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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 Quality of Life Survey (PDF)Prepared by: 2955 Valmont Road Suite 300 • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • t: 303-444-7863 • nrc@n-r-c.com • www.n-r-c.com EDINA 2015 QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY REPORT OF RESULTS JULY 2015 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 CONTENTS Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................................................1 Survey Background ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Quality of Life and Community ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Quality of Life ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Quality of Community ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Parks and Recreation ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Safety in Edina ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Ease of Travel in Edina ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Concerns and Issues Facing Edina................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Government Performance ............................................................................................................................................................. 28 Quality of City Services...................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Value of Taxes ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 34 Public Trust ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................36 Contact with City Departments ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Information Sources and City Communications.................................................................................................................................... 43 Municipal Liquor Stores .................................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Redevelopment in Edina.................................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix A: Respondent Characteristics............................................................................................................................... 51 Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies .......................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Question ......................................................................... 93 Appendix D: Responses to Selected Survey Questions by Respondent Characteristics ................................. 109 Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons ................................................................................................................128 Appendix F: Survey Methodology ............................................................................................................................................ 141 Appendix G: Survey Materials .................................................................................................................................................. 145 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 FIGURES Figure 1: Quality of Life, 2015 .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2: Quality of Life Compared by Year ............................................................................................................................. 6 Figure 3: Likelihood of Remaining in Community and Recommending Community, 2015................................. 7 Figure 4: Sense of Community, 2015 ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Figure 5: Sense of Community Compared by Year ................................................................................................................ 8 Figure 6: Overall Community Characteristics, 2015 ............................................................................................................. 9 Figure 7: Overall Community Characteristics Benchmarks .............................................................................................. 9 Figure 8: Individual Community Characteristics, 2015 ...................................................................................................... 11 Figure 9: Individual Community Characteristics Benchmarks ...................................................................................... 12 Figure 10: Reasons for Living in Edina, 2015 .......................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 11: Most Liked Attribute of Living in Edina, 2015 .................................................................................................. 14 Figure 12: Use of Parks and Recreation Facilities Compared by Year ......................................................................... 16 Figure 13: Quality of Parks and Recreation Facilities Compared by Year ................................................................. 18 Figure 14: Overall Feeling of Safety, 2015 ................................................................................................................................. 19 Figure 15: Feelings of Safety, 2015 ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 16: Overall Ease of Travel, 2015 ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Figure 17: Overall Ease of Travel Compared by Year.......................................................................................................... 20 Figure 18: Ease of Walking and Biking in Edina Compared by Year............................................................................ 21 Figure 19: Likelihood of Riding a Bicycle, 2015 .................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 20: Likelihood of Walking, 2015 .................................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 21: Travel-related Characteristics, 2015 .................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 22: Travel-related Characteristics Benchmarks .................................................................................................... 24 Figure 23: Most Serious Issues Facing Edina, 2015 ............................................................................................................ 25 Figure 24: Traffic Problems Compared by Year ................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 25: Crime-related Problems in Community, 2015..................................................................................................27 Figure 26: Overall Quality of City Services, 2015 ................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 27: Quality of City Services Compared by Year ..................................................................................................... 30 Figure 28: Quality of Drinking Water Compared by Year ............................................................................................... 31 Figure 29: Aspects of Drinking Water, 2015 ......................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 30: Garbage Collection, 2015 .......................................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 31: Support for Change in Garbage Collection System Compared by Year ................................................ 33 Figure 32: Value of City Services Compared by Year ........................................................................................................ 34 Figure 33: Property Tax Level Compared by Year ...............................................................................................................35 Figure 34: Support for Property Tax Increase Compared by Year ................................................................................35 Figure 35: City Headed in Right Direction or on Wrong Track Compared by Year ............................................ 36 Figure 36: Reasons for Wrong Track, 2015 ............................................................................................................................. 37 Figure 37: Opportunity for Residents to be Involved in How Edina is Run Compared by Year .....................38 Figure 38: Reasons for Having No Say in How Edina is Run, 2015 ............................................................................. 39 Figure 39: Aspects of Public Trust, 2015 ................................................................................................................................. 40 Figure 40: Contact with City Departments Compared by Year .................................................................................... 41 Figure 41: Overall Customer Service, 2015 ............................................................................................................................. 42 Figure 42: Impression of Employee(s) Compared by Year .............................................................................................. 42 Figure 43: Information Sources Compared by Year ........................................................................................................... 44 Figure 44: Effectiveness of About Town Compared by Year ......................................................................................... 45 Figure 45: Accessed City Website Compared by Year ..................................................................................................... 46 Figure 46: Quality of City Website Compared by Year ................................................................................................... 46 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 Figure 47: Aspects of City Website, 2015 ............................................................................................................................... 47 Figure 48: Level of Support for Municipal Owned Liquor Stores Compared by Year ........................................ 48 Figure 49: Portion of Business Going to Edina Municipal Liquor Stores, 2015...................................................... 48 Figure 50: Impression of Municipal Liquor Stores Compared by Year...................................................................... 49 Figure 51: Quality of Redevelopment in Edina Compared by Year .............................................................................. 50 Figure 52: How Well the City Manages Redevelopment Tensions, 2015 ................................................................. 50 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Executive Summary Survey Background The 2015 Quality of Life Survey provided residents the opportunity to rate the quality of life in the City of Edina, as well as the quality of service delivery and overall workings of local government. The survey also permitted residents to share their priorities for community planning and resource allocation. Surveys were mailed to 1,500 randomly selected resident households in May and June, 2015. A total of 512 surveys were completed, yielding a response rate of 35%. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points around any given percentage point reported for the entire sample (512 completed surveys). Survey results were weighted so that respondent gender, age, race, ethnicity, housing unit type (attached or detached) and housing tenure (rent or own) were represented in proportions reflective of the entire city. Because Edina has administered quality of life surveys before, some comparisons could be made between 2015 responses and those from 2013 and 2011. Edina also elected to have its results compared to those of other jurisdictions around the nation and those in Minnesota, comparisons made possible through a national benchmark database created and maintained by National Research Center, Inc. (NRC). This database contains resident perspectives gathered in citizen surveys from over 500 communities across the United States. Key findings Edina residents enjoy a high quality of life in 201 5, as in previous years.  In 2015, nearly all residents awarded “excellent” or “good” ratings to the quality of life in Edina; no respondents felt that the quality of life was “poor.” When compared over time, ratings remained stable.  Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for overall quality of life was higher when compared to communities in both sets of comparisons.  About 9 in 10 residents planned to remain in Edina for the next five years and would recommend living in Edina to someone who asks. Compared to communities across the nation as well as in Minnesota, ratings for remaining in Edina and recommending living in Edina were similar. Residents give favorable ratings to the overall ease of travel in Edina, but improvements could be made to improve walking and biking in the community.  About 9 in 10 residents awarded “excellent” or “good” ratings to the overall ease of getting to the places they usually have to visit; only one percent of respondents felt that the overall ease of travel was “poor.” When compared over time, ratings remained stable. This rating was higher when compared to communities across the country and similar when compared to other communities in Minnesota.  Ease of travel by car was rated positively by about 8 in 10 residents while ease of travel by public transportation was rated positively by 4 in 10 residents.  When rating the ease of travel by walking and by bicycle in Edina, about 6 in 10 residents gave favorable ratings to the ease of walking in Edina while just under half of residents gave positive ratings to the ease of travel by bicycle. These ratings decreased in 2015 compared to 2013. When compared to communities across the nation, ease of walking and travel by bicycle were both rated as similar. When compared to other Minnesota communities, ease of walking was rated similar while ease of travel by bicycle was rated lower in Edina. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145  At least 6 in 10 residents indicated they would be more likely to walk or bike in the community if there were more sidewalks along streets or well-marked greenways and off-road paths.  The availability of paths and walking trails in Edina received an “excellent” or “good” rating from about 6 in 10 residents. This rating was similar to the national comparison but lower than the Minnesota comparison. Affordable housing and cost of living are important issues in the community.  Residents were given a list of 18 community characteristics and asked to rate the quality of each. The two lowest rated items with less than half of residents giving a positive rating were cost of living (46% “excellent” or “good”) and the availability of affordable quality housing (36%). When compared to communities across the nation, both were rated similar. When compared to other Minnesota communities, cost of living was rated similar while the availability of affordable quality housing was rated lower in Edina.  When given a list of eight potential reasons for choosing to live in Edina, residents were least likely to select affordable housing with only 15% selecting this as a reason for living in the community.  Residents were asked to write in what they felt was the most serious issue facing Edina. About one- quarter wrote in comments related to affordable housing and housing teardowns.  Residents who felt things in Edina were on the wrong track were given the opportunity to write in a reason for why they felt this way. Affordable housing and cost of living were among the themes in the written comments with about 1 in 10 commenting about these issues. Survey respondents continue to think highly of the quality of services in Edina, but most do not support a property tax increase to maintain services at their current levels.  Residents gave exceptionally high marks to the overall quality of City services, with about 9 in 10 awarding “excellent” or “good” ratings; only three percent of respondents felt that the quality of City services was “poor.” When compared to both sets of benchmarks (communities in the U.S. and in Minnesota), Edina’s rating for overall quality of City services was similar.  Nearly all of the 34 services listed on the survey were rated as “excellent” or “good” by at least 6 in 10 residents. Fire services and ambulance or emergency medical services received the highest ratings, with 98% indicating it as “excellent” or “good,” followed closely by public library services (97%). Ratings tended to be similar when compared to communities across the nation and in Minnesota.  Of the 34 individual services rated in 2015, 11 could be compared over time. Generally, ratings for these services remained stable; however, street lighting declined with 69% “excellent” or “good” ratings in 2015 compared to 80% in 2013.  Residents were also asked how they felt about the level of property taxes in Edina. About 55% felt they were “very high” or “somewhat high.” Residents were then asked to indicate their level of support for a property tax increase to maintain City services at their current level. Only 45% of residents “strongly” or “somewhat” supported this. This level of support in 2015 has decreased when compared to 2013 and 2011. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Survey Background The City of Edina contracted with National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) to conduct a community-wide quality of life survey. The primary goal of the survey was to assess the attitudes and opinions of residents by:  Evaluating City programs and services.  Determining general perceptions of the quality of life in the city.  Identifying issues facing the city.  Setting benchmarks for future surveys. The Edina Quality of Life Survey serves as a consumer report card for Edina by providing residents with the opportunity to rate the quality of life in the city, as well as the community’s amenities, service delivery and their satisfaction with local government. Residents also provide feedback on what is working well and what is not, and communicate their priorities for community planning and resource allocation. Focusing on the quality of service delivery helps council, staff and the public to set priorities for budget decisions and lays the groundwork for tracking community opinions about the core responsibilities of Edina City government, helping to assure maximum service quality over time. This is the third iteration of the Edina Quality of Life Survey since the baseline study conducted in 2011. The 2015 survey was conducted by mail; both iterations prior to the 2015 survey were conducted by phone. SURVEY ADMINISTRATION Each selected household was contacted three times over the course of about three weeks. First, a postcard was mailed to 1,500 Edina households, selected at random, notifying residents that they had been chosen to participate in the survey. A survey packet followed in the mail about one week after the postcard and a second survey packet was sent about one week after the first packet. There were 512 respondents to the mailed questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 35%. Survey results were weighted so that respondent gender, age, race, ethnicity, housing unit type (attached or detached) and housing tenure (rent or own) were represented in the proportions reflective of the entire city. More information about the survey methodology can be found in Appendix F: Survey Methodology. HOW THE RESULTS ARE REPORTED For the most part, the full set of frequencies or the “percent positive” are presented in the body and narrative of the report. The percent positive is the combination of the top two most positive response options (i.e., “excellent” and “good,” “very safe” and “somewhat safe,” “strongly support” and “somewhat support,” etc.). On many of the questions in the survey, respondents could give an answer of “don’t know.” The proportion of respondents giving this reply is shown in the full set of responses included in Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies and is discussed in the body of this report if it is 30% or greater. However, these responses have been removed from the analyses presented in the body of the report, unless otherwise indicated. In other words, the m ajority of the tables and graphs in the body of the report display the results from respondents who had an opinion about a specific item. For some questions, respondents were permitted to select multiple options. When the total exceeds 100% in a table for a multiple response question, it is because some respondents are counted in more than one category. When a table for a question that only permitted a single response does not total to exactly 100%, it is due to the customary practice rounding values to the nearest whole number. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 PRECISION OF ESTIMATES It is customary to describe the precision of estimates made from surveys by a “level of confidence” and accompanying “confidence interval” (or margin of error). The 95 percent confidence level for this survey is generally no greater than plus or minus four percentage points around any given percent reported for the entire sample (N=512). Where estimates are given for subgroups, they are less precise. Generally the 95% confidence interval ranges from plus or minus five percentage points for samples of about 400 to plus or minus 10 percentage points for samples as small as 100. For smaller sample sizes (i.e., 50), the margin of error rises to 14%. COMPARISON OF RESULTS OVER TIME AND BY RESPONDENT SUBGROUPS Because this survey was the third iteration of the citizen survey, the 2015 results are presented along with past ratings when comparisons were available. Differences that surfaced may or may not be meaningful, as wording changes between survey versions and the switch in methodology from a mail to a telephone survey may account, at least in part, for any shift in ratings. The shift occurs even without change in resident perspectives and is attributed to the different environment that a survey respondent confronts when providing answers to a person on the telephone compared to offering private anonymous opinions. Questions by phone elicit more positive, optimistic, and socially-desirable responses than do the same questions asked on a written self-administered questionnaire. The self-administered questionnaire brings out more candid responses. NRC adjusted the findings from 2013 and prior in order to maximize the comparability of results over time. This way the reported trend line data should not be influenced by the decline that is attributable to the change in data collection mode from phone to mail. While the adjusted findings for data prior to 2015 reasonably control for the expected change from phone to mail data collection, the comparability of data over time does have some limitations. Not only is there sampling error in each survey administration, but also, the methods change occurred after a two-year gap in survey administrations and some question wording was inconsistent among survey years. Because of the overall shift in the methodology and related survey changes, NRC recommends that any change in ratings or reported behaviors be viewed with caution and that Edina consider differences of more than 10 percentage points from previous years to be large enough to signal a genuine change in opinion from 2013. Differences that do not reach this threshold should not be considered changes worthy of further interpretation. For more information on comparing results over time, see Appendix F: Survey Methodology. Selected survey results were compared by geographic location of each respondent’s home, respondent length of residency, age, gender, housing unit type and housing unit tenure (rent or own). These crosstabulations are summarized and presented in tabular form in Appendix D: Responses to Selected Survey Questions by Respondent Characteristics. Where differences between subgroups are statistically significant, the results in these tables are shaded grey. COMPARING SURVEY RESULTS TO OTHER COMMUNITIES NRC’s database of comparative resident opinion is comprised of resident perspectives gathered in citizen surveys from approximately 500 communities whose residents evaluated their services. Conducted with typically no fewer than 400 residents in each community, opinions are intended to represent over 30 million Americans. Communities to which Edina is compared can be found in Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons. National benchmark comparisons and comparisons to communities in Minnesota have been provided when similar questions on the Edina survey are included in NRC’s database and there are at least five communities in which the question was asked, though most questions are compared to more than five other communities. Where comparisons for quality ratings were available, Edina’s results were generally noted as being “higher” than the benchmark, “lower” than the benchmark or “similar” to the benchmark, meaning that the average rating given by city residents is statistically similar to or different (greater or lesser) than the benchmark. More extreme differences are noted as “much higher” or “much lower.” Comparisons for a number of items on the survey were The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 not available in the benchmark database and have been excluded from the benchmark tables that appear throughout the body of the report. More information on benchmark comparisons can be found in Appendix F: Survey Methodology. The detailed tables as well as lists of communities included in each set of comparisons appear in Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Quality of Life and Community The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey contained a set of questions related to the quality of community life in the city, ranging from the overall quality of life in Edina to how likely residents would be to recommend living in the community to others. Residents were also asked about Edina’s sense of community, use of recreation facilities, their feelings of safety in the community and ease of travel in the community. Quality of Life Residents gave exceptionally high marks to the overall quality of life in Edina, with nearly all residents awarding “excellent” or “good” ratings in 2015; no respondents felt that the quality of life was “poor.” When compared over time, ratings remained stable. Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for overall quality of life was higher when compared to communities in both sets of comparisons (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 1: QUALITY OF LIFE, 2015 FIGURE 2: QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED BY YEAR Excellent 56% Good 40% Fair 4% Poor 0% 99% 99% 96% 0%25%50%75%100% How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 In addition to rating the overall quality of life, residents’ perceptions of their community can be measured in their loyalty to the community. About 9 in 10 residents planned to remain in Edina for the next five years and would recommend living in Edina to someone who asks. Compared to communities across the nation as well as in Minnesota, ratings for remaining in Edina and recommending living in Edina were similar (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 3: LIKELIHOOD OF REMAINING IN COMMUNITY AND RECOMMENDING COMMUNITY, 2015 68% 72% 21% 21% 89% 92% 0%25%50%75%100% Remain in Edina for the next five years Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks Percent of respondents Very likely Somewhat likely Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Quality of Community Sense of Community When considering the sense of community in Edina, about three-quarters of residents awarded “excellent” or “good” ratings in 2015; about 2 in 10 felt that the sense of community was “fair” and 6% of respondents felt that the sense of community was “poor.” When compared to 2013, ratings for sense of community remained similar. As noted previously, differences in ratings over time may be in part to the switch in methodology from a mail to a telephone survey. Changes over time are regarded as meaningful if the difference in ratings between years is greater than ten percentage points. