validates where the board and the staff have really been striving to increase our service delivery to our customers, and it's clear that it pays off," Mayor Arlene Juracek said.