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for sense of community was similar to communities in both sets of comparisons (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 4: SENSE OF COMMUNITY, 2015 FIGURE 5: SENSE OF COMMUNITY COMPARED BY YEAR Excellent 27% Good 45% Fair 21% Poor 6% 81% 83% 73% 0%25%50%75%100% Sense of community Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Community Characteristics For the first time in 2015, those completing the questionnaire were asked to rate the quality of several broad community characteristics. At least three-quarters of residents evaluated all seven characteristics of Edina’s community positively. Overall opportunities for education and enrichment, Edina’s overall economic health and health and wellness opportunities received the highest ratings, with at least 90% indicating each as “excellent” or “good.” About 88% of residents rated the quality of the city’s overall natural environment positively and slightly fewer gave positive ratings to the overall image or reputation of Edina (86%). When compared to other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota, Edina residents’ ratings of the overall community characteristics tended to be higher or similar. Please see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for additional details. FIGURE 6: OVERALL COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS, 2015 FIGURE 7: OVERALL COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS BENCHMARKS National Benchmarks Minnesota Benchmarks Overall opportunities for education and enrichment Much higher Higher Overall economic health of Edina Much higher Higher Health and wellness opportunities in Edina Higher Similar Quality of overall natural environment in Edina Similar Similar Overall image or reputation of Edina Higher Higher Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) Higher Similar Neighborliness of residents in Edina Higher Similar 30% 28% 51% 40% 42% 49% 54% 47% 53% 35% 48% 48% 41% 39% 76% 81% 86% 88% 90% 91% 94% 0%25%50%75%100% Neighborliness of residents in Edina Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) Overall image or reputation of Edina Quality of overall natural environment in Edina Health and wellness opportunities in Edina Overall economic health of Edina Overall opportunities for education and enrichment Percent of respondents Excellent Good Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 In addition to rating overall community characteristics, residents were given a more extensive list of individual community characteristics and asked to rate the quality of each (see Figure 8 on the following page). The cleanliness of Edina received the highest rating, with 95% indicating this as “excellent” or “good” followed closely by K-12 education (94%) and air quality (92%). About 9 in 10 residents gave positive ratings to shopping opportunities and slightly fewer gave positive ratings to the overall quality of business and service establishments (86% “excellent” or “good”), adult education opportunities (85%) and public places where people want to spend time (84%). The lowest rated items with fewer than half of respondents giving a positive rating were cost of living (46% “excellent” or “good”) and availability of affordable quality housing (36%). When compared to other communities across the nation, Edina residents’ ratings of the individual community characteristics tended to be higher or similar. When compared to other communities in Minnesota, Edina residents’ ratings tended to be a mix of higher or similar with the exception of the rating for availability of affordable quality housing which was lower. Please see Figure 9 on page 12 or Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for additional details. It is important to note that about 37% of respondents said “don’t know” when rating the quality of employment opportunities. The responses presented in the body of the report are for those who had an opinion. The full set of responses, including “don’t know” can be found in Table 1: Length of Residency How many years have you lived in Edina? Percent Number Less than 2 years 9% N=44 2-5 years 21% N=107 6 to 10 years 13% N=65 11 to 20 years 19% N=96 More than 20 years 39% N=198 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 2: HOUSING UNIT TYPE Which best describes the building you live in? Percent Number One family house detached from any other houses 59% N=296 Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium) 38% N=192 Other 3% N=16 Total 100% N=504 TABLE 3: HOUSING TENURE Is this house or apartment... Percent Number Rented 24% N=122 Owned 76% N=386 Total 100% N=507 TABLE 4: HOUSING COSTS About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number Less than $300 per month 3% N=13 $300 - $599 per month 8% N=38 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number $600 - $999 per month 13% N=60 $1,000 - $1,499 per month 25% N=119 $1,500 - $2,499 per month 29% N=139 $2,500 or more per month 23% N=110 Total 100% N=479 TABLE 5: PRESENCE OF CHILDREN Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent Number No 71% N=358 Yes 29% N=148 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 6: PRESENCE OF OLDER ADULTS Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent Number No 62% N=315 Yes 38% N=191 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 7: HOUSEHOLD INCOME How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent Number Less than $25,000 7% N=32 $25,000 to $49,999 13% N=59 $50,000 to $99,999 28% N=129 $100,000 to $149,999 17% N=80 $150,000 or more 35% N=163 Total 100% N=462 TABLE 8: ETHNICITY Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent Number No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 98% N=487 Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 2% N=11 Total 100% N=498 TABLE 9: RACE What is your race? Percent Number White 91% N=449 Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 6% N=30 Black or African American 2% N=11 Other 2% N=8 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 What is your race? Percent Number American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% N=8 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 10: AGE In which category is your age? Percent Number 18 to 24 years 3% N=18 25 to 34 years 12% N=60 35 to 44 years 13% N=65 45 to 54 years 24% N=121 55 to 64 years 14% N=74 65 to 74 years 14% N=70 75 years or older 20% N=101 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 11: GENDER What is your sex? Percent Number Female 53% N=265 Male 47% N=235 Total 100% N=500 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 FIGURE 8: INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS, 2015 7% 8% 13% 14% 19% 13% 19% 23% 24% 25% 28% 32% 38% 29% 56% 31% 71% 46% 29% 38% 38% 45% 44% 50% 51% 47% 47% 49% 48% 52% 47% 57% 34% 61% 23% 49% 36% 46% 51% 59% 62% 63% 70% 70% 71% 74% 76% 84% 85% 86% 90% 92% 94% 95% 0%25%50%75%100% Availability of affordable quality housing Cost of living in Edina Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds Variety of housing options Opportunities to participate in community matters Employment opportunities Opportunities to participate in social events and activities Opportunities to volunteer Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities Recreational opportunities Public places where people want to spend time Adult educational opportunities Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina Shopping opportunities Air quality K-12 education Cleanliness of Edina Percent of respondents Excellent Good Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 FIGURE 9: INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS BENCHMARKS National Benchmark Minnesota Benchmark Cleanliness of Edina Higher Similar K-12 education Much higher Much higher Air quality Similar Similar Shopping opportunities Much higher Much higher Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina Higher Higher Adult educational opportunities Higher Higher Public places where people want to spend time Higher Similar Recreational opportunities Similar Similar Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities Higher Higher Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) Similar Similar Opportunities to volunteer Similar Similar Opportunities to participate in social events and activities Similar Similar Employment opportunities Higher Higher Opportunities to participate in community matters Similar Similar Variety of housing options Similar Similar Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds Similar Similar Cost of living in Edina Similar Similar Availability of affordable quality housing Similar Lower The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 In 2015, survey respondents were given a list of potential reasons they may have had when choosing to live in Edina and asked to indicate which reasons impacted their decision to live in the community. About half of survey respondents indicated the good schools and safe community while slightly fewer indicated the attractiveness of the community. About 4 in 10 indicated good neighborhoods and the amenities in Edina, while about 3 in 10 indicated that their job was here or nearby. About 2 in 10 indicated that their family lived here or they were born or raised here and 1% indicated affordable housing or other reasons. FIGURE 10: REASONS FOR LIVING IN EDINA, 2015 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. A similar question about reasons for living in Edina was asked in prior years; however, the format, structure and response categories of the questions were too different to provide comparisons. 15% 15% 23% 28% 40% 42% 46% 51% 52% 0%25%50%75%100% Other Affordable housing Family lives here/ born or raised here Job was here (or nearby) Amenities (e.g., parks, library, etc.) Good neighborhoods Attractive community Safe community Good schools Percent of respondents Column2 Why did you choose to live in Edina? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Survey respondents were given the opportunity to indicate what they like most about living in Edina. Respondents’ written responses were reviewed and grouped into categories by theme. Of the 399 respondents who had an opinion, 31% wrote comments related to Edina being a convenient location while 17% wrote comments about the schools. Fewer than 10% wrote in comments about the remaining 11 categories. Due to the number of varied responses, an “other” category was also created. (For a full index of written responses, see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Question.) FIGURE 11: MOST LIKED ATTRIBUTE OF LIVING IN EDINA, 2015 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. A similar question about what one thing residents liked most about living in Edina was asked in prior years; however, the format, structure and response categories of the questions were too different to provide comparisons. 4% 2% 2% 2% 2% 4% 5% 5% 6% 6% 7% 7% 17% 31% 0%25%50%75%100% Other Close to family, job, etc. Public services Walkability Positive comments about overall quality of life and community Shopping/restaurants Parks and trails/recreation centers/open spaces Reputation of community (well-run government, economic health, etc.) Safe Sense of community (friendly, quiet, peaceful, etc.) Housing/neighborhood Beauty/cleanliness of community Schools Convenient location/accessibility Percent of respondents Column2 What one thing do you like most, if anything, about living in Edina? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Parks and Recreation Survey respondents were asked to review a list of 12 Parks and Recreation Department amenities and asked to indicate how frequently they have used each of them (Figure 12 on the following page). About 8 in 10 residents indicted they had used neighborhood parks at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey and slightly fewer indicated they had used Centennial Lakes Park at least once. About 7 in 10 had used trails in the last 12 months. About half of survey respondents had used Edinborough Park at least once and 4 in 10 had used large community athletic fields. Between 34% and 15% indicated using each of the following listed amenities at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey: Braemar Golf Course, Braemar Arena, the Edina Art Center, the Aquatic Center, Braemar Golf Dome, the Senior Center and Braemar Field. Ten of the 12 amenities had usage ratings that could be compared over time. Of these, three showed lower ratings in 2015 compared to 2013 and one showed a higher rating. More residents reported using the Centennial Lakes Park while fewer residents reported using the Edina Art Center, the Aquatic Center and the Senior Center. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 FIGURE 12: USE OF PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES COMPARED BY YEAR 35% 39% 33% 30% 36% 45% 48% 69% 69% 73% 33% 38% 45% 32% 42% 48% 47% 79% 64% 83% 15% 18% 21% 24% 24% 25% 34% 40% 50% 71% 76% 80% 0%25%50%75%100% Braemar Field (sports dome) The Senior Center Braemar Golf Dome The Aquatic Center The Edina Art Center Braemar Arena (Ice arena) Braemar Golf Course Large community athletic fields Edinborough Park Trails Centennial Lakes Park Neighborhood parks Percent at least once 2015 2013 2011 In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members used any of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 In addition to indicating how frequently they have used each of a list of 12 Parks and Recreation Department amenities, residents were also asked to rate the quality of each of the amenities (Figure 13 on the following page). At least 9 in 10 residents felt that Centennial Lakes Park, large community athletic fields and the Aquatic Center were “excellent” or “good” and slightly fewer felt that Braemar Arena, the Senior Center, Neighborhood parks, Braemar field, Braemar Sports Dome and Braemar Golf Dome were “excellent” or “good.” The lowest ratings, with about 77% giving a positive quality rating were Braemar Golf Course and trails. Ten of the 12 amenities had quality ratings that could be compared over time. Of these one showed a higher rating and one showed a lower rating in 2015 compared to 2013. More residents gave an “excellent” or “good rating to Braemar Arena while fewer residents gave an “excellent” or “good” rating to Braemar Golf Course. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) At least 30% of respondents said “don’t know” when rating the following amenities: Braemar Field (76%), the Senior Center (72%), Braemar Golf Dome (67%), Braemar Arena (62%), the Edina Art Center (62%),the Aquatic Center (60%), Braemar Golf Course (57%), large community athletic fields (37%) and Edinborough Park (32%). The responses presented in the body of the report are for those who had an opinion. The full set of responses, including “don’t know” can be found in Table 1: Length of Residency How many years have you lived in Edina? Percent Number Less than 2 years 9% N=44 2-5 years 21% N=107 6 to 10 years 13% N=65 11 to 20 years 19% N=96 More than 20 years 39% N=198 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 2: HOUSING UNIT TYPE Which best describes the building you live in? Percent Number One family house detached from any other houses 59% N=296 Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium) 38% N=192 Other 3% N=16 Total 100% N=504 TABLE 3: HOUSING TENURE Is this house or apartment... Percent Number Rented 24% N=122 Owned 76% N=386 Total 100% N=507 TABLE 4: HOUSING COSTS About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number Less than $300 per month 3% N=13 $300 - $599 per month 8% N=38 $600 - $999 per month 13% N=60 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number $1,000 - $1,499 per month 25% N=119 $1,500 - $2,499 per month 29% N=139 $2,500 or more per month 23% N=110 Total 100% N=479 TABLE 5: PRESENCE OF CHILDREN Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent Number No 71% N=358 Yes 29% N=148 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 6: PRESENCE OF OLDER ADULTS Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent Number No 62% N=315 Yes 38% N=191 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 7: HOUSEHOLD INCOME How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent Number Less than $25,000 7% N=32 $25,000 to $49,999 13% N=59 $50,000 to $99,999 28% N=129 $100,000 to $149,999 17% N=80 $150,000 or more 35% N=163 Total 100% N=462 TABLE 8: ETHNICITY Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent Number No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 98% N=487 Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 2% N=11 Total 100% N=498 TABLE 9: RACE What is your race? Percent Number White 91% N=449 Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 6% N=30 Black or African American 2% N=11 Other 2% N=8 American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% N=8 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 10: AGE In which category is your age? Percent Number 18 to 24 years 3% N=18 25 to 34 years 12% N=60 35 to 44 years 13% N=65 45 to 54 years 24% N=121 55 to 64 years 14% N=74 65 to 74 years 14% N=70 75 years or older 20% N=101 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 11: GENDER What is your sex? Percent Number Female 53% N=265 Male 47% N=235 Total 100% N=500 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies. FIGURE 13: QUALITY OF PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES COMPARED BY YEAR 85% 85% 88% 86% 85% 81% 84% 97% 98% 99% 84% 88% 86% 81% 85% 88% 78% 95% 98% 100% 77% 77% 79% 87% 88% 88% 89% 89% 89% 91% 92% 95% 0%25%50%75%100% Trails Braemar Golf Course The Edina Art Center Edinborough Park Braemar Golf Dome Braemar Field (sports dome) Neighborhood parks The Senior Center Braemar Arena (Ice arena) The Aquatic Center Large community athletic fields Centennial Lakes Park Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 Please rate each of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Safety in Edina Residents gave exceptionally high marks to their overall feeling of safety in Edina, with nearly all residents awarding “excellent” or “good” ratings in 2015; only one percent of respondents felt that their overall feeling of safety was “poor.” Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for overall feeling of safety was higher when compared to communities across the country and similar when compared to other communities in Minnesota (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 14: OVERALL FEELING OF SAFETY, 2015 Residents were asked to indicate how safe they felt in three different areas of the community. About 96% of residents indicated they felt “very” or “somewhat safe” in their neighborhood and in the 50th and France area (downtown area). About 8 in 10 felt safe in the Southdale area. When compared to communities across the nation, feelings of safety were much higher for the 50th and France area (downtown area) and higher for resident neighborhoods. When compared to other Minnesota communities feelings of safety were higher for resident neighborhoods. A Minnesota comparison was not available for feelings of safety in the 50th and France area (downtown area). (Please see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons.) Excellent 57% Good 40% Fair 3% Poor 1% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 FIGURE 15: FEELINGS OF SAFETY, 2015 Ease of Travel in Edina Residents gave high marks to the overall ease of travel in Edina, with about 9 in 10 residents awarding “excellent” or “good” ratings in 2015; only one percent of respondents felt that the overall ease of travel was “poor.” When compared over time, ratings remained stable. Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for overall ease of travel was higher when compared to communities across the country and similar when compared to other communities in Minnesota (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 16: OVERALL EASE OF TRAVEL, 2015 35% 75% 66% 45% 21% 30% 80% 96% 96% 0%25%50%75%100% In the Southdale area In your neighborhood In the 50th and France area (downtown area) Percent of respondents Very safe Somewhat safe Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: Excellent 40% Good 48% Fair 10% Poor 1% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 FIGURE 17: OVERALL EASE OF TRAVEL COMPARED BY YEAR 81% 88% 0%25%50%75%100% Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Along with rating the overall ease of travel, residents were also asked to assess the ease of travel by walking and by bicycle in Edina. About 6 in 10 residents gave favorable ratings to the ease of walking in Edina while just under half of residents gave positive ratings to the ease of travel by bicycle. When compared over time, fewer Edina residents gave positive ratings to each of these modes of travel in the community in 2015 compared to 2013. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) When compared to communities across the nation, ease of walking and travel by bicycle were both rated as similar. When compared to other Minnesota communities, ease of walking was rated similar while ease of travel by bicycle was rated lower in Edina. (Please see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons.) FIGURE 18: EASE OF WALKING AND BIKING IN EDINA COMPARED BY YEAR 81% 75% 47% 60% 0%25%50%75%100% Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina Ease of walking in Edina Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Survey respondents were asked to consider a variety of things that may make them more likely to ride a bicycle in Edina. About two-thirds of residents indicated they would be more likely to ride a bicycle in Edina if there were more well-marked greenways and off-road paths. About one-third indicated they’d be more likely to ride a bicycle if motorists drove slower and respected cyclists; if there were more on-road facilities such as bike lanes; if there were wider roads for riding or roads had paved shoulders; and if street/road conditions were better, such as smooth pavement and less debris. FIGURE 19: LIKELIHOOD OF RIDING A BICYCLE, 2015 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. A similar question about likelihood of riding a bicycle was asked in prior years; however, the response categories were too different to provide comparisons. 5% 25% 29% 33% 36% 36% 66% 0%25%50%75%100% If I felt safer from crime If I felt more confident on my bike If street/road conditions were better, such as smooth pavement and less debris If there were wider roads for riding or roads had paved shoulders If there were more on-road facilities such as bike lanes If motorists drove slower and respected cyclists If there were more well-marked greenways and off-road paths Percent of respondents Percent Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to ride a bicycle in Edina? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Survey respondents were then asked to consider a variety of things that may make them more likely to walk in Edina. About two-thirds of residents indicated they would be more likely to walk in Edina if there were more sidewalks along streets and slightly fewer indicated they’d be more likely to walk if there were more paths and trails designated for walking. About 3 in 10 would be more likely if street lighting was better and one-quarter indicated that more crosswalks and motorists driving slower would make them more likely to walk in the community. FIGURE 20: LIKELIHOOD OF WALKING, 2015 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. A similar question about likelihood of walking in Edina was asked in prior years; however, the response categories were too different to provide comparisons. 4% 18% 23% 24% 30% 55% 62% 0%25%50%75%100% If I felt safer from crime If condition of existing sidewalks were better If motorists drove slower If there were more crosswalks If street lighting was better If there were more paths and trails designated for walking If there were more sidewalks along streets Percent of respondents Percent Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to walk in Edina? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 Survey respondents were asked about an additional five characteristics of the community related to travel. About 8 in 10 gave “excellent” or “good” ratings to the ease of travel by car in Edina while 7 in 10 gave positive ratings to the ease of public parking. About 6 in 10 gave positive ratings to both the availability of paths and walking trails and traffic flow on major streets. Just fewer than 4 in 10 gave positive ratings to the ease of travel by public transportation. When compared to other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota, Edina residents’ ratings of the travel-related characteristics tended to be similar. Please see Figure 22 below or Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for additional details. It is important to note that about 44% of respondents said “don’t know” when rating ease of travel by public transportation. The responses presented in the body of the report are for those who had an opinion. The full set of responses, including “don’t know” can be found in Table 1: Length of Residency How many years have you lived in Edina? Percent Number Less than 2 years 9% N=44 2-5 years 21% N=107 6 to 10 years 13% N=65 11 to 20 years 19% N=96 More than 20 years 39% N=198 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 2: HOUSING UNIT TYPE Which best describes the building you live in? Percent Number One family house detached from any other houses 59% N=296 Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium) 38% N=192 Other 3% N=16 Total 100% N=504 TABLE 3: HOUSING TENURE Is this house or apartment... Percent Number Rented 24% N=122 Owned 76% N=386 Total 100% N=507 TABLE 4: HOUSING COSTS About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number Less than $300 per month 3% N=13 $300 - $599 per month 8% N=38 $600 - $999 per month 13% N=60 $1,000 - $1,499 per month 25% N=119 $1,500 - $2,499 per month 29% N=139 $2,500 or more per month 23% N=110 Total 100% N=479 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 TABLE 5: PRESENCE OF CHILDREN Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent Number No 71% N=358 Yes 29% N=148 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 6: PRESENCE OF OLDER ADULTS Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent Number No 62% N=315 Yes 38% N=191 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 7: HOUSEHOLD INCOME How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent Number Less than $25,000 7% N=32 $25,000 to $49,999 13% N=59 $50,000 to $99,999 28% N=129 $100,000 to $149,999 17% N=80 $150,000 or more 35% N=163 Total 100% N=462 TABLE 8: ETHNICITY Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent Number No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 98% N=487 Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 2% N=11 Total 100% N=498 TABLE 9: RACE What is your race? Percent Number White 91% N=449 Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 6% N=30 Black or African American 2% N=11 Other 2% N=8 American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% N=8 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 10: AGE In which category is your age? Percent Number 18 to 24 years 3% N=18 25 to 34 years 12% N=60 35 to 44 years 13% N=65 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 145 In which category is your age? Percent Number 45 to 54 years 24% N=121 55 to 64 years 14% N=74 65 to 74 years 14% N=70 75 years or older 20% N=101 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 11: GENDER What is your sex? Percent Number Female 53% N=265 Male 47% N=235 Total 100% N=500 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 1 Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies. FIGURE 21: TRAVEL-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS, 2015 FIGURE 22: TRAVEL-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS BENCHMARKS National Benchmark Minnesota Benchmark Ease of travel by car in Edina Higher Similar Ease of public parking Similar Similar Availability of paths and walking trails Similar Lower Traffic flow on major streets Similar Similar Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina Similar Similar 10% 9% 14% 15% 25% 27% 50% 44% 54% 59% 37% 58% 58% 68% 83% 0%25%50%75%100% Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina Traffic flow on major streets Availability of paths and walking trails Ease of public parking Ease of travel by car in Edina Percent of respondents Excellent Good Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 2 Concerns and Issues Facing Edina Most Serious Issue In addition to considering what they like most about living in Edina, residents were asked what they felt was the most serious issue facing Edina. Respondents’ written responses were reviewed and grouped into categories by theme. Of the 369 respondents who had an opinion, 25% wrote in comments related to housing concerns while 18% wrote comments related to traffic and infrastructure. About 12% commented on City government operations. Less than 1 in 10 wrote comments about the remaining eight categories. Due to the number of varied responses, an “other” category was also created. (For a full index of written responses, see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Question.) FIGURE 23: MOST SERIOUS ISSUES FACING EDINA, 2015 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. A similar question about what is the most serious issue facing Edina was asked in prior years; however, the format, structure and response categories of the questions were too different to provide comparisons. 10% 2% 2% 3% 4% 4% 5% 6% 7% 12% 18% 25% 0%25%50%75%100% Other Cost of living Parks/recreation/community activities Aging population Schools/education Safety No issue/positive comments Lack of diversity and sense of community Bike paths/sidewalks/pedestrian travel City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) Traffic and infrastructure (road maintenance, snow removal, etc.) Housing concerns (teardowns, affordability, etc.) Percent of respondents Column2 What would you say is the most serious issue facing Edina at this time? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 3 Traffic Concerns When assessing problems in the community, about one-third of residents felt that traffic speeding in their neighborhood and stop sign violations in their neighborhood were at least a moderate problem. When compared over time, these ratings remained stable. FIGURE 24: TRAFFIC PROBLEMS COMPARED BY YEAR In 2013 and 2011, the scale was not at all serious, not too serious, somewhat serious and very serious. For comparison purposes, the 2015 ratings for moderate, major or extreme problem were compared to 2013 and 2011 ratings for somewhat or very serious. 26% 37% 33% 40% 29% 35% 0%25%50%75%100% Stop sign violations in your neighborhood Traffic speeding in your neighborhood Percent "moderate," "major" or "extreme" problem 2015 2013 2011 Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 4 Other Concerns In addition to rating traffic-related problems in Edina, respondents were asked to rate six additional potential problems. About 8 in 10 residents felt violent crime was not a problem and 7 in 10 felt domestic abuse was not a problem. About two-thirds felt drugs, identity theft and youth crimes were not problems in the community. About 4 in 10 felt vandalism and property crimes were not problems while an additional 4 in 10 felt that they were minor problems. Please note that at least 30% of respondents said “don’t know” when rating how much of a problem identity theft (40% “don’t know”) and domestic abuse (50%) were in Edina. The responses presented in the body of the report are for those who had an opinion. The full set of responses, including “don’t know” can be found in Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies. FIGURE 25: CRIME-RELATED PROBLEMS IN COMMUNITY, 2015 5% 9% 5% 6% 7% 10% 12% 12% 16% 15% 20% 22% 16% 26% 39% 79% 68% 64% 62% 57% 40% 0%25%50%75%100% Violent crime Domestic abuse Drugs Identity theft Youth crimes Vandalism and property crimes Percent of respondents Extreme problem Major problem Moderate problem Minor problem Not a problem Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 5 GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE The 2015 Edina Quality of Life Survey contained a variety of questions related to City government ranging from the quality of City services and aspects of government performance to contact with City Departments and use of information sources. Quality of City Services For the first time in 2015, residents had the opportunity to rate the overall quality of City services. Residents gave exceptionally high marks to the overall quality of City services, with about 9 in 10 awarding “excellent” or “good” ratings; only three percent of respondents felt that the quality of City services was “poor.” Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for overall quality of services was similar to communities in both sets of comparisons (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 26: OVERALL QUALITY OF CITY SERVICES, 2015 Excellent 28% Good 59% Fair 10% Poor 3% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 6 In addition to rating the overall quality of City services, residents were given a more extensive list of 34 individual services and asked to rate the quality of each (see Figure 27 on the following page). Twenty-nine of the 34 services were rated as “excellent” or “good” by at least 6 in 10 residents. Overall, the highest rated services tended to be public safety services (e.g., fire, ambulance and police) and parks and recreation services (e.g., city parks and park maintenance). The lower rated services tended to be streets or transportation related (e.g., bus or transit services, street repair and traffic signal timing). Of the 34 individual services rated in 2015, 11 could be compared over time. Generally, these ratings remained stable between 2013 and 2015. One rating decreased in 2015 compared to 2013 (street lighting with 69% “excellent” or “good” in 2015 compared to 80% in 2013). (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) At least 30% of respondents said “don’t know” when rating the following services: public health services (44% “don’t know”); emergency preparedness (43%); bus or transit services (40%); recreation programs or classes (38%); animal control (37%); code enforcement (37%); fire prevention and education (37%); recreation centers or facilities (32%); public information services (31%); and economic development (30%). The responses presented in the body of the report are for those who had an opinion. The full set of responses, including “don’t know” can be found in Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies. Of the 34 individual services rated in 2015, 32 could be compared to communities across the nation and 31 could be compared to communities in Minnesota. Edina’s ratings tended to be similar to or higher than other communities across the nation and to other communities within Minnesota. For more detailed information about these comparisons, please see Figure 27 on the following page or Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 7 FIGURE 27: QUALITY OF CITY SERVICES COMPARED BY YEAR Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: 2015 2013 2011 National Benchmarks Minnesota Benchmarks Fire services 98% 100% 99% Similar Similar Ambulance or emergency medical services 98% 99% 100% Similar Similar Public library services 97% NA NA Higher Similar City parks 93% NA NA Similar Similar Park maintenance 91% 99% 99% NA NA Police services 90% 98% 98% Higher Similar Recycling 88% 84% 85% Similar Similar Crime prevention 87% NA NA Higher Similar Snow removal 87% 83% 83% Higher Higher Fire prevention and education 85% NA NA Similar Similar Yard waste pick-up 85% NA NA Similar Similar Recreation programs or classes 85% 87% 88% Similar Similar Recreation centers or facilities 84% NA NA Similar Similar Public health services 84% NA NA Higher Higher Sewer services 83% 86% 86% Similar Similar Condition of trails and sidewalks 83% 84% 82% NA NA Public information services 82% NA NA Higher Similar Storm drainage 78% NA NA Similar Similar Utility billing 77% NA NA Similar Similar Animal control 77% NA NA Similar Similar City-sponsored special events 77% NA NA Similar NA Economic development 76% NA NA Higher Higher Traffic enforcement 75% NA NA Similar Similar Street cleaning 72% NA NA Similar Similar Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 72% NA NA Similar Similar Edina open space 70% NA NA Similar Similar Sidewalk maintenance 69% NA NA Similar Similar Street lighting 69% 80% 84% Similar Similar Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 63% NA NA Similar Similar Traffic signal timing 58% NA NA Similar Similar Bus or transit services 57% NA NA Similar Similar Land use, planning and zoning 57% NA NA Similar Similar Cable television 49% NA NA Similar Similar Street repair 49% 47% 38% Similar Similar Percent "excellent" or "good." The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 8 Drinking Water About 7 in 10 residents gave high marks to the overall quality of drinking water in Edina in 2015. When compared to the rating given in 2013, this rating increased. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for drinking water was similar to communities in both sets of comparisons (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 28: QUALITY OF DRINKING WATER COMPARED BY YEAR 60% 55% 69% 0%25%50%75%100% Drinking water Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 9 In 2015, survey respondents were asked to rate the quality of six aspects of drinking water. At the top of the list were safety and reliability with 84% giving an “excellent” or “good” rating. Slightly fewer gave a positive rating to appearance (78%) and two-thirds gave positive ratings to the odor of drinking water. About 6 in 10 gave positive ratings to the taste of drinking water and only one-third gave positive ratings to the water’s hardness. A benchmark comparison was only available on the national level for the taste of drinking water. Edina’s rating taste was similar when compared to ratings given across the nation (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 29: ASPECTS OF DRINKING WATER, 2015 13% 23% 29% 34% 41% 37% 20% 35% 37% 44% 43% 47% 33% 58% 66% 78% 84% 84% 0%25%50%75%100% Hardness Taste Odor Appearance Reliability Safety Percent of respondents Excellent Good Please rate the following aspects of drinking water in Edina. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 10 Garbage Collection About 8 in 10 residents gave high marks to the overall quality of garbage collection in Edina and only four percent gave a “poor” rating. Edina residents’ opinions were compared to those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. Edina’s rating for garbage collection was similar to communities in both sets of comparisons (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 30: GARBAGE COLLECTION, 2015 In additional to rating the overall quality of garbage collection, residents were asked to indicate their level of support for the City changing from the current garbage collection system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community. Responses were split with about half indicating that they somewhat or strongly supported this and the other half indicating opposition. When compared to 2011, this rating of support has remained stable (this question was not asked on the 2013 survey). (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 31: SUPPORT FOR CHANGE IN GARBAGE COLLECTION SYSTEM COMPARED BY YEAR Excellent 33% Good 51% Fair 12% Poor 4% 46% 50% 0%25%50%75%100% Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support 2015 2011Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. To what extent do you support the City changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 11 Value of Taxes Along with rating the quality of City services, residents were also asked to rate the value of services for the taxes they pay to Edina. About 8 in 10 residents gave “excellent” or “good” ratings to the value of City services in 2015. When compared over time, ratings remained stable. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) Edina’s rating for the value of City services was higher than those of residents in other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota. (See Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons.) FIGURE 32: VALUE OF CITY SERVICES COMPARED BY YEAR In 2013 and 2011 this question was worded "When you consider the property taxes you pay and the quality of city services you receive, would you rate the general value of city services as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?" 80% 84% 78% 0%25%50%75%100% The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 12 Residents were also asked if they felt property taxes in Edina were high, about average or low. About 55% felt they were “very high” or “somewhat high.” When compared over time, more residents in 2015 compared to 2013 felt property taxes were high, but similar to ratings reported in 2011. Please note that when ratings differ over time, the difference may be in part due to the switch in methodology from a mail to a telephone survey. Changes over time are regarded as meaningful if the difference in ratings between years is greater than ten percentage points. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 33: PROPERTY TAX LEVEL COMPARED BY YEAR When asked to what extent they would support or oppose an increase in their property taxes to maintain City services at their current level, less than half indicated somewhat or strongly supporting a tax increase. When compared over time, this level of support has decreased since this question was first asked in 2011. FIGURE 34: SUPPORT FOR PROPERTY TAX INCREASE COMPARED BY YEAR In 2013 and 2011, this question was asked on a scale of favor or oppose. For comparison purposes, the 2015 ratings for strongly support and somewhat support were compared to 2013 and 2011 ratings for favor while somewhat and strongly oppose were compared to oppose. 50% 43% 55% 0%25%50%75%100% Thinking about your property taxes in comparison with neighboring cities, do you consider property taxes in Edina to be…? Percent "very" or "somewhat" high 2015 2013 2011 56% 68% 45% 0%25%50%75%100% To what extent would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain City services at their current level? Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 13 Public Trust Since 2011, residents have been asked if they think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction or if things are off track. About three-quarters of respondents to the 2015 survey indicated that things in the City are headed in the right direction. When compared over time, this rating has decreased since this question was first asked in 2011. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 35: CITY HEADED IN RIGHT DIRECTION OR ON WRONG TRACK COMPARED BY YEAR 93% 94% 73% 0%25%50%75%100% All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track? Percent "right direction" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 14 Residents who indicated that they think things are off on the wrong track had the opportunity to write in a response as to why. Respondents’ written responses were reviewed and grouped into categories by theme. Of the 116 respondents who opted to write in a response, 30% wrote comments related to poor development, overbuilding and density of the city. About 15% wrote in comments related to City government operations and slightly fewer wrote in comments related to traffic and infrastructure (14%). About 1 in 10 or fewer wrote comments about the remaining four categories. Due to the number of varied responses, an “other” category was also created. (For a full index of written responses, see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Question.) FIGURE 36: REASONS FOR WRONG TRACK, 2015 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response for why they feel the City is on the wrong track. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. A similar question about reasons for why residents indicated wrong track was asked in prior years; however, the response categories were too different to provide comparisons. 8% 4% 6% 11% 11% 14% 15% 30% 0%25%50%75%100% Other Lack of sense of community and natural beauty (open space, parks, etc.) Schools/education Affordable housing/cost of living/teardowns Resident opinions not valued Traffic and infrastructure (road and sidewalk maintenance, bike paths, snow removal, etc.) City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) Poor development/overbuilding/density of city Percent of respondents Percent All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track? If Wrong track, Why? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 15 Since 2011, residents have been asked if they think they could have a say about the way things are run in the community other than by voting. About two-thirds indicated that they did think they could have a say. When compared over time, this rating has decreased since this question was first asked in 2011. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 37: OPPORTUNITY FOR RESIDENTS TO BE INVOLVED IN HOW EDINA IS RUN COMPARED BY YEAR 84% 88% 64% 0%25%50%75%100% Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community? Percent "yes" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 16 Residents who indicated that they did not think they had a say in the community had the opportunity to write in a response as to why. Written responses were reviewed and grouped into categories by theme. Of the 103 respondents who opted to write in a response, 28% wrote general comments related to the public voice not being heard or listened to. About 18% wrote in comments related to decisions being biased towards commercial and wealthy or special interest groups and slightly fewer wrote in comments related to there being no opportunities to participate or it generally being difficult to participate (16%). Less than 1 in 10 wrote comments about the remaining two categories. Due to the number of varied responses, an “other” category was also created. (For a full index of written responses, see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Question.) FIGURE 38: REASONS FOR HAVING NO SAY IN HOW EDINA IS RUN, 2015 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response for why they responded with no to question 17. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. A similar question about reasons for why residents indicated they do not have a say in how things are run in Edina were asked in prior years; however, the response categories were too different to provide comparisons. 25% 6% 6% 16% 18% 28% 0%25%50%75%100% Other Decisions are predetermined Communication issues (slow response time, unhelpfulness, etc.) No opportunities/venue/difficult to participate Decisions are biased towards commercial/wealthy or special interests Public voice not heard/listened to Percent of respondents Percent Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community? If No, Why? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 17 For the first time in 2015, those completing the questionnaire rated four aspects of public trust, including the City government generally acting in the best interest of the community, overall confidence on Edina government, Edina treating all residents fairly and the job the City does welcoming citizen involvement. Between two-thirds and three-quarters of survey respondents evaluated all four aspects positively. When compared to other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota, Edina residents’ ratings of aspects of public trust tended to be similar to those of its peers, with the exception of overall confidence in Edina government which was higher than the national comparison. (Please see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons.) FIGURE 39: ASPECTS OF PUBLIC TRUST, 2015 14% 16% 17% 18% 50% 54% 55% 54% 64% 70% 72% 72% 0%25%50%75%100% The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement Treating all residents fairly Overall confidence in Edina government Generally acting in the best interest of the community Percent of respondents Excellent Good Please rate each of the following categories of Edina government performance: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 18 Contact with City Departments In the 12 months prior to the survey, 57% of survey respondents had contact with a City department. About one- fifth of respondents had contacted the Police and slightly fewer had contact with Parks and Recreation (17%). Between 10% and 15% had contact with General information, Public Works and Building Inspections. Less than 1 in 10 had contact with the remaining departments. When compared over time, more respondents had contact with a City department in 2015 compared to ratings in 2013 or 2011. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 40: CONTACT WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS COMPARED BY YEAR With which of the following departments have you had contact (email, in-person or phone) in the last 12 months? 2015 2013 2011 I have not contacted the City 43% 60% 68% Police 21% 14% 9% Parks and Recreation 17% 13% 13% General information 15% 12% 7% Public Works 12% 21% 27% Building Inspections 10% 10% 15% Street Maintenance 8% 0% 0% City Clerk 7% 0% 1% Utilities 7% 0% 0% Utility Billing 7% 8% 0% Other 6% 0% 3% Fire 5% 1% 1% Planning/Economic Development 5% 10% 8% Assessing 5% 1% 6% Engineering 5% 1% 2% City Manager 3% 6% 5% Health 2% 2% 2% Communications 2% 1% 0% Environmental Services 2% 0% 0% Human Resources 1% 0% 0% I.T./Technology services 0% 0% 3% Percent of respondents. Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 19 The 57% of survey respondents who reported having contacted a City department or office were then asked to rate the overall customer service they received as well as their impression of the courtesy, knowledge, responsiveness and follow-up of the City employee(s). About 87% gave “excellent” or “good” ratings to the overall customer service they received and only five percent gave a “poor” rating. About 9 in 10 gave “excellent” or “good” ratings to the knowledge of City employees and between 83% and 86% gave positive ratings to the remaining aspects of their impressions of City employees (courtesy, responsiveness and follow-up). The rating for courtesy could be compared over time and has remained stable since this question was first asked in 2011. Each aspect of their impression rated in 2015 could be compared to communities across the nation and in Minnesota, with the exception of follow-up. Edina’s ratings for their impressions of City employees were similar to communities in both comparisons (see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons). FIGURE 41: OVERALL CUSTOMER SERVICE, 2015 FIGURE 42: IMPRESSION OF EMPLOYEE(S) COMPARED BY YEAR Excellent 42% Good 45% Fair 8% Poor 5% 84% 83% 83% 84% 86% 93% 0%25%50%75%100% Follow-up (got back to you or took action if needed) Responsiveness Courtesy Knowledge Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 Please rate your impression of City employees: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 20 Information Sources and City Communications On the 2015 survey, respondents indicated the extent to which they used 16 information sources about Edina government and its activities, if at all. About 9 in 10 residents indicated that word of mouth from friends, family or neighbors was at least a minor source of information while slightly fewer felt the About Town City magazine was at least a minor source of information. About 7 in 10 indicated that the Edina Sun-Current newspaper, direct mail updates, Star-Tribune newspaper and Parks & Recreation Activities Directory were at least minor sources of information and about two-thirds of residents felt the City’s website and the Edition: Edina monthly insert in the Edina Sun-Current newspaper were at least minor sources of information. Please see Figure 43 on the following page. Thirteen of the 16 information sources could be compared over time. Of these, two showed lower ratings in 2015 compared to 2013 and five showed higher ratings. In 2015, more residents felt word of mouth, direct mail updates, the Parks & Recreation Activities Directory, the City’s website and social media were sources of information about the City while fewer felt that the Edina Sun-Current newspaper and Edina Channels 16 or 813 were sources of information. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 21 FIGURE 43: INFORMATION SOURCES COMPARED BY YEAR 6% 7% 34% 16% 27% 5% 44% 41% 59% 57% 82% 86% 75% 7% 5% 35% 25% 41% 14% 51% 52% 71% 54% 92% 91% 77% 9% 10% 19% 20% 20% 32% 32% 35% 57% 63% 68% 68% 69% 70% 84% 90% 0%25%50%75%100% Online web stream videos on YouTube or Granicus Blogs City Council members Edina Channels 16 or 813 City Extra e-mail subscription service City employees Social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) NextDoor Edition: Edina monthly insert in Edina Sun-Current newspaper City’s website (www.EdinaMN.gov) Parks & Recreation Activities Directory Star-Tribune newspaper Direct mail updates Edina Sun-Current newspaper About Town City magazine Word of mouth from friends, family or neighbors Percent "major" or "minor" source 2015 2013 2011 Please rate the extent to which you use each of the following as sources of information about Edina government and its activities, if at all. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 22 About Town As in prior years, survey respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of About Town as a communication tool for keeping informed of City activities. About 8 in 10 residents felt it was at least somewhat effective. When compared over time, ratings remained stable. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 44: EFFECTIVENESS OF ABOUT TOWN COMPARED BY YEAR In 2013 and 2011, the scale was very effective, somewhat effective, not too effective and not at all effective. 89% 92% 82% 0%25%50%75%100% To what extent do you find About Town to be an effective communication tool for keeping informed of City activities? Percent "very" or "somewhat" effective 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 23 City Website When asked if they had accessed the City’s website in the 12 months prior to the survey, 47% of survey respondents indicated they had done so. When compared over time, this rating decreased. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 45: ACCESSED CITY WEBSITE COMPARED BY YEAR Of those who reported they had accessed the City’s website, three-quarters felt that the overall quality of the website was “excellent” or “good.” When compared over time, this rating decreased. FIGURE 46: QUALITY OF CITY WEBSITE COMPARED BY YEAR Responses to this question are only from those who reported that they had accessed the City website. 58% 63% 47% 0%25%50%75%100% Have you accessed the City of Edina website (www.EdinaMN.gov) in the last 12 months? Percent "yes" 2015 2013 2011 82% 86% 73% 0%25%50%75%100% Overall quality of the City of Edina website Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 24 Those who had accessed the website in the last 12 months were also asked to rate the quality of three specific aspects of the website. About 86% felt the appearance of the website was “excellent” or “good” and slightly fewer felt the information and services offered were “excellent” or “good.” About 6 in 10 gave positive ratings to the ease of navigation and their ability to find information. When comparisons were available to other communities across the nation and those in Minnesota, Edina residents’ ratings of aspects of the City’s website, including the overall quality, tended to be similar to those of its peers. Minnesota comparisons were not available for appearance, online information and services offered or ease of navigation/ability to find information. (Please see Appendix E: Detailed Benchmark Comparisons for detailed information on the benchmark comparisons.) FIGURE 47: ASPECTS OF CITY WEBSITE, 2015 Responses to this question are only from those who reported that they had accessed the City website. 19% 24% 29% 38% 56% 57% 58% 80% 86% 0%25%50%75%100% Ease of navigation/ability to find information Online information and services offered Appearance Percent of respondents Excellent Good Please rate the following aspects of the Edina website. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 25 Municipal Liquor Stores Since 2011, residents have been asked about their level of support for the City to continue to operate its municipal liquor stores. About 86% indicated at least “somewhat” supporting this proposal. Compared to 2013 and when this question was first asked, the level of support has remained stable. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 48: LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR MUNICIPAL OWNED LIQUOR STORES COMPARED BY YEAR In 2013 and 2011, this question was asked on a scale of favor or oppose. For comparison purposes, the 2015 ratings for strongly support and somewhat support were compared to 2013 and 2011 ratings for favor. In 2015, residents were asked a follow-up question about how much of their business goes to any one of the three municipal liquor stores. About half indicated all or most of their business while an additional 4 in 10 indicated some of their business goes to any one of the three municipal liquor stores. Only 1 in 10 reported that none of their business goes to any of the municipal liquor stores. FIGURE 49: PORTION OF BUSINESS GOING TO EDINA MUNICIPAL LIQUOR STORES, 2015 92% 95% 86% 0%25%50%75%100% Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support 2015 2013 2011 All of my business 16% Most of my business 33% Some of my business 41% None of my business 10% If you have purchased liquor, what portion of your business would you say goes to any one of the three Edina municipal liquor stores? The City of Edina owns and operates three municipal liquor stores. Profits from the liquor operations are used for capital and public improvements and to offset operating costs of some recreation facilities. To what extent do you support the City continuing to operate its municipal liquor stores? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 26 After indicating the amount of business they give to the municipal liquor stores, residents were then asked to rate the quality of five aspects of the liquor stores, regardless of how much they used the stores. About 9 in 10 gave “excellent” or good” ratings to the knowledge, courtesy and friendliness of the staff while slightly fewer gave “excellent” or “good” marks to the layout, organization and presentation of the store (86%) and product selection (84%). About 54% gave positive marks to the prices of products. When compared over time, ratings for the courtesy and friendliness of staff; layout, organization and presentation of the store; and product selection remained stable while ratings for the prices of products dropped in 2015 compared to 2013 and 2011. An over time comparison was not available for knowledge of staff. FIGURE 50: IMPRESSION OF MUNICIPAL LIQUOR STORES COMPARED BY YEAR 74% 82% 83% 98% 69% 86% 87% 99% 54% 84% 86% 92% 93% 0%25%50%75%100% Prices of products Product selection Layout, organization and presentation of the store Courtesy and friendliness of staff Knowledge of staff Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 Please rate your impression of each of the following: The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 27 Redevelopment in Edina About 7 in 10 residents gave high marks to the overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina and the overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina. When compared over time, ratings remained stable. (Please see Appendix F: Survey Methodology for more information on how to interpret changes over time.) FIGURE 51: QUALITY OF REDEVELOPMENT IN EDINA COMPARED BY YEAR In 2013 and 2011, survey respondents were only asked to rate the quality of redevelopment in Edina while 2015 survey respondents were asked to consider residential and commercial redevelopment separately. Residents were asked to consider how well, if at all, they felt the City was managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina. About two-thirds of residents felt the City manages tensions at least somewhat well while one-quarter indicated somewhat poorly. Only 1 in 10 felt the City manages tensions very poorly. FIGURE 52: HOW WELL THE CITY MANAGES REDEVELOPMENT TENSIONS, 2015 58% 63% 71% 71% 0%25%50%75%100% Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina Overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina Percent "excellent" or "good" 2015 2013 2011 Very well 16% Somewhat well 50% Somewhat poorly 23% Very poorly 10% How well, if at all, do you feel the City is managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 28 APPENDIX A: RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS The following tables summarize the demographic characteristics of Edina’s survey respondents in 2015. TABLE 1: LENGTH OF RESIDENCY How many years have you lived in Edina? Percent Number Less than 2 years 9% N=44 2-5 years 21% N=107 6 to 10 years 13% N=65 11 to 20 years 19% N=96 More than 20 years 39% N=198 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 2: HOUSING UNIT TYPE Which best describes the building you live in? Percent Number One family house detached from any other houses 59% N=296 Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium) 38% N=192 Other 3% N=16 Total 100% N=504 TABLE 3: HOUSING TENURE Is this house or apartment... Percent Number Rented 24% N=122 Owned 76% N=386 Total 100% N=507 TABLE 4: HOUSING COSTS About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number Less than $300 per month 3% N=13 $300 - $599 per month 8% N=38 $600 - $999 per month 13% N=60 $1,000 - $1,499 per month 25% N=119 $1,500 - $2,499 per month 29% N=139 $2,500 or more per month 23% N=110 Total 100% N=479 TABLE 5: PRESENCE OF CHILDREN Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent Number No 71% N=358 Yes 29% N=148 Total 100% N=506 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 29 TABLE 6: PRESENCE OF OLDER ADULTS Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent Number No 62% N=315 Yes 38% N=191 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 7: HOUSEHOLD INCOME How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent Number Less than $25,000 7% N=32 $25,000 to $49,999 13% N=59 $50,000 to $99,999 28% N=129 $100,000 to $149,999 17% N=80 $150,000 or more 35% N=163 Total 100% N=462 TABLE 8: ETHNICITY Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent Number No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 98% N=487 Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 2% N=11 Total 100% N=498 TABLE 9: RACE What is your race? Percent Number White 91% N=449 Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 6% N=30 Black or African American 2% N=11 Other 2% N=8 American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% N=8 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 10: AGE In which category is your age? Percent Number 18 to 24 years 3% N=18 25 to 34 years 12% N=60 35 to 44 years 13% N=65 45 to 54 years 24% N=121 55 to 64 years 14% N=74 65 to 74 years 14% N=70 75 years or older 20% N=101 Total 100% N=509 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 30 TABLE 11: GENDER What is your sex? Percent Number Female 53% N=265 Male 47% N=235 Total 100% N=500 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 31 APPENDIX B: COMPLETE SURVEY FREQUENCIES FREQUENCIES EXCLUDING “DON’T KNOW” RESPONSES The following pages contain a complete set of responses to each question on the survey, excluding the “don’t know” responses. TABLE 12: QUESTION 1 How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? Percent Number Excellent 56% N=276 Good 40% N=199 Fair 4% N=21 Poor 0% N=0 Total 100% N=496 TABLE 13: QUESTION 2 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Overall feeling of safety in Edina 57% N=291 40% N=202 3% N=15 1% N=4 100% N=512 Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit 40% N=205 48% N=245 10% N=53 1% N=6 100% N=510 Quality of overall natural environment in Edina 40% N=199 48% N=242 10% N=49 2% N=11 100% N=500 Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) 28% N=139 53% N=265 15% N=75 4% N=17 100% N=496 Health and wellness opportunities in Edina 42% N=203 48% N=229 9% N=42 1% N=4 100% N=478 Overall opportunities for education and enrichment 54% N=262 39% N=191 6% N=30 0% N=1 100% N=485 Overall economic health of Edina 49% N=238 41% N=199 8% N=40 1% N=5 100% N=481 Sense of community 27% N=136 45% N=224 21% N=105 6% N=29 100% N=494 Overall image or reputation of Edina 51% N=256 35% N=178 10% N=50 4% N=18 100% N=502 Neighborliness of residents in Edina 30% N=149 47% N=236 18% N=92 6% N=28 100% N=505 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 32 TABLE 14: QUESTION 3 Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: Very likely Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Total Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks 72% N=354 21% N=102 4% N=22 3% N=15 100% N=493 Remain in Edina for the next five years 68% N=327 21% N=99 7% N=32 4% N=20 100% N=478 TABLE 15: QUESTION 4 Why did you choose to live in Edina? Percent Number Good schools 52% N=268 Safe community 51% N=261 Attractive community 46% N=237 Good neighborhoods 42% N=214 Amenities (e.g., parks, library, etc.) 40% N=206 Job was here (or nearby) 28% N=143 Family lives here/ born or raised here 23% N=119 Affordable housing 15% N=77 Other 15% N=76 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 16: QUESTION 5 What one thing do you like most, if anything, about living in Edina? Percent Number Convenient location/accessibility 31% N=126 Close to family, job, etc. 2% N=9 Housing/neighborhood 7% N=29 Schools 17% N=66 Safe 6% N=24 Shopping/restaurants 4% N=16 Parks and trails/recreation centers/open spaces 5% N=20 Sense of community (friendly, quiet, peaceful, etc.) 6% N=26 Beauty/cleanliness of community 7% N=28 Public services 2% N=8 Walkability 2% N=6 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 33 What one thing do you like most, if anything, about living in Edina? Percent Number Reputation of community (well-run government, economic health, etc.) 5% N=19 Positive comments about overall quality of life and community 2% N=9 Other 4% N=14 Total 100% N=399 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. TABLE 17: QUESTION 6 What would you say is the most serious issue facing Edina at this time? Percent Number Housing concerns (teardowns, affordability, etc.) 25% N=95 City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) 12% N=46 Traffic and infrastructure (road maintenance, snow removal, etc.) 18% N=66 Lack of diversity and sense of community 6% N=24 Schools/education 4% N=14 Cost of living 2% N=7 Bike paths/sidewalks/pedestrian travel 7% N=27 Safety 4% N=16 Aging population 3% N=12 No issue/positive comments 5% N=18 Parks/recreation/community activities 2% N=7 Other 10% N=37 Total 100% N=369 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. TABLE 18: QUESTION 7 Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: Very safe Somewhat safe Neither safe nor unsafe Somewhat unsafe Very unsafe Total In your neighborhood 75% N=381 21% N=110 3% N=14 1% N=3 0% N=2 100% N=510 In the 50th and France area (downtown area) 66% N=316 30% N=146 3% N=14 1% N=4 0% N=1 100% N=482 In the Southdale area 35% N=176 45% N=226 13% N=65 6% N=32 1% N=3 100% N=502 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 34 TABLE 19: QUESTION 8 Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to ride a bicycle in Edina? Percent Number If there were more well-marked greenways and off-road paths 66% N=247 If there were more on-road facilities such as bike lanes 36% N=135 If motorists drove slower and respected cyclists 36% N=134 If there were wider roads for riding or roads had paved shoulders 33% N=123 If street/road conditions were better, such as smooth pavement and less debris 29% N=109 If I felt more confident on my bike 25% N=93 If I felt safer from crime 5% N=20 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 20: QUESTION 9 Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to walk in Edina? Percent Number If there were more sidewalks along streets 62% N=236 If there were more paths and trails designated for walking 55% N=209 If street lighting was better 30% N=113 If there were more crosswalks 24% N=92 If motorists drove slower 23% N=88 If condition of existing sidewalks were better 18% N=68 If I felt safer from crime 4% N=17 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 35 TABLE 21: QUESTION 10 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Traffic flow on major streets 9% N=44 50% N=244 30% N=150 11% N=55 100% N=493 Ease of public parking 15% N=71 54% N=258 29% N=140 2% N=12 100% N=480 Ease of travel by car in Edina 25% N=123 59% N=293 15% N=72 2% N=10 100% N=498 Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina 10% N=29 27% N=73 31% N=85 32% N=88 100% N=275 Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina 10% N=34 38% N=133 38% N=133 15% N=53 100% N=353 Ease of walking in Edina 18% N=84 43% N=202 32% N=153 8% N=36 100% N=474 Availability of paths and walking trails 14% N=63 44% N=202 30% N=139 11% N=53 100% N=457 Air quality 31% N=144 61% N=288 7% N=33 1% N=4 100% N=468 Cleanliness of Edina 46% N=224 49% N=240 5% N=25 0% N=2 100% N=491 Public places where people want to spend time 32% N=151 52% N=245 13% N=61 4% N=17 100% N=474 Variety of housing options 14% N=62 45% N=200 30% N=134 12% N=52 100% N=449 Availability of affordable quality housing 7% N=28 29% N=116 36% N=142 28% N=112 100% N=397 Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) 24% N=108 47% N=212 23% N=103 6% N=27 100% N=451 Recreational opportunities 28% N=126 48% N=220 20% N=93 4% N=17 100% N=456 K-12 education 71% N=298 23% N=96 5% N=22 0% N=1 100% N=417 Adult educational opportunities 38% N=157 47% N=195 13% N=54 1% N=6 100% N=412 Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 25% N=114 49% N=220 19% N=86 7% N=32 100% N=452 Employment opportunities 13% N=39 50% N=153 30% N=91 8% N=23 100% N=306 Shopping opportunities 56% N=282 34% N=171 8% N=39 2% N=8 100% N=500 Cost of living in Edina 8% N=41 38% N=185 42% N=204 12% N=57 100% N=487 Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina 29% N=137 57% N=268 11% N=53 3% N=13 100% N=471 Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina 19% N=75 53% N=213 22% N=89 6% N=26 100% N=402 Overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina 17% N=75 53% N=228 22% N=95 7% N=31 100% N=428 Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 19% N=82 51% N=216 23% N=100 7% N=29 100% N=427 Opportunities to volunteer 23% N=88 47% N=177 27% N=101 3% N=12 100% N=379 Opportunities to participate in community matters 19% N=72 44% N=169 28% N=107 10% N=40 100% N=387 Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 13% N=53 38% N=159 32% N=135 17% N=69 100% N=416 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 36 TABLE 22: QUESTION 11 In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members used any of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities? Never Once or twice 3 to 12 times 13 to 26 times More than 26 times Total Trails 29% N=140 19% N=93 26% N=127 12% N=57 14% N=68 100% N=485 Neighborhood parks 20% N=97 15% N=72 23% N=113 17% N=81 25% N=124 100% N=487 Large community athletic fields 60% N=290 13% N=64 11% N=51 7% N=34 9% N=42 100% N=482 Edinborough Park 50% N=242 29% N=143 15% N=71 4% N=18 2% N=12 100% N=486 Centennial Lakes Park 24% N=119 28% N=136 28% N=138 10% N=50 10% N=47 100% N=490 The Aquatic Center 76% N=369 12% N=57 5% N=23 4% N=20 3% N=14 100% N=484 The Senior Center 82% N=402 10% N=47 4% N=20 1% N=7 2% N=12 100% N=488 Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 75% N=365 11% N=53 5% N=26 3% N=14 6% N=29 100% N=486 The Edina Art Center 76% N=375 16% N=81 6% N=28 1% N=4 1% N=3 100% N=490 Braemar Golf Course 66% N=324 15% N=72 12% N=60 4% N=18 4% N=19 100% N=493 Braemar Golf Dome 79% N=383 9% N=44 9% N=45 1% N=7 2% N=9 100% N=487 Braemar Field (sports dome) 85% N=413 4% N=20 5% N=24 2% N=10 4% N=21 100% N=488 TABLE 23: QUESTION 12 Please rate each of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Trails 23% N=85 54% N=204 19% N=71 5% N=17 100% N=377 Neighborhood parks 34% N=146 55% N=236 10% N=42 1% N=5 100% N=429 Large community athletic fields 33% N=99 58% N=174 8% N=25 0% N=0 100% N=298 Edinborough Park 38% N=122 50% N=162 12% N=39 0% N=2 100% N=325 Centennial Lakes Park 57% N=227 38% N=154 5% N=19 0% N=2 100% N=401 The Aquatic Center 39% N=74 52% N=100 8% N=15 2% N=3 100% N=192 The Senior Center 41% N=54 49% N=65 11% N=14 0% N=0 100% N=134 Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 42% N=75 47% N=85 10% N=18 1% N=1 100% N=180 The Edina Art Center 25% N=46 53% N=98 17% N=32 4% N=7 100% N=183 Braemar Golf Course 27% N=59 50% N=112 20% N=44 3% N=7 100% N=222 Braemar Golf Dome 42% N=66 46% N=72 7% N=11 4% N=7 100% N=156 Braemar Field (sports dome) 49% N=57 39% N=45 10% N=12 2% N=2 100% N=116 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 37 TABLE 24: QUESTION 13 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Police services 52% N=236 38% N=171 7% N=31 3% N=13 100% N=450 Fire services 62% N=240 36% N=137 2% N=9 0% N=0 100% N=386 Ambulance or emergency medical services 62% N=223 35% N=125 2% N=9 0% N=0 100% N=357 Crime prevention 41% N=150 46% N=169 12% N=44 1% N=5 100% N=367 Fire prevention and education 42% N=128 43% N=130 13% N=39 2% N=5 100% N=302 Traffic enforcement 29% N=120 46% N=189 18% N=73 7% N=30 100% N=411 Street repair 13% N=62 36% N=171 34% N=162 18% N=84 100% N=478 Street cleaning 24% N=114 49% N=234 21% N=99 7% N=33 100% N=480 Street lighting 17% N=81 52% N=250 24% N=116 6% N=31 100% N=478 Snow removal 43% N=210 44% N=213 10% N=48 4% N=18 100% N=489 Sidewalk maintenance 19% N=78 50% N=206 21% N=86 9% N=39 100% N=408 Traffic signal timing 12% N=55 47% N=216 29% N=135 13% N=59 100% N=464 Bus or transit services 16% N=46 42% N=121 21% N=62 21% N=61 100% N=290 Garbage collection 33% N=150 51% N=229 12% N=55 4% N=17 100% N=451 Recycling 35% N=155 54% N=242 8% N=37 3% N=15 100% N=449 Yard waste pick-up 37% N=127 48% N=167 12% N=40 3% N=11 100% N=347 Storm drainage 20% N=81 58% N=231 14% N=55 8% N=33 100% N=399 Drinking water 25% N=120 44% N=209 17% N=80 14% N=67 100% N=476 Sewer services 28% N=107 55% N=212 14% N=55 2% N=9 100% N=384 Utility billing 25% N=102 52% N=218 18% N=73 5% N=23 100% N=416 City parks 42% N=191 52% N=236 6% N=28 1% N=3 100% N=457 Park maintenance 38% N=170 53% N=236 9% N=40 1% N=3 100% N=449 Condition of trails and sidewalks 25% N=103 58% N=240 14% N=57 3% N=13 100% N=412 Recreation programs or classes 35% N=105 50% N=148 13% N=37 2% N=6 100% N=297 Recreation centers or facilities 33% N=106 52% N=168 12% N=40 3% N=10 100% N=324 Land use, planning and zoning 15% N=52 41% N=140 27% N=92 16% N=55 100% N=339 Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 17% N=52 46% N=139 24% N=73 13% N=38 100% N=303 Animal control 23% N=72 54% N=164 20% N=62 3% N=8 100% N=306 Economic development 19% N=63 57% N=193 18% N=61 6% N=21 100% N=339 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 38 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Public health services 28% N=72 57% N=149 13% N=33 3% N=7 100% N=262 Public library services 52% N=224 45% N=196 3% N=13 0% N=1 100% N=434 Public information services 30% N=95 53% N=170 17% N=55 1% N=2 100% N=322 Cable television 13% N=47 36% N=134 27% N=101 24% N=89 100% N=371 Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 21% N=57 51% N=138 17% N=46 11% N=29 100% N=270 Edina open space 17% N=65 53% N=200 22% N=83 8% N=29 100% N=378 City-sponsored special events 20% N=72 57% N=200 18% N=62 5% N=18 100% N=352 Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina 28% N=128 59% N=275 10% N=46 3% N=15 100% N=463 TABLE 25: QUESTION 14 Thinking about your property taxes in comparison with neighboring cities, do you consider property taxes in Edina to be…? Percent Number Very high 18% N=78 Somewhat high 36% N=154 About average 38% N=163 Somewhat low 5% N=21 Very low 2% N=7 Total 100% N=423 TABLE 26: QUESTION 15 To what extent would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain City services at their current level? Percent Number Strongly support 6% N=27 Somewhat support 39% N=166 Somewhat oppose 30% N=130 Strongly oppose 25% N=105 Total 100% N=428 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 39 TABLE 27: QUESTION 16 All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track? Percent Number Right direction 73% N=325 Wrong track 27% N=121 Total 100% N=446 TABLE 28: QUESTION 16 - WRONG TRACK, WHY? All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track? If Wrong track, Why? Percent Number City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) 15% N=17 Poor development/overbuilding/density of city 30% N=34 Affordable housing/cost of living/teardowns 11% N=13 Schools/education 6% N=7 Lack of sense of community and natural beauty (open space, parks, etc.) 4% N=5 Resident opinions not valued 11% N=13 Traffic and infrastructure (road and sidewalk maintenance, bike paths, snow removal, etc.) 14% N=17 Other 8% N=9 Total 100% N=116 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response for why they feel the City is on the wrong track. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 40 TABLE 29: QUESTION 17 Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community? Percent Number Yes 64% N=222 No 36% N=123 Total 100% N=345 TABLE 30: QUESTION 17 - NO, WHY? Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community? If No, Why? Percent Number Public voice not heard/listened to 28% N=29 Decisions are predetermined 6% N=7 Decisions are biased towards commercial/wealthy or special interests 18% N=19 No opportunities/venue/difficult to participate 16% N=16 Communication issues (slow response time, unhelpfulness, etc.) 6% N=6 Other 25% N=26 Total 100% N=103 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response for why they responded with no to question 17. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categorie s. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. TABLE 31: QUESTION 18 Please rate the following categories of Edina government performance: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina 23% N=100 55% N=238 17% N=75 4% N=19 100% N=432 The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement 14% N=52 50% N=186 23% N=84 13% N=47 100% N=368 Overall confidence in Edina government 17% N=74 55% N=240 18% N=77 10% N=44 100% N=436 Generally acting in the best interest of the community 18% N=78 54% N=235 18% N=76 10% N=44 100% N=433 Treating all residents fairly 16% N=62 54% N=210 19% N=74 11% N=42 100% N=388 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 41 TABLE 32: QUESTION 19 Please rate the following aspects of drinking water in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Appearance 34% N=163 44% N=212 17% N=83 6% N=28 100% N=485 Taste 23% N=113 35% N=172 23% N=112 18% N=90 100% N=487 Odor 29% N=136 37% N=177 23% N=108 11% N=54 100% N=476 Hardness 13% N=61 20% N=91 29% N=135 38% N=173 100% N=461 Reliability 41% N=188 43% N=198 10% N=47 5% N=25 100% N=458 Safety 37% N=157 47% N=201 11% N=48 4% N=19 100% N=424 TABLE 33: QUESTION 20 How well, if at all, do you feel the City is managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina? Percent Number Very well 16% N=64 Somewhat well 50% N=198 Somewhat poorly 23% N=92 Very poorly 10% N=39 Total 100% N=392 TABLE 34: QUESTION 21 The City of Edina owns and operates three municipal liquor stores. Profits from the liquor operations are used for capital and public improvements and to offset operating costs of some recreation facilities. To what extent do you support the City continuing to operate its municipal liquor stores? Percent Number Strongly support 55% N=261 Somewhat support 31% N=147 Somewhat oppose 7% N=31 Strongly oppose 8% N=37 Total 100% N=476 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 42 TABLE 35: QUESTION 22 If you have purchased liquor, what portion of your business would you say goes to any one of the three Edina municipal liquor stores? Percent Number All of my business 13% N=67 Most of my business 27% N=134 Some of my business 34% N=171 None of my business 8% N=40 Not applicable 18% N=91 Total 100% N=503 TABLE 36: QUESTION 23 Please rate your impression of each of the following: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Product selection 31% N=124 54% N=216 15% N=60 1% N=3 100% N=404 Prices of products 13% N=54 41% N=164 36% N=143 10% N=42 100% N=404 Layout, organization and presentation of the store 27% N=108 60% N=241 13% N=52 1% N=4 100% N=404 Courtesy and friendliness of staff 49% N=201 43% N=174 7% N=29 1% N=3 100% N=407 Knowledge of staff 39% N=150 53% N=203 7% N=28 0% N=1 100% N=382 TABLE 37: QUESTION 24 Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. Not a problem Minor problem Moderate problem Major problem Extreme problem Total Traffic speeding in your neighborhood 35% N=171 30% N=147 20% N=97 11% N=54 4% N=20 100% N=489 Stop sign violations in your neighborhood 44% N=200 27% N=125 16% N=74 8% N=37 5% N=22 100% N=459 Violent crime 79% N=338 15% N=65 6% N=26 0% N=1 0% N=0 100% N=429 Drugs 64% N=241 22% N=84 10% N=39 3% N=10 0% N=1 100% N=375 Youth crimes 57% N=216 26% N=97 12% N=47 4% N=16 0% N=0 100% N=377 Vandalism and property crimes 40% N=168 39% N=167 16% N=67 5% N=20 0% N=2 100% N=424 Identity theft 62% N=184 16% N=48 12% N=35 9% N=27 1% N=2 100% N=296 Domestic abuse 68% N=168 20% N=49 7% N=18 5% N=12 0% N=1 100% N=248 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 43 TABLE 38: QUESTION 25 Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. To what extent do you support the City changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community? Percent Number Strongly support 27% N=105 Somewhat support 24% N=94 Somewhat oppose 19% N=75 Strongly oppose 31% N=121 Total 100% N=396 TABLE 39: QUESTION 26 Please rate the extent to which you use each of the following as sources of information about Edina government and its activities, if at all. Not a source Minor source Major source Total About Town City magazine 16% N=70 49% N=215 36% N=158 100% N=444 Parks & Recreation Activities Directory 32% N=132 48% N=199 21% N=86 100% N=416 Edina Sun-Current newspaper 31% N=133 32% N=137 38% N=165 100% N=436 Edition: Edina monthly insert in Edina Sun-Current newspaper 43% N=165 37% N=142 20% N=78 100% N=386 Star-Tribune newspaper 32% N=142 38% N=171 30% N=134 100% N=448 City’s website (www.EdinaMN.gov) 37% N=154 42% N=173 21% N=87 100% N=414 Edina Channels 16 or 813 80% N=316 16% N=64 4% N=15 100% N=395 City employees 68% N=269 27% N=106 5% N=21 100% N=395 City Council members 81% N=322 16% N=64 3% N=10 100% N=396 Direct mail updates 31% N=127 48% N=197 21% N=87 100% N=412 Social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) 68% N=279 23% N=93 9% N=36 100% N=408 Blogs 90% N=358 6% N=23 4% N=16 100% N=397 NextDoor 65% N=257 21% N=84 13% N=53 100% N=394 Online web stream videos on YouTube or Granicus 91% N=355 7% N=28 2% N=7 100% N=391 City Extra e-mail subscription service 80% N=317 10% N=41 10% N=38 100% N=396 Word of mouth from friends, family or neighbors 10% N=44 48% N=216 43% N=195 100% N=455 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 44 TABLE 40: QUESTION 27 To what extent do you find About Town to be an effective communication tool for keeping informed of City activities? Percent Number Very effective 25% N=100 Somewhat effective 56% N=224 Somewhat ineffective 12% N=48 Very ineffective 6% N=26 Total 100% N=398 TABLE 41: QUESTION 28 Have you accessed the City of Edina website (www.EdinaMN.gov) in the last 12 months? Percent Number No 53% N=260 Yes 47% N=234 Total 100% N=494 TABLE 42: QUESTION 29 Please rate the following aspects of the Edina website. Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Appearance 29% N=66 57% N=131 14% N=32 0% N=0 100% N=230 Online information and services offered 24% N=55 56% N=128 20% N=45 1% N=2 100% N=229 Ease of navigation/ability to find information 19% N=44 38% N=88 31% N=71 11% N=26 100% N=229 Overall quality of the City of Edina website 22% N=49 51% N=115 26% N=58 2% N=4 100% N=226 Responses to this question are only from those who reported that they had accessed the City website. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 45 TABLE 43: QUESTION 30 With which of the following departments have you had contact (email, in-person or phone) in the last 12 months? Percent Number I have not contacted the City 43% N=205 Police 21% N=99 Parks and Recreation 17% N=82 General information 15% N=72 Public Works 12% N=57 Building Inspections 10% N=48 Street Maintenance 8% N=38 Utility Billing 7% N=34 Utilities 7% N=34 City Clerk 7% N=33 Other 6% N=27 Planning/Economic Development 5% N=26 Engineering 5% N=24 Fire 5% N=23 Assessing 5% N=22 City Manager 3% N=15 Communications 2% N=12 Environmental Services 2% N=9 Health 2% N=8 Human Resources 1% N=7 I.T./Technology services 0% N=0 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 46 TABLE 44: QUESTION 31 Please rate your impression of City employees: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Knowledge 44% N=119 49% N=132 4% N=10 3% N=9 100% N=271 Courtesy 45% N=125 40% N=111 10% N=28 4% N=11 100% N=274 Responsiveness 43% N=118 41% N=112 9% N=25 6% N=18 100% N=272 Follow-up (got back to you or took action if needed) 43% N=99 40% N=93 9% N=22 8% N=19 100% N=232 Overall customer service 42% N=114 45% N=123 8% N=22 5% N=14 100% N=272 TABLE 45: QUESTION D1 What impact, if any, do you think the economy will have on your family income in the next 6 months? Do you think the impact will be: Percent Number Very positive 5% N=25 Somewhat positive 28% N=140 Neutral 53% N=267 Somewhat negative 13% N=66 Very negative 1% N=5 Total 100% N=503 TABLE 46: QUESTION D2 What is your employment status? Percent Number Working full time for pay 56% N=284 Working part time for pay 11% N=56 Unemployed, looking for paid work 1% N=5 Unemployed, not looking for paid work 3% N=17 Fully retired 28% N=144 Total 100% N=506 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 47 TABLE 47: QUESTION D3 Do you work inside the boundaries of Edina? Percent Number Yes, outside the home 23% N=108 No 12% N=55 Yes, from home 65% N=310 Total 100% N=473 TABLE 48: QUESTION D4 How many years have you lived in Edina? Percent Number Less than 2 years 9% N=44 2-5 years 21% N=107 6 to 10 years 13% N=65 11 to 20 years 19% N=96 More than 20 years 39% N=198 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 49: QUESTION D5 Which best describes the building you live in? Percent Number One family house detached from any other houses 59% N=296 Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium) 38% N=192 Other 3% N=16 Total 100% N=504 TABLE 50: QUESTION D6 Is this house or apartment... Percent Number Rented 24% N=122 Owned 76% N=386 Total 100% N=507 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 48 TABLE 51: QUESTION D7 About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number Less than $300 per month 3% N=13 $300 - $599 per month 8% N=38 $600 - $999 per month 13% N=60 $1,000 - $1,499 per month 25% N=119 $1,500 - $2,499 per month 29% N=139 $2,500 or more per month 23% N=110 Total 100% N=479 TABLE 52: QUESTION D8 Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent Number No 71% N=358 Yes 29% N=148 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 53: QUESTION D9 Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent Number No 62% N=315 Yes 38% N=191 Total 100% N=506 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 49 TABLE 54: QUESTION D10 How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent Number Less than $25,000 7% N=32 $25,000 to $49,999 13% N=59 $50,000 to $99,999 28% N=129 $100,000 to $149,999 17% N=80 $150,000 or more 35% N=163 Total 100% N=462 TABLE 55: QUESTION D11 Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent Number No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 98% N=487 Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 2% N=11 Total 100% N=498 TABLE 56: QUESTION D12 What is your race? Percent Number White 91% N=449 Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 6% N=30 Black or African American 2% N=11 Other 2% N=8 American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% N=8 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 50 TABLE 57: QUESTION D13 In which category is your age? Percent Number 18 to 24 years 3% N=18 25 to 34 years 12% N=60 35 to 44 years 13% N=65 45 to 54 years 24% N=121 55 to 64 years 14% N=74 65 to 74 years 14% N=70 75 years or older 20% N=101 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 58: QUESTION D14 What is your sex? Percent Number Female 53% N=265 Male 47% N=235 Total 100% N=500 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 51 FREQUENCIES INCLUDING “DON’T KNOW” RESPONSES The following pages contain a complete set of responses to each question on the survey, including the “don’t know” responses. The percent of respondents giving a particular response is shown followed by the number of respondents. TABLE 59: QUESTION 1 How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? Percent Number Excellent 56% N=276 Good 40% N=199 Fair 4% N=21 Poor 0% N=0 Don't know 0% N=0 Total 100% N=496 TABLE 60: QUESTION 2 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Overall feeling of safety in Edina 57% N=291 39% N=202 3% N=15 1% N=4 0% N=0 100% N=512 Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit 40% N=205 48% N=245 10% N=53 1% N=6 0% N=0 100% N=510 Quality of overall natural environment in Edina 39% N=199 48% N=242 10% N=49 2% N=11 1% N=5 100% N=504 Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) 28% N=139 53% N=265 15% N=75 3% N=17 1% N=7 100% N=504 Health and wellness opportunities in Edina 40% N=203 45% N=229 8% N=42 1% N=4 6% N=31 100% N=509 Overall opportunities for education and enrichment 52% N=262 38% N=191 6% N=30 0% N=1 5% N=24 100% N=509 Overall economic health of Edina 47% N=238 39% N=199 8% N=40 1% N=5 5% N=27 100% N=509 Sense of community 27% N=136 44% N=224 21% N=105 6% N=29 2% N=10 100% N=504 Overall image or reputation of Edina 50% N=256 35% N=178 10% N=50 4% N=18 1% N=6 100% N=508 Neighborliness of residents in Edina 29% N=149 46% N=236 18% N=92 6% N=28 1% N=4 100% N=508 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 52 TABLE 61: QUESTION 3 Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: Very likely Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Don't know Total Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks 70% N=354 20% N=102 4% N=22 3% N=15 2% N=9 100% N=502 Remain in Edina for the next five years 65% N=327 20% N=99 6% N=32 4% N=20 4% N=22 100% N=500 TABLE 62: QUESTION 4 Why did you choose to live in Edina? Percent Number Good schools 52% N=268 Safe community 51% N=261 Attractive community 46% N=237 Good neighborhoods 42% N=214 Amenities (e.g., parks, library, etc.) 40% N=206 Job was here (or nearby) 28% N=143 Family lives here/ born or raised here 23% N=119 Affordable housing 15% N=77 Other 15% N=76 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 63: QUESTION 5 What one thing do you like most, if anything, about living in Edina? Percent Number Convenient location/accessibility 31% N=126 Close to family, job, etc. 2% N=9 Housing/neighborhood 7% N=29 Schools 17% N=66 Safe 6% N=24 Shopping/restaurants 4% N=16 Parks and trails/recreation centers/open spaces 5% N=20 Sense of community (friendly, quiet, peaceful, etc.) 6% N=26 Beauty/cleanliness of community 7% N=28 Public services 2% N=8 Walkability 2% N=6 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 53 What one thing do you like most, if anything, about living in Edina? Percent Number Reputation of community (well-run government, economic health, etc.) 5% N=19 Positive comments about overall quality of life and community 2% N=9 Other 4% N=14 Total 100% N=399 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. TABLE 64: QUESTION 6 What would you say is the most serious issue facing Edina at this time? Percent Number Housing concerns (teardowns, affordability, etc.) 25% N=95 City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) 12% N=46 Traffic and infrastructure (road maintenance, snow removal, etc.) 18% N=66 Lack of diversity and sense of community 6% N=24 Schools/education 4% N=14 Cost of living 2% N=7 Bike paths/sidewalks/pedestrian travel 7% N=27 Safety 4% N=16 Aging population 3% N=12 No issue/positive comments 5% N=18 Parks/recreation/community activities 2% N=7 Other 10% N=37 Don't know/unsure 1% N=4 Total 100% N=373 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 54 TABLE 65: QUESTION 7 Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: Very safe Somewhat safe Neither safe nor unsafe Somewhat unsafe Very unsafe Don't know Total In your neighborhood 75% N=381 21% N=110 3% N=14 1% N=3 0% N=2 0% N=0 100% N=510 In the 50th and France area (downtown area) 62% N=316 29% N=146 3% N=14 1% N=4 0% N=1 5% N=24 100% N=506 In the Southdale area 35% N=176 45% N=226 13% N=65 6% N=32 1% N=3 1% N=7 100% N=509 TABLE 66: QUESTION 8 Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to ride a bicycle in Edina? Percent Number If there were more well-marked greenways and off-road paths 66% N=247 If there were more on-road facilities such as bike lanes 36% N=135 If motorists drove slower and respected cyclists 36% N=134 If there were wider roads for riding or roads had paved shoulders 33% N=123 If street/road conditions were better, such as smooth pavement and less debris 29% N=109 If I felt more confident on my bike 25% N=93 If I felt safer from crime 5% N=20 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 67: QUESTION 9 Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to walk in Edina? Percent Number If there were more sidewalks along streets 62% N=236 If there were more paths and trails designated for walking 55% N=209 If street lighting was better 30% N=113 If there were more crosswalks 24% N=92 If motorists drove slower 23% N=88 If condition of existing sidewalks were better 18% N=68 If I felt safer from crime 4% N=17 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 55 TABLE 68: QUESTION 10 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Traffic flow on major streets 9% N=44 49% N=244 30% N=150 11% N=55 1% N=7 100% N=500 Ease of public parking 14% N=71 52% N=258 28% N=140 2% N=12 4% N=18 100% N=498 Ease of travel by car in Edina 24% N=123 58% N=293 14% N=72 2% N=10 1% N=5 100% N=503 Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina 6% N=29 15% N=73 17% N=85 18% N=88 44% N=218 100% N=493 Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina 7% N=34 27% N=133 28% N=133 11% N=53 27% N=131 100% N=484 Ease of walking in Edina 17% N=84 41% N=202 31% N=153 7% N=36 3% N=15 100% N=489 Availability of paths and walking trails 13% N=63 41% N=202 28% N=139 11% N=53 7% N=34 100% N=491 Air quality 29% N=144 59% N=288 7% N=33 1% N=4 5% N=23 100% N=492 Cleanliness of Edina 45% N=224 49% N=240 5% N=25 0% N=2 0% N=2 100% N=493 Public places where people want to spend time 31% N=151 50% N=245 12% N=61 3% N=17 4% N=19 100% N=493 Variety of housing options 13% N=62 41% N=200 27% N=134 11% N=52 9% N=42 100% N=491 Availability of affordable quality housing 6% N=28 24% N=116 29% N=142 23% N=112 18% N=86 100% N=483 Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) 22% N=108 43% N=212 21% N=103 5% N=27 8% N=40 100% N=491 Recreational opportunities 26% N=126 45% N=220 19% N=93 4% N=17 6% N=29 100% N=485 K-12 education 61% N=298 20% N=96 4% N=22 0% N=1 15% N=73 100% N=490 Adult educational opportunities 32% N=157 40% N=195 11% N=54 1% N=6 16% N=77 100% N=489 Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 23% N=114 45% N=220 17% N=86 6% N=32 8% N=41 100% N=492 Employment opportunities 8% N=39 32% N=153 19% N=91 5% N=23 37% N=176 100% N=482 Shopping opportunities 56% N=282 34% N=171 8% N=39 2% N=8 0% N=1 100% N=501 Cost of living in Edina 8% N=41 37% N=185 41% N=204 12% N=57 2% N=8 100% N=495 Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina 27% N=137 54% N=268 11% N=53 3% N=13 5% N=27 100% N=498 Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina 15% N=75 43% N=213 18% N=89 5% N=26 18% N=88 100% N=490 Overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina 15% N=75 47% N=228 19% N=95 6% N=31 12% N=60 100% N=488 Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 17% N=82 44% N=216 20% N=100 6% N=29 13% N=63 100% N=490 Opportunities to volunteer 18% N=88 36% N=177 21% N=101 3% N=12 23% N=110 100% N=489 Opportunities to participate in community matters 15% N=72 35% N=169 22% N=107 8% N=40 20% N=96 100% N=483 Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 11% N=53 33% N=159 28% N=135 14% N=69 13% N=62 100% N=478 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 56 TABLE 69: QUESTION 11 In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members used any of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities? Never Once or twice 3 to 12 times 13 to 26 times More than 26 times Total Trails 29% N=140 19% N=93 26% N=127 12% N=57 14% N=68 100% N=485 Neighborhood parks 20% N=97 15% N=72 23% N=113 17% N=81 25% N=124 100% N=487 Large community athletic fields 60% N=290 13% N=64 11% N=51 7% N=34 9% N=42 100% N=482 Edinborough Park 50% N=242 29% N=143 15% N=71 4% N=18 2% N=12 100% N=486 Centennial Lakes Park 24% N=119 28% N=136 28% N=138 10% N=50 10% N=47 100% N=490 The Aquatic Center 76% N=369 12% N=57 5% N=23 4% N=20 3% N=14 100% N=484 The Senior Center 82% N=402 10% N=47 4% N=20 1% N=7 2% N=12 100% N=488 Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 75% N=365 11% N=53 5% N=26 3% N=14 6% N=29 100% N=486 The Edina Art Center 76% N=375 16% N=81 6% N=28 1% N=4 1% N=3 100% N=490 Braemar Golf Course 66% N=324 15% N=72 12% N=60 4% N=18 4% N=19 100% N=493 Braemar Golf Dome 79% N=383 9% N=44 9% N=45 1% N=7 2% N=9 100% N=487 Braemar Field (sports dome) 85% N=413 4% N=20 5% N=24 2% N=10 4% N=21 100% N=488 TABLE 70: QUESTION 12 Please rate each of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Trails 18% N=85 42% N=204 15% N=71 4% N=17 22% N=103 100% N=480 Neighborhood parks 30% N=146 49% N=236 9% N=42 1% N=5 12% N=56 100% N=484 Large community athletic fields 21% N=99 37% N=174 5% N=25 0% N=0 37% N=177 100% N=475 Edinborough Park 26% N=122 34% N=162 8% N=39 0% N=2 32% N=153 100% N=478 Centennial Lakes Park 47% N=227 31% N=154 4% N=19 0% N=2 18% N=86 100% N=488 The Aquatic Center 16% N=74 21% N=100 3% N=15 1% N=3 60% N=283 100% N=476 The Senior Center 11% N=54 14% N=65 3% N=14 0% N=0 72% N=339 100% N=473 Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 16% N=75 18% N=85 4% N=18 0% N=1 62% N=294 100% N=474 The Edina Art Center 10% N=46 20% N=98 7% N=32 2% N=7 62% N=294 100% N=477 Braemar Golf Course 12% N=59 23% N=112 9% N=44 2% N=7 54% N=258 100% N=480 Braemar Golf Dome 14% N=66 15% N=72 2% N=11 1% N=7 67% N=319 100% N=475 Braemar Field (sports dome) 12% N=57 10% N=45 2% N=12 0% N=2 76% N=359 100% N=474 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 57 TABLE 71: QUESTION 13 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Police services 47% N=236 34% N=171 6% N=31 3% N=13 9% N=47 100% N=497 Fire services 49% N=240 28% N=137 2% N=9 0% N=0 22% N=106 100% N=492 Ambulance or emergency medical services 45% N=223 25% N=125 2% N=9 0% N=0 27% N=135 100% N=492 Crime prevention 31% N=150 35% N=169 9% N=44 1% N=5 25% N=119 100% N=487 Fire prevention and education 27% N=128 27% N=130 8% N=39 1% N=5 37% N=175 100% N=478 Traffic enforcement 25% N=120 39% N=189 15% N=73 6% N=30 15% N=71 100% N=483 Street repair 13% N=62 35% N=171 33% N=162 17% N=84 2% N=10 100% N=489 Street cleaning 23% N=114 48% N=234 20% N=99 7% N=33 2% N=11 100% N=491 Street lighting 17% N=81 51% N=250 24% N=116 6% N=31 2% N=11 100% N=489 Snow removal 43% N=210 43% N=213 10% N=48 4% N=18 1% N=6 100% N=495 Sidewalk maintenance 16% N=78 42% N=206 18% N=86 8% N=39 16% N=77 100% N=485 Traffic signal timing 11% N=55 44% N=216 28% N=135 12% N=59 5% N=26 100% N=490 Bus or transit services 9% N=46 25% N=121 13% N=62 13% N=61 40% N=198 100% N=488 Garbage collection 30% N=150 47% N=229 11% N=55 3% N=17 8% N=42 100% N=492 Recycling 32% N=155 50% N=242 8% N=37 3% N=15 8% N=39 100% N=489 Yard waste pick-up 27% N=127 35% N=167 8% N=40 2% N=11 28% N=134 100% N=480 Storm drainage 17% N=81 48% N=231 11% N=55 7% N=33 17% N=83 100% N=482 Drinking water 24% N=120 43% N=209 16% N=80 14% N=67 3% N=15 100% N=491 Sewer services 22% N=107 44% N=212 12% N=55 2% N=9 20% N=98 100% N=482 Utility billing 21% N=102 46% N=218 15% N=73 5% N=23 13% N=61 100% N=477 City parks 40% N=191 49% N=236 6% N=28 1% N=3 5% N=24 100% N=481 Park maintenance 35% N=170 49% N=236 8% N=40 1% N=3 7% N=35 100% N=483 Condition of trails and sidewalks 21% N=103 50% N=240 12% N=57 3% N=13 15% N=70 100% N=483 Recreation programs or classes 22% N=105 31% N=148 8% N=37 1% N=6 38% N=181 100% N=478 Recreation centers or facilities 22% N=106 35% N=168 8% N=40 2% N=10 32% N=151 100% N=476 Land use, planning and zoning 11% N=52 29% N=140 19% N=92 11% N=55 29% N=138 100% N=477 Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 11% N=52 29% N=139 15% N=73 8% N=38 37% N=176 100% N=480 Animal control 15% N=72 34% N=164 13% N=62 2% N=8 37% N=179 100% N=485 Economic development 13% N=63 40% N=193 13% N=61 4% N=21 30% N=142 100% N=481 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 58 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Public health services 15% N=72 32% N=149 7% N=33 2% N=7 44% N=210 100% N=472 Public library services 46% N=224 40% N=196 3% N=13 0% N=1 10% N=50 100% N=484 Public information services 20% N=95 36% N=170 12% N=55 1% N=2 31% N=145 100% N=467 Cable television 10% N=47 28% N=134 21% N=101 18% N=89 23% N=109 100% N=481 Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 12% N=57 29% N=138 10% N=46 6% N=29 43% N=205 100% N=475 Edina open space 14% N=65 42% N=200 17% N=83 6% N=29 21% N=99 100% N=477 City-sponsored special events 15% N=72 42% N=200 13% N=62 4% N=18 26% N=125 100% N=477 Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina 26% N=128 57% N=275 9% N=46 3% N=15 4% N=19 100% N=482 TABLE 72: QUESTION 14 Thinking about your property taxes in comparison with neighboring cities, do you consider property taxes in Edina to be…? Percent Number Very high 16% N=78 Somewhat high 31% N=154 About average 33% N=163 Somewhat low 4% N=21 Very low 1% N=7 Don't know 14% N=71 Total 100% N=494 TABLE 73: QUESTION 15 To what extent would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain City services at their current level? Percent Number Strongly support 6% N=27 Somewhat support 34% N=166 Somewhat oppose 26% N=130 Strongly oppose 21% N=105 Don't know 13% N=61 Total 100% N=489 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 59 TABLE 74: QUESTION 16 All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track? Percent Number Right direction 66% N=325 Wrong track 25% N=121 Don't know 10% N=47 Total 100% N=493 TABLE 75: QUESTION 16 - WRONG TRACK, WHY? All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track? If Wrong track, Why? Percent Number City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) 15% N=17 Poor development/overbuilding/density of city 30% N=34 Affordable housing/cost of living/teardowns 11% N=13 Schools/education 6% N=7 Lack of sense of community and natural beauty (open space, parks, etc.) 4% N=5 Resident opinions not valued 11% N=13 Traffic and infrastructure (road and sidewalk maintenance, bike paths, snow removal, etc.) 14% N=17 Other 8% N=9 Total 100% N=116 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response for why they feel the City is on the wrong track. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. TABLE 76: QUESTION 17 Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community? Percent Number Yes 46% N=222 No 25% N=123 Don't know 29% N=141 Total 100% N=485 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 60 TABLE 77: QUESTION 17 - NO, WHY? Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community? If No, Why? Percent Number Public voice not heard/listened to 28% N=29 Decisions are predetermined 6% N=7 Decisions are biased towards commercial/wealthy or special interests 18% N=19 No opportunities/venue/difficult to participate 16% N=16 Communication issues (slow response time, unhelpfulness, etc.) 6% N=6 Other 25% N=26 Total 100% N=103 Respondents were given an opportunity to write-in a response for why they responded with no to question 17. The responses were reviewed and grouped into the above categories. Please see Appendix C: Verbatim Responses to Open-ended Survey Questions for the verbatim responses. TABLE 78: QUESTION 18 Please rate the following categories of Edina government performance: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina 21% N=100 49% N=238 15% N=75 4% N=19 11% N=56 100% N=488 The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement 11% N=52 38% N=186 17% N=84 10% N=47 24% N=118 100% N=486 Overall confidence in Edina government 15% N=74 49% N=240 16% N=77 9% N=44 12% N=57 100% N=492 Generally acting in the best interest of the community 16% N=78 48% N=235 16% N=76 9% N=44 11% N=56 100% N=489 Treating all residents fairly 13% N=62 43% N=210 15% N=74 9% N=42 20% N=98 100% N=486 TABLE 79: QUESTION 19 Please rate the following aspects of drinking water in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Appearance 33% N=163 42% N=212 17% N=83 6% N=28 3% N=14 100% N=499 Taste 22% N=113 34% N=172 22% N=112 18% N=90 3% N=16 100% N=503 Odor 28% N=136 36% N=177 22% N=108 11% N=54 3% N=17 100% N=493 Hardness 12% N=61 18% N=91 27% N=135 35% N=173 7% N=33 100% N=494 Reliability 38% N=188 40% N=198 10% N=47 5% N=25 6% N=31 100% N=489 Safety 32% N=157 41% N=201 10% N=48 4% N=19 14% N=68 100% N=493 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 61 TABLE 80: QUESTION 20 How well, if at all, do you feel the City is managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina? Percent Number Very well 13% N=64 Somewhat well 40% N=198 Somewhat poorly 18% N=92 Very poorly 8% N=39 Don't know 21% N=107 Total 100% N=499 TABLE 81: QUESTION 21 The City of Edina owns and operates three municipal liquor stores. Profits from the liquor operations are used for capital and public improvements and to offset operating costs of some recreation facilities. To what extent do you support the City continuing to operate its municipal liquor stores? Percent Number Strongly support 52% N=261 Somewhat support 29% N=147 Somewhat oppose 6% N=31 Strongly oppose 7% N=37 Don't know 6% N=29 Total 100% N=505 TABLE 82: QUESTION 22 If you have purchased liquor, what portion of your business would you say goes to any one of the three Edina municipal liquor stores? Percent Number All of my business 13% N=67 Most of my business 27% N=134 Some of my business 34% N=171 None of my business 8% N=40 Not applicable 18% N=91 Total 100% N=503 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 62 TABLE 83: QUESTION 23 Please rate your impression of each of the following: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Product selection 26% N=124 44% N=216 12% N=60 1% N=3 17% N=83 100% N=487 Prices of products 11% N=54 34% N=164 30% N=143 9% N=42 17% N=81 100% N=485 Layout, organization and presentation of the store 22% N=108 50% N=241 11% N=52 1% N=4 17% N=81 100% N=486 Courtesy and friendliness of staff 41% N=201 36% N=174 6% N=29 1% N=3 16% N=80 100% N=486 Knowledge of staff 31% N=150 42% N=203 6% N=28 0% N=1 21% N=99 100% N=481 TABLE 84: QUESTION 24 Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. Not a problem Minor problem Moderate problem Major problem Extreme problem Don't know Total Traffic speeding in your neighborhood 34% N=171 29% N=147 19% N=97 11% N=54 4% N=20 2% N=12 100% N=501 Stop sign violations in your neighborhood 40% N=200 25% N=125 15% N=74 8% N=37 4% N=22 7% N=36 100% N=495 Violent crime 68% N=338 13% N=65 5% N=26 0% N=1 0% N=0 14% N=68 100% N=497 Drugs 49% N=241 17% N=84 8% N=39 2% N=10 0% N=1 25% N=122 100% N=497 Youth crimes 44% N=216 20% N=97 9% N=47 3% N=16 0% N=0 24% N=119 100% N=496 Vandalism and property crimes 34% N=168 34% N=167 13% N=67 4% N=20 0% N=2 15% N=75 100% N=499 Identity theft 37% N=184 10% N=48 7% N=35 5% N=27 0% N=2 40% N=201 100% N=498 Domestic abuse 34% N=168 10% N=49 4% N=18 2% N=12 0% N=1 50% N=247 100% N=495 TABLE 85: QUESTION 25 Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. To what extent do you support the City changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community? Percent Number Strongly support 22% N=105 Somewhat support 20% N=94 Somewhat oppose 16% N=75 Strongly oppose 25% N=121 Don't know 18% N=85 Total 100% N=481 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 63 TABLE 86: QUESTION 26 Please rate the extent to which you use each of the following as sources of information about Edina government and its activities, if at all. Not a source Minor source Major source Don't know Total About Town City magazine 15% N=70 45% N=215 33% N=158 8% N=38 100% N=481 Parks & Recreation Activities Directory 28% N=132 42% N=199 18% N=86 13% N=62 100% N=478 Edina Sun-Current newspaper 27% N=133 28% N=137 34% N=165 11% N=53 100% N=489 Edition: Edina monthly insert in Edina Sun-Current newspaper 36% N=165 31% N=142 17% N=78 17% N=80 100% N=465 Star-Tribune newspaper 29% N=142 35% N=171 27% N=134 9% N=42 100% N=489 City’s website (www.EdinaMN.gov) 32% N=154 36% N=173 18% N=87 14% N=67 100% N=481 Edina Channels 16 or 813 65% N=316 13% N=64 3% N=15 18% N=88 100% N=483 City employees 56% N=269 22% N=106 4% N=21 17% N=81 100% N=477 City Council members 68% N=322 14% N=64 2% N=10 16% N=77 100% N=473 Direct mail updates 27% N=127 41% N=197 18% N=87 13% N=63 100% N=475 Social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) 58% N=279 19% N=93 8% N=36 15% N=69 100% N=477 Blogs 75% N=358 5% N=23 3% N=16 17% N=79 100% N=476 NextDoor 54% N=257 18% N=84 11% N=53 18% N=84 100% N=478 Online web stream videos on YouTube or Granicus 75% N=355 6% N=28 2% N=7 18% N=84 100% N=475 City Extra e-mail subscription service 67% N=317 9% N=41 8% N=38 16% N=77 100% N=473 Word of mouth from friends, family or neighbors 9% N=44 45% N=216 40% N=195 6% N=30 100% N=485 TABLE 87: QUESTION 27 To what extent do you find About Town to be an effective communication tool for keeping informed of City activities? Percent Number Very effective 20% N=100 Somewhat effective 45% N=224 Somewhat ineffective 10% N=48 Very ineffective 5% N=26 Don't know 20% N=97 Total 100% N=495 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 64 TABLE 88: QUESTION 28 Have you accessed the City of Edina website (www.EdinaMN.gov) in the last 12 months? Percent Number No 53% N=260 Yes 47% N=234 Total 100% N=494 TABLE 89: QUESTION 29 Please rate the following aspects of the Edina website. Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Appearance 28% N=66 56% N=131 14% N=32 0% N=0 2% N=6 100% N=236 Online information and services offered 23% N=55 54% N=128 19% N=45 1% N=2 2% N=6 100% N=235 Ease of navigation/ability to find information 19% N=44 38% N=88 30% N=71 11% N=26 2% N=5 100% N=234 Overall quality of the City of Edina website 21% N=49 50% N=115 25% N=58 2% N=4 2% N=5 100% N=230 Responses to this question are only from those who reported that they had accessed the City website. TABLE 90: QUESTION 30 With which of the following departments have you had contact (email, in-person or phone) in the last 12 months? Percent Number I have not contacted the City 43% N=205 Police 21% N=99 Parks and Recreation 17% N=82 General information 15% N=72 Public Works 12% N=57 Building Inspections 10% N=48 Street Maintenance 8% N=38 Utility Billing 7% N=34 Utilities 7% N=34 City Clerk 7% N=33 Other 6% N=27 Planning/Economic Development 5% N=26 Engineering 5% N=24 Fire 5% N=23 Assessing 5% N=22 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 65 With which of the following departments have you had contact (email, in-person or phone) in the last 12 months? Percent Number City Manager 3% N=15 Communications 2% N=12 Environmental Services 2% N=9 Health 2% N=8 Human Resources 1% N=7 I.T./Technology services 0% N=0 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. TABLE 91: QUESTION 31 Please rate your impression of City employees: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Total Knowledge 42% N=119 47% N=132 4% N=10 3% N=9 5% N=13 100% N=284 Courtesy 44% N=125 39% N=111 10% N=28 4% N=11 4% N=10 100% N=285 Responsiveness 41% N=118 40% N=112 9% N=25 6% N=18 4% N=11 100% N=284 Follow-up (got back to you or took action if needed) 36% N=99 34% N=93 8% N=22 7% N=19 16% N=43 100% N=275 Overall customer service 40% N=114 43% N=123 8% N=22 5% N=14 4% N=13 100% N=285 TABLE 92: QUESTION D1 What impact, if any, do you think the economy will have on your family income in the next 6 months? Do you think the impact will be: Percent Number Very positive 5% N=25 Somewhat positive 28% N=140 Neutral 53% N=267 Somewhat negative 13% N=66 Very negative 1% N=5 Total 100% N=503 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 66 TABLE 93: QUESTION D2 What is your employment status? Percent Number Working full time for pay 56% N=284 Working part time for pay 11% N=56 Unemployed, looking for paid work 1% N=5 Unemployed, not looking for paid work 3% N=17 Fully retired 28% N=144 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 94: QUESTION D3 Do you work inside the boundaries of Edina? Percent Number Yes, outside the home 23% N=108 No 12% N=55 Yes, from home 65% N=310 Total 100% N=473 TABLE 95: QUESTION D4 How many years have you lived in Edina? Percent Number Less than 2 years 9% N=44 2-5 years 21% N=107 6 to 10 years 13% N=65 11 to 20 years 19% N=96 More than 20 years 39% N=198 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 96: QUESTION D5 Which best describes the building you live in? Percent Number One family house detached from any other houses 59% N=296 Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium) 38% N=192 Other 3% N=16 Total 100% N=504 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 67 TABLE 97: QUESTION D6 Is this house or apartment... Percent Number Rented 24% N=122 Owned 76% N=386 Total 100% N=507 TABLE 98: QUESTION D7 About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Percent Number Less than $300 per month 3% N=13 $300 - $599 per month 8% N=38 $600 - $999 per month 13% N=60 $1,000 - $1,499 per month 25% N=119 $1,500 - $2,499 per month 29% N=139 $2,500 or more per month 23% N=110 Total 100% N=479 TABLE 99: QUESTION D8 Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent Number No 71% N=358 Yes 29% N=148 Total 100% N=506 TABLE 100: QUESTION D9 Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent Number No 62% N=315 Yes 38% N=191 Total 100% N=506 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 68 TABLE 101: QUESTION D10 How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent Number Less than $25,000 7% N=32 $25,000 to $49,999 13% N=59 $50,000 to $99,999 28% N=129 $100,000 to $149,999 17% N=80 $150,000 or more 35% N=163 Total 100% N=462 TABLE 102: QUESTION D11 Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent Number No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 98% N=487 Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 2% N=11 Total 100% N=498 TABLE 103: QUESTION D12 What is your race? Percent Number White 91% N=449 Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 6% N=30 Black or African American 2% N=11 Other 2% N=8 American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% N=8 Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one answer. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 69 TABLE 104: QUESTION D13 In which category is your age? Percent Number 18 to 24 years 3% N=18 25 to 34 years 12% N=60 35 to 44 years 13% N=65 45 to 54 years 24% N=121 55 to 64 years 14% N=74 65 to 74 years 14% N=70 75 years or older 20% N=101 Total 100% N=509 TABLE 105: QUESTION D14 What is your sex? Percent Number Female 53% N=265 Male 47% N=235 Total 100% N=500 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 70 APPENDIX C: VERBATIM RESPONSES TO OPEN-ENDED SURVEY QUESTION Following are verbatim responses to the “other specify” questions on the survey. Because these responses were written by survey participants, they are presented here in verbatim form, including any typographical, grammar or other mistakes. The responses are in alphabetical order. QUESTION 5: WHAT ONE THING DO YOU LIKE MOST, IF ANYTHING, ABOUT LIVING IN EDINA? Convenient location/accessibility • 1)Proximity to things I use 2) Easy to start and continue relationships with other residents. • Access to local amenities such as highways, shopping and parks. • Access to so many things near our home. • Accessibility to most things. • Accessibility. • Be centrally located-short commutes to all metro areas. • Can get access to places conveniently ex: shopping, grocery, library, community & more. • Central location. • Central location. • Central location. • Central location. • Central location. • Central location. • Centrally located in the metro area with great amenities all around, yet feels more quiet than living in the city proper. • Centrally located to other parts of the Twin City. • Centrally located, great access to major roads. • Centrally located. • Close enough to the city but not in the city. • Close in to Minneapolis, 50th & France downtown feel. • Close proximity to downtown, airport, etc. Location. • Close proximity to downtown, parks, activities. • Close proximity to Mpls with great physical setting (creek, etc). • Close to all my doctors. • Close to downtown Mpls. Everything we need in a reasonable distance. • Close to downtown. • Close to everything (highway ect). • Close to everything. • close to freeways • Close to lakes, shopping, dining. Good schools. • Close to metro amenities. • Close to mpls- urban/suburban feel. • Close to places I want to use/purchase from. • Close to Southdale. • Close to work, school, and church. • Close to YMCA and shopping. • Closeness to [?], Y, Target other stores. • Closeness to shopping of large variety of goods. • Convenience of groceries, shopping, library. • Convenience of location for shopping, freeways other locations. • Convenience of location in metro area to downtown, airport, etc. • Convenience of location. • Convenience of quality stores, hospital. • Convenience to all parts of the city. • Convenience to apts 7 St. Paul for cultural amenities: museums, opera, mu orchestra. • Convenience to doctors- shopping. • Convenience to everything we need. • Convenience to everything. • Convenience to everything. • Convenience to freeway, Southdale. • Convenience to location of all areas important to life. • Convenience to medical & dental; stores, restaurants. • Convenience to most of metro area. • Convenience to most things. • Convenience to other parts of the city. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience. • Convenience-hospital-bus line,-shopping. • Convenient location to most areas of Twin Cities. • Convenient location, close to shopping and job location. • Convenient location. • Convenient location. • Convenient to all areas. • Convenient to downtown Mpls, the lakes, the airport. • Convenient to the rest of the twin cities. • Convenient. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 71 • Conveniently located/urban. • Ease of access to everything in Twin Cities. Strong sense of community. Reliable services (e.g. plowing). • Ease of access to freeways and other communities. • Easy access to bus transportation. • Easy access to highways. • Easy to get every were. • Everything is available yet we feel like we live in a quiet area. • Good location. • Great location to things important to me. • Great location. • Great location. • Having easy access to highways, when traveling to other cities. • I use MetroTransit, and can get to almost any place I really need, especially to the airport. • In my age I can live in an area where its close to everything I need. • It is very convenient. • Its accessibility- close to downtown. • Its handy to get to places for walk, biking & bus. • Its location for my activities, and retail. • Like close to store, banks, church. • Location • Location - central. • Location - close to DTS up town. • Location & ease of visiting/traveling throughout twin cities. Hwy 494,35,62. • Location & nostalgia. • Location- access to freeways, access to parks. • Location and schools. • Location in relation to Mpls/St Paul. • Location is great, seems safe, schools great. • Location is proximate to everything. • Location to city. • Location to medical, business, etc places. • Location within larger twin cities. • Location! Easy to get to downtown Mpls/airport/Lake Minnetonka. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location. • Location-close to Mpls, airport. • Love the Wetland in our backyard, yet only 20 min from down town. • Metro central. • Near the church, doctors. • Near working place/location. • Overall ease of getting to places. • Proximity to area entertainment incl. but not limited to movies, theatre, dance, live music events and venues, sports and etc. • Proximity to downtown while not being in Minneapolis proper. • Proximity to downtown, airport. • Proximity to downtown. Safety. • Proximity to everything. • Proximity to most locations. • Proximity to pretty much everything. • Reasonable distance to airport & Mpls. • The convenience of getting to other cities. • The convenience of shops. • The convenience to many areas- Mpls, airport, up north etc. • The location. • The proximity to just about anywhere in the Twin Cities. • Very central location. Schools • education and recreational facilities are some of the bests weve seen and visited • Education. • Educational system, youth sports. • Education-quality of neighborhoods. • Good schools • Good schools & parks. • Good schools, good public works-snow removal, street maintenance, safe. • Good schools. • Good schools. • Good schools. • Great education- best school district. • Great schools for my child • Great schools for my two kids. • great schools, great parks, proximity to Minneapolis • Great schools. • Great schools. Nice central location. Abundance of mature neighborhoods. • Great schools/sense of community. • My children attend the Edina Family Center for their schooling, and everything at that the school is top-notch. • Overall reputation of schools. • Proximity to good schools, shopping, medical parks, and closeness to all of the cities. • Quality of education. • Quality of schools • Quality of schools and well known by everyone in the twin cities. • Quality of schools. • Quality schools. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 72 • School systems. • School. Proximity to downtown. 50th & France dining. • schools • Schools & public works well managed. • Schools (fire, police also). • Schools and Edina garden council. • Schools ease of getting to necessary places. • Schools, close to airport & down towns. • Schools, proximity to shopping, etc. • Schools, safe, convenient. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • Schools. • The good schools, the familiarity of having grown up here. • The school system is amazing. Love the parks and the Edina Community offerings for children • The schools & proximity to Minneapolis. • The schools are good. • World class public schools Beauty/cleanliness of community • [?] dont, clean • Attractive area. • Attractive area. • Attractive community, convenience, proximity to Mpls. • Attractive community. • Beauty, convenience. • Clean city. • Cleanliness. • Cleanliness. • Cleanliness/safety. • Everything is well maintained, location is central to everything. • Great snow removal, beautiful. • Greenery/environment. • How well everything is maintained. • It is a clean city. • Its neat & clean. • Its pretty. • Its very clean, safe, beautiful area to live in. • Many amenities, lots of grass, flowers & other landscaping. • Physical condition of community. • Pond in the backyard. • Snow plows are awesome. • Streets are clean and well maintained. • The beauty. • The streets get plowed in a timely manner. • Upkeep of community. • We maintained, good schools, good reputation. • Well maintained. Housing/neighborhood • Beautiful neighborhoods amenities are close by. • Beautiful neighborhoods. • Big lots, mature trees, quiet, folks tale are of their homes. • Charming and Walkability neighborhood. • Feeling of independent town with an economic center, not like an unplanned suburb. • Good neighborhood park system. • Good neighborhoods & neighbors. • Good neighbors. • Great neighborhoods. • Great neighbors. • Historic houses, established neighborhoods 50th/France. • I wish there were less apartments and more condos going up. • Life at 7500 york. • Morning side neighborhood. • My area including all businesses along France ave (494-62). • My condo. • My home and surroundings. • Neighborhood. • Neighborhood/neighbors. • Nice neighborhood. • Nice neighborhoods. • Our condo & the people. • Our house & our yard and proximity to work. • Our neighborhood. • Our neighbors. • Our neighbors. • Property value retention. • Quality of neighborhoods & stores. • Resale value of home. • Since we live near 50th & France, I love how the downtown area continues to improve. Sense of community (friendly, quiet, peaceful, etc.) • "Community". • Classy community and economically healthy suburb. • Close knit community separate from but adjacent to major metro area. • Community engagement & opportunities to be outside, schools. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 73 • Community feel, safety & schools. • Community. • Community. • Educated populace. • Family-job. • Friendliness & safety & good roads. • Homogeneous population. • Its a thriving community. • Our close community-all looking out for each other. • Peaceful, easy access to other communities. • Peaceful. • Peacefulness. • People are helpful. • People. • Quality of the people living here. • Quiet. • Sense of community, safe, quality of life. • Small town sense of community. • Small-town feel. • Stable community. • The friendliness of the community. • The people & culture. • The people hard working, honest people who want the best for their families. • View, quiet, people same as me. • Wonderful community. Safe • Its a clean, safe community. • Low crime rate. • Low crime. • Overall safety and quietness. • Police are very quick to respond. • Police. • Safe & clean neighborhood. • Safe community. • Safe community. • Safe for walking & biking. • Safe living. • Safe neighborhoods, easy to get everywhere. • Safe, well cared for city, 50th & France, shopping. • Safe. • Safe. • Safer than most areas. • Safety, excellent schools. • Safety. • Safety. • Safety. Nature visible in the pond in my back yard. • Security. • We feel safe. Reputation of community (well-run government, economic health, etc.) • 1st ring suburb yet quiet, safe, upper middle class. • A well-run community. • City government (mayor, city council) relationship w/community is not good! Too much spending on wrong things. • City reputation. • Community commitment to excellence. • Economic health of Edina. • Economic health, well thought out development, high standards. • Economically stable, solid infrastructure. • Edina is a well managed city-great place to raise family. • Edinas spirit. • Good governance. • Good reputation. • It is a superior place to live that not everyone can afford so it feels like a special place. • Most people take pride in their residences. • Overall the city is well run and has foresight to look at and plan for the future. • People had to work to live here-and appreciate it. • People know about it. • Property owners care about their homes at their own time and expense. • Status-housing-restaurants. • Tries to keep up with latest trends. • Upscale feel of the area no run down neighborhoods. • Well run well managed city. Parks and trails/recreation centers/open spaces • Areas of open space-parks etc. You feel like you can breathe and arent in a big city. • Availability of parks, shopping, eating. • Bike trail. • Centennial Lake. Park. • Centennial Lakes park. • Centennial Lakes. • Nature- we live by Minnehaha Creek. • Park system. • Parks, schools. • Parks, trails. • Parks. • Parks. • Parks. • Parks-walking. • Summer is the best part in MN but Edina lakes and environment makes it better place to live. • Swimming pool in park in the bldg. • Todd park tennis courts. Shopping/restaurants • A downtown • Close to mall, restaurants & stores. • Easy access to shopping. • Good shopping areas-all types of stores. • Schools. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 74 • Convenience of shopping & dining. • Stores, shopping centers, good grocery stores. • Location to restaurants, entertainment. • The commercial area. • Proximity to shop. • The restaurants. • Edina has most shopping centers and grocery centers around. Positive comments about overall quality of life and community • Comfort in all aspects- emotional, physical. • Everything I need is here. • Great city-great metro access. • great quality of life • High quality of life. • Quality of life overall. • Quality of life. • Quality of life. Walkability • Ability to walk to many places. • Increasing walkability, e.g.- Southdale- Centennial lakes via east side of France ave, morning side neighborhood, Dr. • Walkability area around Centennial Lakes neighborhood. • Walkability streets - where we live! • Walkability. • Walking Centennial lakes. • We are walking distance to parks, shopping, YMCA. Public services • Amenities. • Best snowing clearing early. • City services are amazing- snow removal etc. • City services. • Excellent snow plowing. • Great public services. • Health care law enforcement fire/EMT. • Library, Centennial lakes parks, shopping, Ymca. • Library, senior center. • More amenities. • New services, attractions. • Senior center. • Snow removal. Close to family, job, etc. • Close to job. • Close to work. • Convenience-family now here. • Family lives here. • Love my condo living after the death of my husband. I am close proximity to my soft family. • Near my grand children. • Proximity to family. • Proximity to relatives. • Proximity to work. Other • At the time we moved here it was affordable. • Emergency response home. • Everything! • I appreciate the well-run city. • Less commercial development. • Lower taxes for bigger lots than the city. • Lower taxes, good transportation (auto). • No one thing. • Nothing special. • Numerous opportunities. • Overall good quality city. Edina theatre tolerance & equality. • See #2 • Taxes lower than Minneapolis. • What I like most about Edina in the past, I no longer do. • What plans for Fred Richards golf course. • What plans for Fred Richards golf course. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 75 QUESTION 6: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MOST SERIOUS ISSUE FACING EDINA AT THIS TIME? Housing concerns (teardowns, affordability, etc.) • Affordable housing for all- not just immigrants or certain cultures. • Affordable housing for middle class. • Affordable housing for those working in Edina and senior living. • Affordable housing for young families to be able to live near parents • Affordable housing for young families. • Affordable housing specifically for teachers to live and work in the same community. • Affordable housing, increases in taxes, traffic- Southdale area. • Affordable housing. • Affordable housing. • Affordable housing. • Balancing development with increased traffic (quality of life), becoming even more of a "rich" community with lack of diversity. • Becoming over built & losing its uniqueness. • Being forced into subsided housing to an extent it would change items in #2. • Building apartments- liking homes down- building 3 in its place. • Building too many apts- issue with beacon housing. • Building/replacing small-affordable homes, with large ugly homes-that lack character. • Commercial density. • Continued growth of business. • Cost of housing. • Deciding about affordable housing- will the demolition of moderately- priced homes keep going. • Destroying neighborhoods with new homes that don't fit. • Development decisions- West 66 & Southdale ctr issues. • Development that is destroying the environment that brings residents to Edina. • Different desires for future growth. • Excessive tear down of houses with huge ones being built it affects the overall usage/feel since the houses don't harmonize with the neighborhood. • Expansion. • "Expansion" (new multiple housing) traffic. • Freeway encroachment & crowding. • Future development. • Getting overbuilt with more expensive condo/apt buildings. • Getting too much high density around Southdale area. • Ginormous houses on tiny lots. • Growth. • Home construction management. • Homeless housing on 66th st! Bringing the fox to the chicken coop. • Homes being torn down & a lack of concern for the quality of new construction. • Housing affordability for middle class. • Housing availability & expensive rent. • Housing costs are quickly getting too high. • Housing costs rising. • Housing for homeless youth. • Housing for people who work in Edina. • Housing prices make it difficult for young families to purchase here. • Housing prices raising taxes to price we cannot continue to pay. • Housing-too many tear downs. Traffic. • How to make best development decisions. • Increasing commercial development. • Insatiable appetite for high density housing to increase tax base. • It is being over built traffic is horrible on France because of jamming too much in a small area congestion from apts/businesses out of control! • Lack of affordable housing. • Lack of middle class housing. • Letting the city "rebuild" itself. • Low income housing. • Low income housing. • Major apt. building boom-too much too crowded. • Maybe not the most services- but an issue affordable senior housing. • Mega mansion increase. • New building theme. • Only can build up not out. • Over building in residential areas. • Over building in the Southdale area. • Over building of apartment buildings. • Over building of private homes, crime on the rise. • Over building you don't want to leave a square inch vacant. • Over building. • Over building. • Over crowding-adding too many apts. • Overbuilding apartments. • Overbuilding in commercial property. • Overbuilding of condo, apt., tear downs. • Overbuilding too much traffic being added. • Overbuilding-high density housing. • Overcrowding with too many condos. • Overcrowding-too many high-rise buildings. • Overdevelopment and the government giving too much leeway to developers while not considering the quality of life of residents. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 76 • Overgrowth. • Personally I'm unable to sustain economically; affordable housing. • Pricing of houses is not allowing diverse communities to move in. • Property values, city council does not listen to residents. • Public housing. • Push for apt density and tear down of affordable housing. • Redevelopment of housing. • Redevelopment, staying fresh. • Re-development; over development and traffic. • Replacing small homes that fit the lot size and neighborhood with large not so attractive ones. • Seeing the housing needs of baby boomers. Pedestrian safety. • Smart growth. • Tear down/over building monstrous homes on small lots. • Tear downs! • The housing is very expensive. • The neighborhoods appear to be losing some character with each new tear-down and rebuild. I'd like to see that slowed down. I like the charm of the original houses. • The number of tear downs and McMansions being built. • The tear-down craze. • To many big house going up. • Too many apartments & road congestion. • Too many high rises. • Too many homes being torn down! Running the character of neighborhoods. • Too many new condos being built will effect traffic flow already stressed on France ave. • Too many tear downs of houses. • Too many teardowns -- housing costs are getting too high. • Too much development little open space left. • Too much expansion. • Too much low income housing. • Too much multiple housing & Southdale is terrible. • Unaffordable housing. • Urban sprawl- how to either welcome it or [?] it so does not become a major problem. • Very expensive housing. Traffic and infrastructure (road maintenance, snow removal, etc.) • Ability to walk at winter-clearing and snow around walk ways, especially by bus. • Ageing of housing & redevelopment. • Aging transportation. • Bad drivers. • Car traffic. • City is not special anymore city roads, medians are no longer well kept. • Clutter & mess along freeways, salt kill along streets. • Congestion. • corner of wooddale and valley view needs an update. • Crosstown traffic and airplane noise. • Crumbling streets. • Dated/low quality neighborhood business districts. Would like revitalized restaurant/retail in places other the 50th/France. (70th Cahill, Normandale, Grandviee, etc.) • Density-traffic congestion too many apts. • Fixing the roads-potholes really bad. • France ave and the cross town ramps- heavy traffic. • France Ave. is never easy to get through. • Good roads- but better than surrounding areas. • Heavy traffic not ample parking at med bldgs, libraries, restaurant, don't feel safe walking against drivers. • Heavy traffic, highways, medical complexes. • Highways. • Individual homes being accessed for street rebuild. • Infrastructure (roads, etc), too may apartments & high rises, water taste. • Infrastructure- bad streets. • Infrastructure is showing its age and, in places, downright crumbling. • Maintaining infrastructure. • Outside commuter traffic thru neighborhoods/construction parking. • Poor street conditions -pot holes etc. • Poorly built near new construction homes, old community center. • Pot holes. • Road conditions. • Road/street repairs- neighborhood assessments to steep. • Roads & traffic. • Roads conditions, bad! • Roads need to be fixed-too many potholes. • Roads. • Roads. • Some streets and highways are very heavily loaded with traffic. • Speeding traffic & too many commercial trucks on streets. • Street assessments. • Streets & paving. • Streets need repair. • Streets not repaired way too much traffic- too many apartment buildings. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 77 • The convoluted roundabouts & slow down of traffic b/c of the non used bike lanes. • The cost of re-doing the city infrastructure, i.e. street, sewer, water etc. • The crumbling infrastructure is very apparent. The streets seem to be deteriorating at a fast pace. It also appears more difficult to achieve consensus among Council members. There seems to be less unanimity in pursuing community investments and policis. Please continue to support redevelopment efforts to grow the tax base and encourage reinvestment in properties. • The wall on Hwy 100 that residents are paying for. • traffic • Traffic caused by population density. • Traffic congestion in & around grand view. • Traffic issues on Eastbound 62 and elsewhere making it difficult to more around time-quality of life, don't make me sit in traffic. • Traffic issues on France & York due to numerous apartments being built in Southdale area. • Traffic issues throughout our community. • Traffic with too many people rent new apartment. • Traffic, but its hard to think of something serious. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic. • Traffic-on the highway. • Transportation/traffic near Southdale with new construction of multi family dwellings. • What to do w/grand view empty space/former public works. City government operations (fiscal responsibility, taxes, etc.) • A city council that ignores Edina residents. • Bloated government-taxes, police. • City council is not responsive to resident requests. • Controlling costs of management. • Driving out young families because of increasing taxes & forced proposals. • Excessive spending-city & schools. • Financial - restoring old schools and roads • Financial condition of the city and low credit rating. • Fiscal responsibility-pushing bike lanes. • Fiscal risk over building. • Frivolous spending by city. • Gov. wanting to spend too much money. • Government willing to spend spend spend. • High property taxes. • High property taxes. • High real estate taxes. • High taxation. • High taxes for seniors. • High taxes. • High taxes. • High taxes. • I assume property taxes. • Keep in real estate taxes lower. • Lack of fiscal responsibilities & lack of road care & repair. • Large amount of foreign students using the public schools causes too much of a tax payer burden. • Leaders that run the council like their own kingdom, instead of democracy. • Local govt tendency towards left wing liberal ideas. • Maintaining economic health. • Mayor & city council chasing ideological fads & trends regardless of cost. • Misuse of referendum money. • One of us says maintaining as tax revenues get higher, the other says affordable housing for young families. • Outrageous taxes - mismanagement of city goals. • Over control. • Over spending resulting in higher real estate taxes. • Over taxation. • Paying the new school tax. • Poor city administration (very unresponsive and petulant when contacted). • Property tax level is too high. • Property taxes are very high considering city special assessed for street reconstruction. • Property taxes. • Real estate taxes continue to increase. We need to be mindful of the future affordable for our residents. • Sense of community "as a whole"- staff accountability - fiscal responsibility. • Taxes too high. • Taxes- will people be able to keep up in retirement/housing development building McMansions. • Taxes. • Taxes. • Taxes. • The leadership has destroyed the fabric of what made this city so great. The direction the leadership is taking this city is deplorable. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 78 • The taxes are going up each year. • Too expensive-high taxes. • Too many employers paying school and city administration costs for persons employees of the city and [?]. • Watershed district too restrictive on property. Bike paths/sidewalks/pedestrian travel • Access over France to east businesses for walker/biker. • Airplane noise, lack of sidewalks. • Better access to bike trails avoiding busy streets. • Better bike paths. • Better sidewalks & crossings. • Bicycle routes/public transportation. • Falling behind in contemporary quality of life measurements such as walkability and bikeability. • High auto traffic areas and lack of sidewalks. • Lack of dedicated bike lanes. • Lack of side walks. • Lack of sidewalks • Not a "serious" issue but I hate the bike lanes. • Not sufficient places to walk, lack of sidewalk & bike paths. • Obsession with pointing bike lanes & building sidewalks. • Residents complaining about developing public land & sidewalk additions. • Sidewalks (lack of) crossing at intersections. • Sidewalks, pedestrian are not really important in general. • Spending money on bike trail. • Walkability/bikeability. • What to build and road/sidewalk conditions. I know the low income housing apartments was a hot topic recently as many feared it would bring a demographic into the city that was not wanted. I understand building these types of units for underprivileged aults, but if safety is ever compromised you may see people looking elsewhere for home ownership. We moved to Edina (countryside) late 2013 and 6 months later had 2 bicycles stolen out of our garage while we were home. I've never had anything like this hppen and I've lived in Eagan, Rosemount, Apple Valley and Bloomington. Edina is safe for the most part, but I'm quick to tell people to be careful as it's exposed to crime like any other suburb. We pay about $13,000 per year in property tax and the strets should be lined with gold for that amount, however I do wish there were more patrol cars in my neighborhood (countryside) on a regular basis driving up and down the roads. Their very presence will deter crime. Also, road and sidewalk conditions. Edina is a very old/established city and many streets are suffering. I live off tracy Ave in the countryside neighborhood and this road is embarrassingly bad. It's in serious need of repaving. Its full of cracks and potholes. Every time I drive on this rod I'm trying to remind myself why I live here? Oh yeah, great schools and proximity to shopping etc. The sidewalks aren't much better. For the amount I pay in tax/year it's ridiculous to have streets in this poor condition. I understand that theres onl so many funds to cover these projects, but Edina should have the best paved streets and sidewalks for the amount the city is taking from it's tenants in tax. Lack of diversity and sense of community • Ability to attract a younger and more diverse population. Divisions and priorities between older and younger and more "suburban" and "urban" desires within the city. • Attracting young families. • Declining sense of community. • Diversity. • Homogeneity. • How do we support and build community with changing & diverse residents to keep engagement high for all. How do we make Edina accessible. • Inclusion of various cultures/still very few "minorities". • Lack of cultural diversity. • Lack of diversity. • Lack of diversity. • Lack of diversity-no affordable housing- no sidewalks. • Lack of economic diversity w/c if tear down Cruzel. • Little diversity. • losing the neighborhood feel • No sense of community anymore- too much a corporate "brand". • Not enough diversity. • There is zero diversity. • Too many people moving in from outside of the country that don't respect our culture or values. • We have very little people of color(s) we need to open up to them. No issue/positive comments • N/A. • Continue enhancing- doing a great job so far. • N/A • N/A. • Nothing comes to mind. • Nothing of note. • Nothing. • there is no such issue. • This is well managed city-at. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 79 Safety • Crime and inability of many residents to send kids to Edina schools. • Crime in neighborhoods, taxes. • Crime. • Crime. • Crime-keeping businesses malls current beautiful -so people will went to visit. • Denial of crime awareness/activity- need larger police force. • Drug use among teens, police department response time. • I am thinking crime. • I live in a condo off of Parklawn Avenue, and it took my neighbors and me YEARS to get drug dealers living here removed. There is a serious drug problem in Edina, and we need to address it. We also need to educate EVERYONE about cross-cultures. We have a ot of people in Edina from many cultures. We need to be tolerant of them, but they need to learn how to live in the community. • Increased crime. • Keeping out crime. • Need more police. • Police attitudes- do less as possible. • Safety, property crimes, diversity. A lot more needs to we done to valve & educate about importance of diversity. • Tear downs-crime. • The rise in crime. • We don't see police in country club enough. Schools/education • Education funding. • Education. • Getting the school system (middle school, high school) issues solved. • Horrible school system for children with autism. • Maintaining its high quality of education & life. • Part of Edina is in the Hopkins school district- very divisive. • Part of Edina is not in the Edina School System but is in the Hopkins School System. Edina should change that and make the entire city within the Edina School System. • People continuing to support schools/changes. • Poor schools. • Providing quality education for diverse peoples- more teacher [?] breaking down stereotypes. • Recalculating progressive, left leaving good, school board. • School funding. • Schools. We moved here for the schools, we ended up moving both children to private schools. Also-we hate that you allow so many tear-downs. • Social activism in Edina public schools. Aging population • 1) You need to find ways of involving all citizens.2) Residential & commercial development is not oriented towards maintaining or meeting needs of average person.3) Lack of inclusion for adults w/ physical limitations & seniors. • Adequate & appropriate housing for aging population. Varied options esp. for empty nesters looking for maintenance free community housing not yet focused on assisted living. • Aging population, attractiveness to millennials. • Aging population. • Aging population? Not sure. • Dependable transportation for senior citizens. • Elderly population. • Growth in senior population or robbery. • How if handler an aging population & accompanying issues. • Keeping aging citizens, real lack of nice housing for those who want to downsize prior to assisted living. Your flood plans policies hurt this. • Public transportation, aging community. Parks/recreation/community activities • Community space and activities/clubs for young aging adults (50+) w/o kids. • Maintaining the stewardship of parks & wildlife sanctuary. • Not serious but would love a gym, Spanish immersion grade school: more restaurant choices. • Pamela park "model hole". • Plans driven by developers and money, rather than other values like parks, public spaces. • Use of furmen golf course on park lawn. • Wish there was a place for singles to meet at a good price or free. Cost of living • Affordability- rising taxes- with new construction. • Attracting young/new families. Too expensive for average new family. • Continuing to be affordable for the middle class and retirees. • Cost of living in Edina. • Cost to live in Edina. • General indifference for "individual quality of life" of people and families who are struggling. • High cost of living here. • keeping it affordable for families Other • Arrogance. • At risk teen housing so close to Southdale. • Bad water makes wish we were not here. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 80 • Buck thorn infestation crisis. • Changing from a conservative to a liberal community. • City not being leaders on environmental issues (plastics bags for instance). • Continued love to young families. • Erosion caused by Minnehaha creek. • Forces pushing us to be not what we are! • House breaking. • I live in a condo & would want to see more owner here instead of renters. • I would like to see higher end condominiums for residents who are soon to retire. • Interference of U.N. planning. • It has a cake eater reputation! • Just to maintain high standards. • Liberalism. • Maintaining what we have. • Mentally unstable people with bad attitudes. • Mindless political correctness. • Not hardly appeared as well as should be. • Over saturating Southdale area with high passes/you choose quantity is quality. • Plane flights directly overhead. • Poor cellphone reception!! • Progressive liberal leadership-is wasted. • Public transportation (light rail), affordability. • Seems like there is a lot of turnover. • Services-costs. • Southdale area & apartment(older) have changed more problems. • Sustaining parks & open spaces/full access to Edina schools-no Hopkins. • The Southdale area. • To many citizens wants to be involved in city council decisions. • Too many meeting with resident input. • Too many meetings on what citizens want. • Uppity status & increase in assessments. • Vocal minority controlling issues. • Volunteers. • Water. QUESTION 16: ALL IN ALL, DO YOU THINK THINGS IN EDINA ARE GENERALLY HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, OR DO YOU FEEL THINGS ARE OFF ON THE WRONG TRACK? (IF WRONG TRACK, WHY?) • (1) Tear downs/lack of affordable housing while tear downs improve property values, who will be able to afford living in Edina? Only the rich? (2) Commercial development can be a positive, but we aren't accompanying the development with improved traffic flow. The Southdale & south areas get more congested as we build more. • Active administration, good communications. • Allowing too much high density housing without proper traffic & road support. • Apartments & traffic in Southdale area. • Buck thorn infestation is ignored-terrible. • Building houses that don't fit in the neighborhood! • Building too many condos-too much traffic. • But as stated in #6 we need control of costs by govt in not answer. • City council is too concerned with being politically correct. • City pursuing fads & trends, wasteful spending on frills. Repairing streets that don't need repairs. • Community needs to get involved with whats going on in Edina public schools, and remove ric dressen. • Cost of housing is sky rocketing. • Council co-opted by $, funds go to school administrators, not kids. • Current city council governs against the will of its residents. • Destroyed the fabric of the community. • Development & education are not growing to fit the future they are looking backwards. • Development business/living area permits, being high quality. • Development not oriented toward the common good or aesthetic values -led by developers and business interests. • Development only to tax base police speed traps seems to the priority # 1. • Development, [?] mayor & council making wrong decisions. • Difficult to get around France- Southdale area. • Edina is all about France ave!!! How about spreading the wealth!! • Edina should not try to become a 'little Minneapolis.' Too much big city, big building development. I and my family are progressive, but I think we should progress toward a better living experience (bike trails, traffic control, etc) rather than build biger and more buildings. France Avenue by Southdale is becoming less attractive and less charming, though I do appreciate that it has become more pedestrian friendly with better crosswalks. • Education finances are needed for special education, especially autism. • Figure out Southdale ctr, what the heck w/ west 66? The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 81 • Focusing on wants of vocal few rather than needs of majority. • Geared totally to the elite. • Generally good- I greatly opposed the many meetings on use of Fred Richards golf area!!! • Getting very expensive to live in Edina. • Grand view development-no one is listening to the residents on this! • Headed toward social issue using U.N. planning. • Housing development- houses too big for lots. • I don't feel that the opinions of the residents are valued. • I don't want sidewalks in my area we need dog park!! • If we focus more on affordable housing. • If we have too much more traffic & more population it will lose the small town feeling; not enough sidewalk, bike lane and it; diverse pay no attention to crosswalks or pedestrians esp on France ave. • I'm deeply embarrassed that I live in a speed trap- Sunday mornings grabbing people on way to church shame on you! (No, I have not been ticketed but I see the traps!) • Improve street & water & utility cost, ease up on high rise buildings. • In 45 yrs charm of city has faded/accountability by staff/fiscal responsibility. • In many ways too many tear downs-hard to find lower priced houses. • Leadership are not open enough to new ideas or the value of diversity. • Leadership is too liberal. • Losing the prettiness and care of Edina/losing charm & cleanliness. • Many things are good, but the development of large houses in old neighborhoods & large buildings that look like warehouses are spoiling the feel of our city. • Mass building, closing golf course for not a good reason, traffic issues not well planned for France 50th to 78th. • More attention needs to be paid to the # of foreign students being educated on the citizens tax base. May be the employers of the foreign student parents could pay a special tax so foreign student education costs are appropriately allocated to the employers. • More study for bicycle travel. • Need for more affordable housing. • Need more open space, easier to walk & bike. • Need to attend to the financial health of the city final & foremost. • Need to get a new mayor, someone is is for the people and not for commerical developers • New tall buildings! • No justifications of education/school district assessments. • No room for expansion. • Not a strong sense of community. • Not developing plan for all only elite and over tax to reach preset goals. • Not progressive enough- see handwriting on the wall re-environmental issues. • Not sure. • Obsession w/ bikes i.e. Wooddale etc- on sidewalks all plans on spending nons on saving. • On track except for housing [?] for active seniors. • Oppose replacement of smaller homes for larger ones. • Over building- traffic jams on 70-76th [?]. • Over spending on frills & pretties not the essentials. • Overbuilding- too much traffic. • Paying too much in taxes. • Police speed traps during rush hour-clogs traffic. Roundabouts ineffective. • Poor and petulant city administration. • Poor use of public space, aged community center. • Premature decisions involving city & private property- no follow through ie Hutten clearly Edina realty 49 1/2 st- Furmen bus garder by Jerry's -Pentagon park 9 hole golf course. • Property taxes will drive people out eventually, all else good. • Rezoning; affordable housing. • Stop all the tear-downs! • Stop thinking progressive European. • Street maintenance is terrible; crime is rising: taxes are rising. • Street side planting, one tree down, plant three lack of design. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 82 • Streets are bad; too many "tear down"; streets are too busy- too much traffic. • Streets are terrible for the price we pay in property taxes. Moved from East Coast & find it expensive here- for everything! • Tax increases-evaluations. • Taxes are too high. Our street isn't well maintained. No fire hydrant repair. Snow removal is poor. • Tear downs are driving long time home owners at of Edina b/c of increased taxes. • Tear downs- living our neighborhoods. • Tearing down older/smaller homes & replacing with homes that are too large, mismatched in neighborhoods, and not affordable for most of us. This is such a shame!! • Tend to favor business development. • The City of Edina should allow all Edina residents to easily open enroll in Edina schools if they live in part of Edina that is in the Hopkins School District. • There is a need for more sidewalks & bike paths to increase livability & safety. • There should be less apartments going up & more condos because in the long run they will be a turn around. • They didn't improve water quality, especially in winter & summer, water tastes salty when snow melt. • To many condo, rental apartments being build in Southdale area. • To many tear downs and overbuilding apt bldg. • Too eager to spend $ on special interest projects. • Too many assessments- street & sidewalks should not be paid by assessments. • Too many high rise apt. buildings! • Too many new apartments. • Too many tear downs, traffic is terrible on Vernon Ave, bikers don't obey road rules. • Too many ugly new condos-push for mixed housing/commercial diversity etc. will ruin what is special & makes Edina desirable. • Too much building everywhere, how many apts now on York ave result massive increase in traffic. Too many tear down building house too large! Control it! Not appropriate for neighborhood. TCF bldg - people living nearby did not want this, because you don't listen to people decisions already made! • Too much commercial development. • Too much density- chicken runs. • Too much development in the Southdale area. • Too much emphasis on "living streets" and impact on citizens -trying to please minor group-sometimes outside groups-not enough regulation on housing. • Too much emphasis on high rise condo development we were better as a villager than a city. • Too much emphasis on sports: hockey and golf facilities used by a minority of the residents. • Too much high density housing. • Too much high density housing. • Too much new spending-city & school. • Too much public input. • Too much spending on wrong things (bike lane). • Transient, high density, heavy handed, inner city-direction. • Trying to be big city-dense housing, pushing vehicles out of the picture. • Trying to squeeze too many people into a small area. • Very pleasant here. • Want all residents to have 1st rights to attend Edina schools Southdale area is getting over developed. • We live in Edina but Hopkins schools. Why did anyone ever approve this concept! • We think there should be an independent audit of Edina's finances. Where does all the money go? • Whats the direction? • Why have zoning codes if you routinely over-ride them at city council meetings. • With increasing population with all new developments. • You are overbuilding which is losing up traffic in some areas. QUESTION 17: OTHER THAN VOTING, DO YOU THINK THAT IF YOU WANTED TO, YOU COULD HAVE A SAY ABOUT THE WAY THINGS ARE RUN IN THIS COMMUNITY? (IF NO, WHY?) • Advisory committees are rigged to support predetermined activist spending goals of mayor & city council. • Bad experiences lately with neighborhood and city council. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 83 • Because by the time it's up for discussion the wheels are already in motion & the decision is made. • Because council has predetermined outcomes. • Because the city receives more funds for larger homes. • Biased towards the rich & power in this town. Always has been. • By the fine city council holds meetings it seems decisions have been made. • By voicing concerns and attending the meeting in areas of interest. • Cause I feel are voice matter, and need to be heard. • City council & mayor & city manager to many close door meetings "their mind set". • City council doesn't care what residents think, need, or want. • City council doesn't listen & neither does city manager!!! • City council ignores public opinion- public works land development, Fred Richards golf course redevelopment etc. • City council ignores votes on Grandview. • City council not very open. • City does not listen to majority- only to select few. • City education has repeatedly denied all Edina residents the right to attend Edina schools. • City government closed to "how things are seen". • City is not open to feedback. • City planning issues favor construction lobby. • City staff is often not open to citizen input. • Commercial interests have sway over city council. • Community influences nothing! • Council & staff do not listen to concerns of the average resident. • Council does not listen. • Council has it's own agenda, voters can pound sand. • Decisions seem to be made before public informed. • Dept, views over rule neighbors desires. • Don't know the vehicle • Don't think some people are listened to. • Don't think the city listens. • Edina is over-volunteered already-many willing hands. • Editorials in seen current strongly suggest city doesn't listen to citizens. • everything is good. voting is the best options. • Example: school referendum: city spends tax dollars to put out its message. • Experience with city council paying lip service to important environmental issues. • Experience with person who "controls" openings of condo pools. Stubborn, and very difficult to deal with. I believe they lead us to believe we have a voice, but we really don't. • Feel like some development happens w/out enough pre-notice. • Follows Edina's original proposals on projects. • Having a say yes, valuing my opinion in the decision-making process? No. • I am 87 and not a property owner. • I do wish cable didn't have exclusivity to Comcast. • I don't know a way. • I don't know- no one asks and I don't know who to talk to. • I have seen what happens at city council meeting. • I have strong opinions but not about running our city. • I watch city hall, they don't listen. • I'm not in "the club"-I haven't lived here my whole life. • It seems only the families with money are heard. • I've seen the council disregard several requests and concerns. • Leadership listens to developers, not citizens. • Lots of citizen boards & committees. • Many answers are thro association contacts. • Mayor & city council do not heard resident requests. • Mayor & council have set minds. • Mayor is bent on progressive liberal ideology- must go!! • Mayor over rides edina citzen decisions The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 84 • Money talks in this town, I am poor! Compared to the resident of this town! • Money talks upper 10% income earners speak loudest. • Neighborhood group asked to meet with police about area crime and they refused. • Never asked & when E. mailed-no response. • Never had a councilman call or stop by. • No one listens. • No, city council does what it wants, does not listen well to inputs pending unnecessary money on Braemar golf course, too many studies done for outcome. • No, too many entrenched interests. • Nobody wants to listen. • Not a lot of people wanted sidewalks, yet this was voted in! • Not enough surveys. • Not sure open counsel meetings do much good. • Not sure where to send comments. • Older homes continue to be torn down- I grew-up in one of these homes- why are they continually torn down & replaced?! • Only the wealthy are heard; city does what it wants anyway. • Only time I went to council meeting, sat for 2 hrs, topic never discussed & was told I had missed the "open comments" segment of meeting. • Oppose tear down of smaller homes for larger ones. • Other than attend council meetings. • Pentagon park was a disaster w/ very upset communities-were not listened to. • People speak, but city does what it wants anyway. • People w/ more connections than me have more of a say. • Peoples opinions do not matter to counsel! • Police are ignorant & seems they are starved for revenue as so many speed traps. • Politics. • Private/public plan pushed by Frauenshuh seems to be out weighing public opinion! • Probably not. • Publish this survey, set up a plan to solve issues, publish plan. • Readership towns a deaf ear to anything an individual, or over a group of citizens wants. • Rules at city council meetings disincentive participation. • School board/city council are private-do not reach out for input. • See answer till #16. • Seems to already have decisions made before presenting to public for final day & decision/input. • Should have been used for some medical purpose. • Sports interests rule, especially ice sports. • Takes late nights & loads of time @ city council meetings. • The city council and mayor make decisions without citizen input (mafia). • The workers at Edina City Hall are obstructionist, pompous, condescending and self-important. • There isn't a venue to complain, or be heard. • They don't respond to citizen suggestions. • Things are decided by a few who do not listen. • To many highrise apartments- no requirement that property owners maintain their property- ex. NW corner 58th & Wooddale. • Too many individuals with vested interests, hidden agendas, city council has a lack of experience and fore sight- city snow area has brought in too many people from Eden Prairie this is Edina not a suburb of E.P. • Too many powerful interests related to wealth & income. • Too much is said already-let city employees make city decisions. • Very difficult for people who work. • Wasted tax money on unnecessary improvements that are not on formal accounting. Need more property owners questionnaires. • We can have "a say" but it won't really make any difference! • We went to a meeting about future plans and it was clear the decision were already made. Inviting residents was just show. • When the city offices are contacted they are abrasive, lazy and unhelpful. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 85 • You make it so difficult to have a say and then when we do state our case, you go ahead and do it your way! • You need to present those meetings in a totally different way. • You refuse to reduce the number of garbage collecting companies. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 86 APPENDIX D: RESPONSES TO SELECTED SURVEY QUESTIONS BY RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS Responses in the following tables show only the proportion of respondents giving a certain answer; for example, the percent of respondents who rated the quality of life as “excellent” or “good,” or the percent of respondents who used the Aquatic Center at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey. ANOVA and chi-square tests of significance were applied to these comparisons of survey questions. A “p-value” of 0.05 or less indicates that there is less than a 5% probability that differences observed between subgroups are due to chance; or in other words, a greater than 95% probability that the differences observed are “real.” Where differences were statistically significant, they have been shaded grey. HIGHLIGHTS OF COMPARISONS BY GEOGRAPHIC AREAS  Residents living in the southeast quadrant tended to give lower ratings to the overall economic health of Edina than those in the other three quadrants.  Those living in the southeast quadrant tended to feel safer in the Southdale area compared to those residing in the other three quadrants. Ratings of feelings of safety in residents’ neighborhood and in the 50th and France area (downtown area) did not differ by geographic location of residency.  Those living in both the northeast and northwest quadrants gave lower ratings to public places where people want to spend their time than those living in the southeast and southwest quadrants.  Residents living in the northeast quadrant tended to give the lowest ratings to the availability of affordable quality housing, compared to those living in other quadrants.  Those living in the southeast quadrant reported higher ratings for openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds than did those who lived in the other three quadrants.  Survey respondents residing in the northwest and southeast quadrant reported higher ratings for quality of parks and recr eation trails than residents living in the northeast and southwest quadrants. Additionally, those living in the southeast quadrant reported lower ratings for the quality of large community athletic fields but higher ratings for Edinborough Park than those living in the other three quadrants.  Residents living in the southwest quadrant tended to give lower ratings for quality of bus or transit services while those in the southeast tended to give higher ratings.  Residents living in the southeast quadrant of Edina were less likely to think their property taxes were high compared to residents living in other quadrants of the city while those living in the southwest quadrant were more likely to support an increase in property taxes to maintain City services at their current level compared to their counterparts.  Residents living in the southwest quadrant tended to feel that stop sign violations in their neighborhood were more of a problem compared to those living in other areas of the community. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 87 TABLE 106: QUALITY OF LIFE BY QUADRANT How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? 99% 96% 94% 95% 96% TABLE 107: GENERAL COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS BY QUADRANT Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Overall feeling of safety in Edina 97% 96% 97% 95% 96% Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit 93% 88% 87% 87% 88% Quality of overall natural environment in Edina 86% 91% 88% 85% 88% Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) 84% 83% 79% 82% 81% Health and wellness opportunities in Edina 87% 89% 95% 89% 90% Overall opportunities for education and enrichment 93% 94% 90% 99% 94% Overall economic health of Edina 95% 94% 82% 93% 91% Sense of community 73% 73% 72% 74% 73% Overall image or reputation of Edina 87% 83% 86% 92% 86% Neighborliness of residents in Edina 78% 80% 71% 77% 76% TABLE 108: LIKELIHOOD OF RECOMMENDING OR REMAINING IN EDINA BY QUADRANT Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: (Percent "very" or "somewhat" likely) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks 93% 92% 92% 92% 92% Remain in Edina for the next five years 90% 86% 89% 94% 89% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 88 TABLE 109: FEELINGS OF SAFETY BY QUADRANT Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: (Percent "very" or "somewhat" safe) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant In your neighborhood 95% 98% 96% 95% 96% In the 50th and France area (downtown area) 94% 98% 96% 97% 96% In the Southdale area 77% 75% 88% 79% 80% TABLE 110: SPECIFIC COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS BY QUADRANT Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Traffic flow on major streets 53% 59% 61% 60% 58% Ease of public parking 68% 70% 65% 71% 68% Ease of travel by car in Edina 82% 87% 82% 82% 83% Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina 36% 34% 44% 30% 37% Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina 46% 48% 51% 42% 47% Ease of walking in Edina 56% 59% 64% 63% 60% Availability of paths and walking trails 55% 58% 65% 52% 58% Air quality 91% 96% 89% 92% 92% Cleanliness of Edina 92% 96% 95% 93% 95% Public places where people want to spend time 79% 79% 87% 92% 84% Variety of housing options 55% 62% 59% 56% 59% Availability of affordable quality housing 24% 41% 42% 33% 36% Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) 66% 68% 74% 77% 71% Recreational opportunities 74% 78% 75% 76% 76% K-12 education 93% 97% 91% 98% 94% Adult educational opportunities 79% 89% 87% 85% 85% Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 72% 74% 72% 80% 74% Employment opportunities 74% 59% 56% 62% 63% Shopping opportunities 89% 92% 91% 90% 90% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 89 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Cost of living in Edina 44% 44% 51% 44% 46% Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina 87% 86% 87% 82% 86% Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina 73% 69% 80% 62% 71% Overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina 67% 69% 72% 77% 71% Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 73% 74% 63% 70% 70% Opportunities to volunteer 79% 75% 61% 67% 70% Opportunities to participate in community matters 60% 67% 53% 69% 62% Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 48% 49% 62% 41% 51% TABLE 111: USE OF PARKS AND RECREATION AMENITIES BY QUADRANT In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members used any of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities? (Percent at least once) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Trails 70% 74% 63% 80% 71% Neighborhood parks 82% 79% 74% 89% 80% Large community athletic fields 40% 45% 21% 61% 40% Edinborough Park 56% 49% 55% 37% 50% Centennial Lakes Park 72% 71% 79% 83% 76% The Aquatic Center 26% 24% 19% 28% 24% The Senior Center 18% 20% 13% 20% 18% Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 29% 25% 16% 35% 25% The Edina Art Center 20% 23% 22% 31% 24% Braemar Golf Course 35% 37% 22% 49% 34% Braemar Golf Dome 24% 24% 11% 32% 21% Braemar Field (sports dome) 20% 19% 7% 17% 15% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 90 TABLE 112: QUALITY OF PARKS AND RECREATION AMENITIES BY QUADRANT Please rate each of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Trails 65% 83% 83% 70% 77% Neighborhood parks 85% 96% 83% 93% 89% Large community athletic fields 99% 98% 73% 93% 92% Edinborough Park 88% 80% 96% 82% 87% Centennial Lakes Park 94% 96% 97% 92% 95% The Aquatic Center 96% 89% 91% 88% 91% The Senior Center 95% 93% 88% 78% 89% Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 93% 86% 90% 89% 89% The Edina Art Center 80% 77% 73% 87% 79% Braemar Golf Course 76% 75% 83% 75% 77% Braemar Golf Dome 83% 91% 80% 98% 88% Braemar Field (sports dome) 90% 89% 86% 86% 88% TABLE 113: QUALITY OF SERVICES BY QUADRANT Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Police services 91% 92% 90% 88% 90% Fire services 98% 99% 95% 100% 98% Ambulance or emergency medical services 97% 99% 98% 96% 98% Crime prevention 81% 91% 84% 91% 87% Fire prevention and education 88% 85% 80% 91% 85% Traffic enforcement 74% 81% 76% 65% 75% Street repair 46% 54% 51% 39% 49% Street cleaning 67% 75% 75% 69% 72% Street lighting 70% 71% 70% 63% 69% Snow removal 88% 90% 83% 85% 87% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 91 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Sidewalk maintenance 73% 69% 73% 60% 69% Traffic signal timing 58% 63% 51% 63% 58% Bus or transit services 55% 53% 68% 46% 57% Garbage collection 83% 91% 83% 78% 84% Recycling 83% 92% 86% 92% 88% Yard waste pick-up 80% 89% 88% 81% 85% Storm drainage 67% 83% 86% 74% 78% Drinking water 68% 73% 64% 72% 69% Sewer services 73% 84% 85% 91% 83% Utility billing 77% 77% 73% 82% 77% City parks 93% 94% 94% 93% 93% Park maintenance 94% 88% 91% 89% 90% Condition of trails and sidewalks 84% 79% 90% 78% 83% Recreation programs or classes 86% 92% 80% 83% 85% Recreation centers or facilities 80% 89% 84% 84% 84% Land use, planning and zoning 48% 53% 64% 63% 57% Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 55% 70% 69% 55% 63% Animal control 74% 84% 89% 59% 77% Economic development 72% 81% 75% 74% 76% Public health services 83% 88% 81% 87% 84% Public library services 96% 98% 94% 99% 97% Public information services 81% 85% 79% 85% 82% Cable television 46% 49% 49% 51% 49% Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 65% 78% 80% 63% 72% Edina open space 71% 73% 68% 66% 70% City-sponsored special events 79% 84% 72% 71% 77% Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina 85% 90% 83% 91% 87% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 92 TABLE 114: OPINIONS OF PROPERTY TAXES BY QUADRANT (Percent "very" or "somewhat" high) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Thinking about your property taxes in comparison with neighboring cities, do you consider property taxes in Edina to be…? 57% 61% 43% 60% 55% TABLE 115: LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES BY QUADRANT (Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant To what extent would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain City services at their current level? 41% 40% 45% 61% 45% TABLE 116: GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE BY QUADRANT Please rate the following categories of Edina government performance: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina 74% 80% 73% 90% 78% The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement 56% 65% 68% 71% 64% Overall confidence in Edina government 72% 68% 70% 82% 72% Generally acting in the best interest of the community 72% 70% 69% 81% 72% Treating all residents fairly 71% 65% 74% 71% 70% TABLE 117: MANAGING COMMUNITY TENSIONS BY QUADRANT (Percent "very" or "somewhat" well) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant How well, if at all, do you feel the City is managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina? 69% 61% 73% 63% 67% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 93 TABLE 118: PROBLEMS IN EDINA BY QUADRANT Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. (Percent "moderate,” “major” or “extreme” problem) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Traffic speeding in your neighborhood 38% 31% 33% 41% 35% Stop sign violations in your neighborhood 35% 25% 21% 42% 29% Violent crime 5% 5% 11% 2% 6% Drugs 14% 8% 15% 20% 13% Youth crimes 13% 16% 19% 20% 17% Vandalism and property crimes 26% 22% 18% 16% 21% Identity theft 25% 11% 32% 23% 22% Domestic abuse 10% 6% 23% 11% 13% TABLE 119: METHODS OF GARBAGE COLLECTION BY QUADRANT (Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support) Geographic Area Overall Northeast Quadrant Northwest Quadrant Southeast Quadrant Southwest Quadrant Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. To what extent do you support the City changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community? 47% 52% 47% 55% 50% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 94 HIGHLIGHTS OF COMPARISONS BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS  Edina residents who had lived in the community for less than five years, were aged 35 to 54, rented their home and lived in an attached housing unit tended to give lower ratings to the overall quality of life compared to their counterparts.  Women tended to give higher ratings to the overall ease of getting to the places they usually have to visit, overall economic health, sense of community and overall image or reputation of Edina compared to men.  Women, those who had lived in the community for six years or more, who owned their home and lived in detached housing units were more likely to remain in Edina for the next five years compared to their counterparts. Men and residents aged 34 to 55 were less likely to recommend living in Edina to someone who asks compared to their counterparts.  Residents aged 18 to 34 tended to give lower ratings for a variety of community characteristics such as sense of community, ease of public parking, ease of travel by public transportation and opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities compared to older residents. Alternately, residents aged 18 to 34 tended to give higher ratings to other community characteristics such as ease of travel by car and bicycle, shopping opportunities and openness and acceptance of the community compared to older residents.  Residents who lived in detached housing units tended to report higher use of Parks and Recreation amenities compared to those who lived in attached housing units, however residents who lived in attached housing units were more likely to have used Edinborough Park and the Senior Center.  When differences emerged, residents who had lived in the community for less than five years tended to give lower quality ratings for City services (i.e., street repair, snow removal, economic development, public information services, etc.) than longer term residents.  Residents who lived in attached housing units and were 55 years of age or older were less likely to feel their property taxes were high compared to their counterparts. Differences did not emerge across the demographic subgroups for support for increasing property taxes to maintain City services at their current level.  Within the ratings for government performance, few differences emerged by respondents demographic characteristics. Residents who had lived in the community for less than five years and who were aged 18 to 34 tended to give higher ratings than their counterparts to the government generally acting in the best interest of the community.  When asked about how well the City manages tensions related to residential redevelopment, residents aged 18 to 34 tended to give higher ratings to this question than older residents.  Homeowners and residents who lived in attached housing units tended to feel that violent crime, drugs, identity theft and domestic abuse were problems in Edina compared to their counterparts. Women were more likely than men to think traffic speeding and violent crime were problems in Edina. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 95 TABLE 120: QUALITY OF LIFE BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? 91% 100% 96% 97% 94% 100% 92% 97% 90% 98% 98% 93% 96% TABLE 121: GENERAL COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Overall feeling of safety in Edina 94% 97% 97% 95% 98% 92% 97% 97% 97% 96% 97% 95% 96% Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit 85% 93% 88% 92% 84% 84% 88% 91% 92% 87% 88% 89% 88% Quality of overall natural environment in Edina 83% 91% 90% 91% 86% 90% 85% 90% 84% 90% 91% 84% 88% Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) 75% 86% 82% 84% 79% 84% 76% 85% 78% 83% 83% 79% 81% Health and wellness opportunities in Edina 83% 95% 93% 93% 88% 94% 85% 94% 87% 92% 92% 89% 90% Overall opportunities for education and enrichment 89% 95% 95% 95% 91% 88% 93% 96% 91% 94% 96% 89% 94% Overall economic health of Edina 87% 96% 89% 94% 88% 95% 87% 92% 83% 93% 95% 84% 91% Sense of community 66% 78% 74% 79% 66% 56% 71% 79% 74% 72% 74% 70% 73% Overall image or reputation of Edina 82% 87% 88% 90% 81% 79% 82% 92% 88% 86% 87% 85% 86% Neighborliness of residents in Edina 68% 81% 78% 78% 74% 80% 72% 78% 73% 77% 79% 71% 76% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 96 TABLE 122: LIKELIHOOD OF RECOMMENDING OR REMAINING IN EDINA BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: (Percent "very" or "somewhat" likely) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks 90% 94% 93% 96% 89% 100% 87% 95% 92% 93% 92% 93% 92% Remain in Edina for the next five years 80% 93% 92% 93% 85% 87% 87% 92% 80% 92% 92% 85% 89% TABLE 123: FEELINGS OF SAFETY BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: (Percent "very" or "somewhat" safe) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached In your neighborhood 96% 98% 96% 98% 95% 100% 94% 97% 96% 96% 97% 96% 96% In the 50th and France area (downtown area) 97% 98% 95% 96% 97% 100% 96% 95% 97% 96% 96% 96% 96% In the Southdale area 88% 81% 73% 79% 81% 90% 75% 80% 88% 77% 75% 87% 80% TABLE 124: SPECIFIC COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Traffic flow on major streets 55% 65% 56% 55% 63% 69% 54% 58% 51% 60% 61% 54% 58% Ease of public parking 65% 73% 67% 65% 73% 50% 76% 68% 61% 70% 72% 63% 68% Ease of travel by car in Edina 79% 87% 85% 87% 82% 95% 81% 83% 79% 85% 87% 80% 83% Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina 32% 40% 39% 40% 35% 9% 40% 44% 48% 33% 30% 47% 37% Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina 43% 44% 55% 46% 49% 56% 40% 51% 50% 46% 46% 50% 47% Ease of walking in Edina 55% 57% 68% 60% 61% 56% 52% 69% 63% 60% 59% 63% 60% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 97 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Availability of paths and walking trails 52% 56% 65% 58% 59% 57% 50% 66% 64% 56% 52% 67% 58% Air quality 90% 90% 96% 91% 94% 100% 89% 92% 87% 94% 94% 89% 92% Cleanliness of Edina 93% 97% 94% 94% 95% 100% 93% 94% 92% 95% 97% 92% 95% Public places where people want to spend time 82% 86% 84% 85% 82% 87% 83% 84% 82% 85% 86% 81% 84% Variety of housing options 49% 59% 67% 61% 56% 51% 56% 63% 47% 63% 58% 60% 59% Availability of affordable quality housing 26% 37% 44% 40% 32% 33% 24% 48% 40% 35% 32% 41% 36% Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) 57% 77% 76% 72% 70% 61% 68% 78% 61% 74% 71% 70% 71% Recreational opportunities 61% 82% 82% 77% 74% 51% 75% 85% 61% 81% 82% 67% 76% K-12 education 91% 95% 96% 95% 93% 93% 93% 96% 96% 94% 96% 91% 94% Adult educational opportunities 79% 88% 87% 87% 83% 67% 85% 90% 86% 85% 87% 82% 85% Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 53% 82% 83% 75% 72% 58% 72% 81% 56% 79% 78% 68% 74% Employment opportunities 46% 73% 67% 69% 56% 70% 59% 65% 46% 67% 67% 55% 63% Shopping opportunities 83% 93% 95% 92% 88% 96% 84% 93% 79% 95% 93% 87% 90% Cost of living in Edina 30% 52% 56% 48% 46% 33% 43% 54% 42% 48% 46% 47% 46% Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina 79% 89% 89% 88% 84% 92% 81% 88% 83% 87% 87% 84% 86% Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina 65% 80% 69% 80% 62% 82% 66% 73% 72% 71% 70% 74% 71% Overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina 67% 78% 68% 70% 72% 79% 70% 68% 66% 72% 73% 67% 71% Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 52% 77% 76% 73% 64% 59% 63% 79% 56% 74% 72% 65% 70% Opportunities to volunteer 52% 77% 75% 74% 64% 48% 64% 80% 59% 73% 72% 66% 70% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 98 Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Opportunities to participate in community matters 46% 73% 64% 62% 62% 50% 57% 69% 37% 69% 67% 55% 62% Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 47% 46% 59% 49% 54% 59% 43% 55% 51% 51% 50% 53% 51% TABLE 125: USE OF PARKS AND RECREATION AMENITIES BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members used any of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities? (Percent at least once) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Trails 71% 72% 70% 69% 72% 76% 76% 65% 58% 75% 80% 59% 71% Neighborhood parks 77% 86% 77% 77% 84% 69% 89% 76% 63% 85% 90% 67% 80% Large community athletic fields 34% 48% 37% 35% 45% 29% 56% 31% 17% 47% 55% 17% 40% Edinborough Park 60% 53% 40% 52% 49% 56% 54% 45% 54% 49% 46% 55% 50% Centennial Lakes Park 74% 81% 73% 75% 76% 75% 82% 70% 76% 76% 77% 74% 76% The Aquatic Center 23% 29% 20% 23% 25% 21% 41% 11% 11% 28% 35% 8% 24% The Senior Center 12% 16% 23% 16% 18% 5% 7% 30% 22% 16% 12% 25% 18% Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 21% 29% 26% 19% 33% 20% 34% 19% 10% 30% 36% 9% 25% The Edina Art Center 24% 26% 21% 23% 23% 14% 28% 23% 24% 23% 23% 23% 24% Braemar Golf Course 25% 42% 35% 29% 41% 31% 41% 30% 10% 42% 46% 17% 34% Braemar Golf Dome 14% 29% 21% 16% 29% 28% 23% 18% 5% 27% 31% 8% 21% Braemar Field (sports dome) 12% 23% 12% 12% 20% 5% 27% 10% 8% 18% 21% 8% 15% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 99 TABLE 126: QUALITY OF PARKS AND RECREATION AMENITIES BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate each of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Trails 73% 76% 79% 83% 69% 67% 73% 84% 80% 75% 76% 77% 77% Neighborhood parks 82% 94% 90% 93% 85% 84% 85% 96% 86% 90% 91% 85% 89% Large community athletic fields 85% 95% 93% 93% 89% 91% 88% 96% 73% 96% 94% 84% 92% Edinborough Park 90% 81% 91% 90% 84% 81% 88% 90% 85% 88% 88% 86% 87% Centennial Lakes Park 94% 94% 97% 97% 93% 95% 94% 97% 90% 96% 97% 92% 95% The Aquatic Center 90% 98% 86% 95% 86% 100% 91% 88% 85% 92% 93% 84% 91% The Senior Center 73% 93% 92% 92% 85% 100% 91% 88% 84% 91% 91% 87% 89% Braemar Arena (Ice arena) 68% 94% 95% 89% 89% 100% 80% 96% 71% 93% 92% 81% 89% The Edina Art Center 67% 85% 80% 82% 74% 60% 76% 86% 63% 83% 81% 74% 79% Braemar Golf Course 64% 79% 82% 79% 75% 47% 77% 84% 68% 79% 78% 75% 77% Braemar Golf Dome 85% 90% 88% 89% 88% 84% 88% 90% 77% 90% 90% 83% 88% Braemar Field (sports dome) 73% 98% 87% 90% 87% 100% 87% 88% 66% 94% 94% 75% 88% TABLE 127: QUALITY OF SERVICES BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Police services 86% 90% 94% 94% 85% 93% 84% 94% 92% 90% 91% 89% 90% Fire services 96% 98% 98% 98% 97% 100% 97% 98% 94% 99% 99% 96% 98% Ambulance or emergency medical services 94% 99% 98% 99% 97% 100% 96% 98% 98% 97% 98% 97% 98% Crime prevention 79% 87% 92% 87% 87% 80% 80% 94% 87% 87% 87% 85% 87% Fire prevention and education 63% 93% 93% 87% 83% 60% 86% 92% 71% 90% 90% 78% 85% Traffic enforcement 66% 81% 75% 79% 70% 83% 65% 81% 72% 76% 74% 76% 75% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 100 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Street repair 42% 58% 46% 55% 42% 65% 42% 48% 46% 49% 48% 49% 49% Street cleaning 67% 77% 73% 72% 73% 76% 70% 73% 70% 73% 72% 72% 72% Street lighting 60% 73% 73% 69% 69% 75% 61% 74% 66% 70% 65% 74% 69% Snow removal 77% 90% 91% 89% 85% 82% 84% 91% 79% 89% 91% 80% 87% Sidewalk maintenance 66% 69% 72% 74% 65% 84% 66% 67% 63% 71% 74% 64% 69% Traffic signal timing 46% 66% 61% 61% 55% 56% 58% 60% 44% 63% 67% 45% 58% Bus or transit services 49% 61% 61% 60% 55% 64% 45% 66% 70% 52% 49% 66% 57% Garbage collection 79% 87% 85% 90% 79% 77% 82% 89% 80% 85% 85% 83% 84% Recycling 81% 88% 94% 88% 89% 89% 85% 91% 83% 90% 90% 85% 88% Yard waste pick-up 69% 93% 86% 88% 82% 85% 85% 85% 81% 86% 86% 83% 85% Storm drainage 68% 82% 82% 77% 79% 77% 71% 85% 70% 81% 79% 77% 78% Drinking water 52% 75% 77% 63% 74% 81% 63% 70% 54% 73% 75% 59% 69% Sewer services 76% 84% 87% 79% 87% 86% 75% 89% 70% 86% 85% 80% 83% Utility billing 64% 88% 77% 76% 78% 81% 71% 81% 61% 81% 81% 69% 77% City parks 88% 94% 96% 93% 93% 92% 94% 94% 88% 95% 95% 90% 93% Park maintenance 87% 92% 92% 92% 88% 96% 89% 90% 89% 91% 91% 90% 90% Condition of trails and sidewalks 75% 85% 88% 86% 80% 90% 78% 86% 83% 83% 84% 82% 83% Recreation programs or classes 76% 89% 89% 89% 81% 85% 82% 89% 81% 86% 91% 77% 85% Recreation centers or facilities 81% 88% 83% 90% 77% 81% 84% 86% 83% 85% 88% 79% 84% Land use, planning and zoning 54% 61% 54% 60% 54% 67% 54% 56% 65% 55% 54% 61% 57% Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 59% 60% 68% 65% 62% 57% 62% 68% 63% 63% 62% 65% 63% Animal control 70% 78% 80% 79% 77% 68% 77% 81% 74% 78% 77% 76% 77% Economic development 64% 83% 77% 78% 73% 80% 72% 78% 61% 79% 79% 69% 76% Public health services 76% 83% 92% 82% 87% 68% 87% 90% 78% 87% 88% 79% 84% Public library services 93% 99% 98% 95% 99% 92% 99% 96% 93% 98% 98% 95% 97% Public information services 69% 85% 89% 84% 81% 69% 82% 88% 67% 87% 85% 78% 82% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 101 Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Cable television 39% 47% 58% 52% 47% 42% 40% 58% 37% 53% 50% 47% 49% Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 62% 77% 74% 72% 71% 59% 63% 85% 65% 74% 71% 73% 72% Edina open space 60% 75% 73% 71% 69% 64% 72% 71% 52% 75% 77% 60% 70% City-sponsored special events 65% 80% 83% 82% 71% 61% 78% 83% 68% 80% 82% 69% 77% Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina 76% 90% 93% 86% 87% 80% 86% 90% 73% 91% 93% 78% 87% TABLE 128: OPINIONS OF PROPERTY TAXES BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS (Percent "very" or "somewhat" high) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Thinking about your property taxes in comparison with neighboring cities, do you consider property taxes in Edina to be…? 54% 60% 51% 54% 55% 61% 64% 46% 52% 55% 60% 46% 55% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 102 TABLE 129: LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS (Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached To what extent would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain City services at their current level? 41% 41% 52% 45% 45% 39% 40% 51% 37% 47% 47% 42% 45% TABLE 130: GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate the following categories of Edina government performance: (Percent "excellent" or "good") Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina 75% 81% 78% 81% 75% 74% 74% 83% 72% 80% 79% 76% 78% The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement 73% 64% 59% 66% 62% 66% 63% 65% 67% 64% 62% 68% 64% Overall confidence in Edina government 81% 69% 69% 71% 73% 82% 68% 71% 79% 70% 70% 75% 72% Generally acting in the best interest of the community 88% 68% 66% 73% 71% 91% 68% 68% 78% 71% 71% 75% 72% Treating all residents fairly 75% 67% 69% 71% 69% 80% 69% 68% 75% 69% 67% 75% 70% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 103 TABLE 131: MANAGING COMMUNITY TENSIONS BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS (Percent "very" or "somewhat" well) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached How well, if at all, do you feel the City is managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina? 72% 68% 61% 69% 64% 90% 61% 64% 68% 66% 64% 71% 67% TABLE 132: PROBLEMS IN EDINA BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. (Percent "moderate,” “major” or “extreme” problem) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Traffic speeding in your neighborhood 34% 36% 35% 40% 30% 27% 40% 34% 30% 36% 38% 31% 35% Stop sign violations in your neighborhood 26% 31% 31% 30% 28% 24% 32% 29% 28% 29% 31% 27% 29% Violent crime 9% 6% 4% 9% 2% 12% 3% 6% 18% 3% 2% 14% 6% Drugs 13% 15% 12% 15% 11% 20% 9% 14% 23% 10% 9% 20% 13% Youth crimes 19% 17% 14% 17% 17% 27% 13% 16% 21% 16% 15% 19% 17% Vandalism and property crimes 19% 19% 24% 21% 21% 23% 16% 24% 26% 19% 18% 26% 21% Identity theft 20% 16% 29% 20% 24% 22% 15% 28% 35% 18% 17% 30% 22% Domestic abuse 14% 6% 17% 13% 12% 9% 9% 19% 30% 8% 6% 24% 13% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 104 TABLE 133: METHODS OF GARBAGE COLLECTION BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS (Percent "strongly" or "somewhat" support) Length of residency Gender Age Housing unit tenure Housing unit type Overall Less than 5 years 6 to 20 years More than 20 years Female Male 18- 34 35- 54 55+ Rent Own Detached Attached Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. To what extent do you support the City changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community? 58% 51% 44% 55% 45% 46% 54% 48% 60% 47% 48% 54% 50% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 105 APPENDIX E: DETAILED BENCHMARK COMPARISONS Comparison Data National Research Center, Inc.’s (NRC) database of comparative resident opinion is comprised of resident perspectives gathered in surveys from over 500 communities whose residents evaluated the same kinds of topics on the Edina Quality of Life Survey. The comparison evaluations are from the most recent survey completed in each community; most communities conduct surveys every year or in alternating years. NRC adds the latest results quickly upon survey completion, keeping the benchmark data fresh and relevant. The communities in the database represent a wide geographic and population range. National comparisons and comparisons of Minnesota communities have been provided when similar questions on the Edina Quality of Life Survey are included in NRC’s database. Interpreting the Results Ratings are compared when there are at least five communities in which a similar question was asked. Where comparisons are available, four columns are provided in the table. The first column is Edina’s “percent positive.” The percent positive is the combination of the top two most positive response options (i.e., “excellent” and “good,” “very safe” and “somewhat safe,” “very likely” and “somewhat likely,” etc.). The second column is the rank assigned to Edina’s rating among communities where a similar question was asked. The third column is the number of communities that asked a similar question. The final column shows the comparison of Edina’s rating to the benchmark. In that final column, Edina’s results are noted as being “higher” than the benchmark, “lower” than the benchmark or “similar” to the benchmark, meaning that the average rating given by residents is statistically similar to or different (greater or lesser) than the benchmark. More extreme differences are noted as “much higher” or “much lower.” Benchmark Database Characteristics Region Percent New England 3% Middle Atlantic 5% East North Central 15% West North Central 13% South Atlantic 22% East South Central 3% West South Central 7% Mountain 16% Pacific 16% Population Percent Less than 10,000 10% 10,000 to 24,999 22% 25,000 to 49,999 23% 50,000 to 99,999 22% 100,000 or more 23% The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 106 NATIONAL BENCHMARK COMPARISONS TABLE 134: QUESTION 1 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? 96% 16 383 Higher TABLE 135: QUESTION 2 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Overall feeling of safety in Edina 96% 20 208 Higher Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit 88% 13 124 Higher Quality of overall natural environment in Edina 88% 51 225 Similar Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) 81% 13 120 Higher Health and wellness opportunities in Edina 90% 10 122 Higher Overall opportunities for education and enrichment 94% 5 119 Much higher Overall economic health of Edina 91% 2 124 Much higher Sense of community 73% 64 253 Similar Overall image or reputation of Edina 86% 34 287 Higher Neighborliness of residents in Edina 76% 6 115 Higher TABLE 136: QUESTION 3 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks 92% 82 227 Similar Remain in Edina for the next five years 89% 57 222 Similar TABLE 137: QUESTION 7 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark In your neighborhood 96% 1 25 Higher In the 50th and France area (downtown area) 96% 1 11 Much higher The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 107 TABLE 138: QUESTION 10 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Traffic flow on major streets 58% 108 287 Similar Ease of public parking 68% 27 102 Similar Ease of travel by car in Edina 83% 27 243 Higher Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina 37% 69 91 Similar Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina 47% 145 242 Similar Ease of walking in Edina 60% 133 238 Similar Availability of paths and walking trails 58% 164 251 Similar Air quality 92% 44 202 Similar Cleanliness of Edina 95% 17 218 Higher Public places where people want to spend time 84% 18 113 Higher Variety of housing options 59% 124 223 Similar Availability of affordable quality housing 36% 194 245 Similar Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) 71% 53 117 Similar Recreational opportunities 76% 78 250 Similar K-12 education 94% 2 213 Much higher Adult educational opportunities 85% 4 108 Higher Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 74% 52 242 Higher Employment opportunities 63% 19 257 Higher Shopping opportunities 90% 7 242 Much higher Cost of living in Edina 46% 55 119 Similar Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina 86% 15 218 Higher Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina 71% NA NA NA Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 70% 69 206 Similar Opportunities to volunteer 70% 101 213 Similar Opportunities to participate in community matters 62% 113 217 Similar Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 51% 183 234 Similar The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 108 TABLE 139: QUESTION 13 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Police services 90% 26 364 Higher Fire services 98% 12 294 Similar Ambulance or emergency medical services 98% 12 285 Similar Crime prevention 87% 20 296 Higher Fire prevention and education 85% 33 236 Similar Traffic enforcement 75% 50 315 Similar Street repair 49% 186 356 Similar Street cleaning 72% 82 258 Similar Street lighting 69% 74 260 Similar Snow removal 87% 10 247 Higher Sidewalk maintenance 69% 50 264 Similar Traffic signal timing 58% 58 202 Similar Bus or transit services 57% 94 178 Similar Garbage collection 84% 173 290 Similar Recycling 88% 105 300 Similar Yard waste pick-up 85% 49 221 Similar Storm drainage 78% 71 303 Similar Drinking water 69% 180 277 Similar Sewer services 83% 83 265 Similar Utility billing 77% 28 110 Similar City parks 93% 45 270 Similar Recreation programs or classes 85% 39 282 Similar Recreation centers or facilities 84% 46 228 Similar Land use, planning and zoning 57% 82 243 Similar Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 63% 85 300 Similar Animal control 77% 23 280 Similar Economic development 76% 26 234 Higher Public health services 84% 22 158 Higher Public library services 97% 24 287 Higher Public information services 82% 19 233 Higher Cable television 49% 114 156 Similar Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 72% 76 229 Similar Edina open space 70% 46 115 Similar City-sponsored special events 77% 41 128 Similar Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina 87% 71 369 Similar The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 109 TABLE 140: QUESTION 18 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina 78% 8 334 Higher The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement 64% 69 255 Similar Overall confidence in Edina government 72% 17 120 Higher Generally acting in the best interest of the community 72% 22 119 Similar Treating all residents fairly 70% 28 119 Similar TABLE 141: QUESTION 19 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Taste 58% 5 6 Similar TABLE 142: QUESTION 29 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Appearance 86% 2 7 Similar Online information and services offered 80% 2 6 Similar Ease of navigation/ability to find information 58% 7 9 Similar Overall quality of the City of Edina website 73% 9 43 Similar TABLE 143: QUESTION 31 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Knowledge 93% 28 141 Similar Courtesy 86% 51 128 Similar Responsiveness 84% 47 142 Similar Overall customer service 87% 43 305 Similar The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 110 COMMUNITIES INCLUDED IN NATIONAL COMPARISONS The communities included in the Edina comparisons are listed on the following pages along with their population according to the 2010 Census. Adams County, CO .................. 441,603 Airway Heights city, WA ............... 6,114 Albany city, OR .......................... 50,158 Albemarle County, VA................ 98,970 Albert Lea city, MN .................... 18,016 Algonquin village, IL................... 30,046 Aliso Viejo city, CA ..................... 47,823 Altoona city, IA .......................... 14,541 American Canyon city, CA .......... 19,454 Ames city, IA.............................. 58,965 Andover CDP, MA ........................ 8,762 Ankeny city, IA ........................... 45,582 Ann Arbor city, MI .................... 113,934 Annapolis city, MD ..................... 38,394 Apple Valley town, CA................ 69,135 Arapahoe County, CO .............. 572,003 Arkansas City city, AR .................... 366 Arlington city, TX ..................... 365,438 Arlington County, VA ............... 207,627 Arvada city, CO ........................ 106,433 Asheville city, NC ....................... 83,393 Ashland city, OR ........................ 20,078 Ashland town, VA ........................ 7,225 Auburn city, AL .......................... 53,380 Auburn city, WA......................... 70,180 Augusta CCD, GA ...................... 134,777 Aurora city, CO ........................ 325,078 Austin city, TX ......................... 790,390 Bainbridge Island city, WA ......... 23,025 Baltimore city, MD ................... 620,961 Bartonville town, TX ....................1,469 Battle Creek city, MI ................... 52,347 Bay City city, MI ......................... 34,932 Baytown city, TX ........................ 71,802 Bedford city, TX ......................... 46,979 Bedford town, MA ..................... 13,320 Bellevue city, WA ..................... 122,363 Bellingham city, WA................... 80,885 Beltrami County, MN ................ 44,442 Benbrook city, TX ...................... 21,234 Bend city, OR ............................. 76,639 Benicia city, CA .......................... 26,997 Bettendorf city, IA.......................33,217 Billings city, MT ....................... 104,170 Blaine city, MN .......................... 57,186 Bloomfield Hills city, MI................3,869 Bloomington city, MN ................ 82,893 Blue Springs city, MO ................. 52,575 Boise City city, ID ..................... 205,671 Boone County, KY .....................118,811 Boulder city, CO ......................... 97,385 Bowling Green city, KY............... 58,067 Brentwood city, MO ..................... 8,055 Brentwood city, TN .................... 37,060 Brighton city, CO ....................... 33,352 Bristol city, TN ........................... 26,702 Broken Arrow city, OK ...............98,850 Brookfield city, WI ..................... 37,920 Brookline CDP, MA .................... 58,732 Brownsburg town, IN ................. 21,285 Bryan city, TX ............................ 76,201 Burien city, WA........................... 33,313 Burleson city, TX........................ 36,690 Cabarrus County, NC ................ 178,011 Cambridge city, MA ..................105,162 Canton city, SD............................ 3,057 Cape Coral city, FL .................... 154,305 Cape Girardeau city, MO .............37,941 Carlisle borough, PA .................. 18,682 Carlsbad city, CA ......................105,328 Carroll city, IA .............................10,103 Cartersville city, GA .................... 19,731 Cary town, NC .......................... 135,234 Casa Grande city, AZ ..................48,571 Casper city, WY ..........................55,316 Castine town, ME ........................ 1,366 Castle Pines North city, CO ........ 10,360 Castle Rock town, CO ................ 48,231 Centennial city, CO ................... 100,377 Centralia city, IL..........................13,032 Chambersburg borough, PA....... 20,268 Chandler city, AZ ...................... 236,123 Chanhassen city, MN ................. 22,952 Chapel Hill town, NC ................... 57,233 Charlotte city, NC ..................... 731,424 Charlotte County, FL ................159,978 Charlottesville city, VA............... 43,475 Chattanooga city, TN................ 167,674 Chesterfield County, VA ...........316,236 Chippewa Falls city, WI .............. 13,661 Citrus Heights city, CA ................83,301 Clackamas County, OR .............375,992 Clarendon Hills village, IL ............. 8,427 Clayton city, MO ........................ 15,939 Clearwater city, FL ....................107,685 Cleveland Heights city, OH ........ 46,121 Clive city, IA................................15,447 Clovis city, CA............................ 95,631 College Park city, MD .................30,413 College Station city, TX.............. 93,857 Colleyville city, TX ..................... 22,807 Collinsville city, IL ...................... 25,579 Columbia city, MO ................... 108,500 Columbia city, SC .................... 129,272 Columbus city, WI ........................ 4,991 Commerce City city, CO ............. 45,913 Concord city, CA ...................... 122,067 Concord town, MA..................... 17,668 Cookeville city, TN ..................... 30,435 Coon Rapids city, MN ................ 61,476 Copperas Cove city, TX .............. 32,032 Coronado city, CA...................... 18,912 Corvallis city, OR ....................... 54,462 Creve Coeur city, MO .................. 17,833 Cross Roads town, TX .................. 1,563 Crystal Lake city, IL.................... 40,743 Dade City city, FL ........................ 6,437 Dakota County, MN ................. 398,552 Dallas city, OR ........................... 14,583 Dallas city, TX ........................ 1,197,816 Danville city, KY ........................ 16,218 Dardenne Prairie city, MO .......... 11,494 Davenport city, IA ..................... 99,685 Davidson town, NC.................... 10,944 Decatur city, GA ......................... 19,335 Del Mar city, CA ...........................4,161 Delray Beach city, FL ................. 60,522 Denison city, TX ........................ 22,682 Denton city, TX ........................ 113,383 Denver city, CO ........................600,158 Derby city, KS ............................22,158 Des Peres city, MO ....................... 8,373 Destin city, FL ............................ 12,305 Dorchester County, MD .............. 32,618 Dothan city, AL ......................... 65,496 Douglas County, CO ................ 285,465 Dover city, NH........................... 29,987 Dublin city, CA .......................... 46,036 Duluth city, MN ......................... 86,265 Duncanville city, TX ....................38,524 Durham city, NC ....................... 228,330 Eagle town, CO ........................... 6,508 East Baton Rouge Parish, LA .... 440,171 East Grand Forks city, MN ........... 8,601 East Lansing city, MI...................48,579 Eau Claire city, WI ..................... 65,883 Eden Prairie city, MN .................. 60,797 Edgerton city, KS ......................... 1,671 Edgewater city, CO ...................... 5,170 Edmond city, OK ........................81,405 Edmonds city, WA ...................... 39,709 El Cerrito city, CA ...................... 23,549 El Dorado County, CA ............... 181,058 El Paso city, TX ......................... 649,121 Elk Grove city, CA ..................... 153,015 Elk River city, MN ...................... 22,974 Elko New Market city, MN ............4,110 Elmhurst city, IL ......................... 44,121 Encinitas city, CA ....................... 59,518 Englewood city, CO .................... 30,255 Erie town, CO ............................. 18,135 Escambia County, FL ................ 297,619 Estes Park town, CO .................... 5,858 Fairview town, TX........................ 7,248 Farmington Hills city, MI ............. 79,740 Fayetteville city, NC ................ 200,564 Fishers town, IN ......................... 76,794 Flower Mound town, TX ............ 64,669 Forest Grove city, OR ................. 21,083 Fort Collins city, CO .................. 143,986 Fort Smith city, AR .................... 86,209 Fort Worth city, TX ................... 741,206 Fountain Hills town, AZ ............. 22,489 Franklin city, TN ........................ 62,487 Fredericksburg city, VA ............. 24,286 Fremont city, CA ..................... 214,089 Friendswood city, TX .................. 35,805 Fruita city, CO ........................... 12,646 Gahanna city, OH ....................... 33,248 Gaithersburg city, MD ................ 59,933 Galveston city, TX ...................... 47,743 Gardner city, KS ......................... 19,123 Geneva city, NY ......................... 13,261 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 111 Georgetown city, TX .................. 47,400 Gilbert town, AZ ...................... 208,453 Gillette city, WY ......................... 29,087 Glendora city, CA ....................... 50,073 Globe city, AZ .............................. 7,532 Golden Valley city, MN ............... 20,371 Goodyear city, AZ ...................... 65,275 Grafton village, WI ..................... 11,459 Grand Blanc city, MI ..................... 8,276 Grand Island city, NE .................. 48,520 Grass Valley city, CA .................. 12,860 Greeley city, CO ........................ 92,889 Green Valley CDP, AZ ................ 21,391 Greenville city, NC ..................... 84,554 Greenwich town, CT....................61,171 Greenwood Village city, CO........ 13,925 Greer city, SC ............................. 25,515 Guilford County, NC .................488,406 Gunnison County, CO................. 15,324 Hailey city, ID............................... 7,960 Haines Borough, AK .....................2,508 Hallandale Beach city, FL ............ 37,113 Hamilton city, OH ...................... 62,477 Hanover County, VA .................. 99,863 Harrisonburg city, VA ................. 48,914 Harrisonville city, MO ................. 10,019 Hayward city, CA ..................... 144,186 Henderson city, NV .................. 257,729 Herndon town, VA ..................... 23,292 High Point city, NC.................... 104,371 Highland Park city, IL ................. 29,763 Highlands Ranch CDP, CO .......... 96,713 Hillsborough town, NC ................. 6,087 Holland city, MI .......................... 33,051 Honolulu County, HI ................. 953,207 Hooksett town, NH .................... 13,451 Hopkins city, MN ....................... 17,591 Hopkinton town, MA .................. 14,925 Hoquiam city, WA ........................ 8,726 Hudson city, OH.........................22,262 Hudson town, CO......................... 2,356 Hudsonville city, MI ...................... 7,116 Huntersville town, NC ................ 46,773 Hurst city, TX .............................. 37,337 Hutchinson city, MN .................. 14,178 Hutto city, TX ............................ 14,698 Hyattsville city, MD ..................... 17,557 Independence city, MO ............ 116,830 Indian Trail town, NC ................. 33,518 Indianola city, IA ........................ 14,782 Iowa City city, IA ........................ 67,862 Issaquah city, WA....................... 30,434 Jackson County, MI .................. 160,248 James City County, VA ............... 67,009 Jefferson City city, MO ............... 43,079 Jefferson County, CO ............... 534,543 Jefferson County, NY ............... 116,229 Jerome city, ID ........................... 10,890 Johnson City city, TN ................. 63,152 Johnston city, IA ........................ 17,278 Jupiter town, FL ......................... 55,156 Kalamazoo city, MI .................... 74,262 Kansas City city, KS.................. 145,786 Kansas City city, MO ................ 459,787 Keizer city, OR ........................... 36,478 Kenmore city, WA ..................... 20,460 Kennedale city, TX ....................... 6,763 Kennett Square borough, PA ....... 6,072 Kettering city, OH...................... 56,163 Key West city, FL ....................... 24,649 King County, WA ................... 1,931,249 Kirkland city, WA ....................... 48,787 Kirkwood city, MO ..................... 27,540 Knoxville city, IA ........................... 7,313 La Mesa city, CA ........................ 57,065 La Plata town, MD ....................... 8,753 La Porte city, TX ........................ 33,800 La Vista city, NE ......................... 15,758 Lafayette city, CO...................... 24,453 Laguna Beach city, CA ............... 22,723 Laguna Hills city, CA .................. 30,344 Laguna Niguel city, CA............... 62,979 Lake Oswego city, OR................ 36,619 Lake Stevens city, WA ............... 28,069 Lake Worth city, FL.................... 34,910 Lake Zurich village, IL ................ 19,631 Lakeville city, MN ...................... 55,954 Lakewood city, CO .................. 142,980 Lane County, OR ...................... 351,715 Larimer County, CO ................. 299,630 Las Cruces city, NM ................... 97,618 Las Vegas city, NV .................... 583,756 Lawrence city, KS ...................... 87,643 League City city, TX ................... 83,560 Lee's Summit city, MO ............... 91,364 Lehi city, UT .............................. 47,407 Lenexa city, KS .......................... 48,190 Lewis County, NY ...................... 27,087 Lewisville city, TX ...................... 95,290 Lincoln city, NE ........................258,379 Lindsborg city, KS........................ 3,458 Littleton city, CO ........................ 41,737 Livermore city, CA ..................... 80,968 Lombard village, IL .................... 43,165 Lone Tree city, CO ..................... 10,218 Longmont city, CO .................... 86,270 Longview city, TX ...................... 80,455 Los Alamos County, NM ............ 17,950 Louisville city, CO .......................18,376 Lynchburg city, VA .................... 75,568 Lynnwood city, WA ................... 35,836 Macomb County, MI ................ 840,978 Madison city, WI ...................... 233,209 Manhattan Beach city, CA........... 35,135 Mankato city, MN ...................... 39,309 Maple Grove city, MN ................ 61,567 Maple Valley city, WA ................ 22,684 Maricopa County, AZ .............. 3,817,117 Maryland Heights city, MO ........ 27,472 Matthews town, NC ................... 27,198 McAllen city, TX ....................... 129,877 McDonough city, GA ................. 22,084 McKinney city, TX ..................... 131,117 McMinnville city, OR ................... 32,187 Medford city, OR ....................... 74,907 Menlo Park city, CA ................... 32,026 Mercer Island city, WA ............... 22,699 Meridian charter township, MI ... 39,688 Meridian city, ID ........................ 75,092 Merriam city, KS .........................11,003 Mesa County, CO...................... 146,723 Miami Beach city, FL................... 87,779 Miami city, FL .......................... 399,457 Middleton city, WI ...................... 17,442 Midland city, MI .........................41,863 Milford city, DE ........................... 9,559 Milton city, GA ...........................32,661 Minneapolis city, MN ................ 382,578 Mission Viejo city, CA ................. 93,305 Modesto city, CA ...................... 201,165 Monterey city, CA ...................... 27,810 Montgomery County, VA ........... 94,392 Monument town, CO ....................5,530 Mooresville town, NC ................. 32,711 Morristown city, TN.................... 29,137 Morrisville town, NC ................... 18,576 Moscow city, ID ......................... 23,800 Mountain Village town, CO ...........1,320 Mountlake Terrace city, WA ...... 19,909 Muscatine city, IA ...................... 22,886 Naperville city, IL ..................... 141,853 Needham CDP, MA ................... 28,886 New Braunfels city, TX ............... 57,740 New Brighton city, MN ...............21,456 New Hanover County, NC .........202,667 New Orleans city, LA ................ 343,829 New Smyrna Beach city, FL ....... 22,464 Newberg city, OR ...................... 22,068 Newport Beach city, CA ............. 85,186 Newport News city, VA ............ 180,719 Newton city, IA .......................... 15,254 Noblesville city, IN..................... 51,969 Nogales city, AZ ......................... 20,837 Norfolk city, VA ........................242,803 Northglenn city, CO ................... 35,789 Novato city, CA ......................... 51,904 Novi city, MI .............................. 55,224 O'Fallon city, IL ......................... 28,281 O'Fallon city, MO ....................... 79,329 Oak Park village, IL ..................... 51,878 Oakland Park city, FL ................. 41,363 Oakley city, CA........................... 35,432 Ogdensburg city, NY .................. 11,128 Oklahoma City city, OK ............579,999 Olathe city, KS ......................... 125,872 Old Town city, ME ....................... 7,840 Olmsted County, MN .............. 144,248 Olympia city, WA ...................... 46,478 Orland Park village, IL ................ 56,767 Oshkosh city, WI ....................... 66,083 Otsego County, MI .................... 24,164 Overland Park city, KS ............... 173,372 Oviedo city, FL ........................... 33,342 Paducah city, KY ....................... 25,024 Palm Coast city, FL ..................... 75,180 Palo Alto city, CA ...................... 64,403 Papillion city, NE ....................... 18,894 Park City city, UT.......................... 7,558 Parker town, CO .........................45,297 Parkland city, FL........................ 23,962 Pasadena city, CA..................... 137,122 Pasco city, WA ........................... 59,781 Pasco County, FL..................... 464,697 Pearland city, TX ........................91,252 Peoria city, AZ.......................... 154,065 Peoria city, IL ........................... 115,007 Peoria County, IL ..................... 186,494 Petoskey city, MI ......................... 5,670 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 112 Pflugerville city, TX ....................46,936 Phoenix city, AZ .................... 1,445,632 Pinal County, AZ ....................... 375,770 Pinehurst village, NC .................. 13,124 Piqua city, OH ............................ 20,522 Pitkin County, CO ...................... 17,148 Platte City city, MO ......................4,691 Plymouth city, MN ..................... 70,576 Pocatello city, ID ........................ 54,255 Polk County, IA ........................ 430,640 Port Huron city, MI ..................... 30,184 Port Orange city, FL ...................56,048 Portland city, OR ......................583,776 Post Falls city, ID ........................ 27,574 Prince William County, VA ....... 402,002 Prior Lake city, MN .................... 22,796 Provo city, UT .......................... 112,488 Pueblo city, CO ........................ 106,595 Purcellville town, VA .................... 7,727 Queen Creek town, AZ ............... 26,361 Radnor township, PA ..................31,531 Ramsey city, MN ........................ 23,668 Rapid City city, SD ..................... 67,956 Raymore city, MO ...................... 19,206 Redmond city, WA ..................... 54,144 Rehoboth Beach city, DE .............. 1,327 Reno city, NV ........................... 225,221 Reston CDP, VA ......................... 58,404 Richmond city, CA .................... 103,701 Richmond Heights city, MO..........8,603 Rifle city, CO ................................ 9,172 River Falls city, WI ...................... 15,000 Riverdale city, UT ........................ 8,426 Riverside city, CA ...................... 303,871 Riverside city, MO ........................ 2,937 Rochester Hills city, MI ............... 70,995 Rock Hill city, SC ........................ 66,154 Rockford city, IL ........................152,871 Rockville city, MD ...................... 61,209 Rogers city, MN ........................... 8,597 Rolla city, MO ............................ 19,559 Roselle village, IL ....................... 22,763 Roswell city, GA ......................... 88,346 Round Rock city, TX ................... 99,887 Royal Oak city, MI ...................... 57,236 Saco city, ME ............................. 18,482 Sahuarita town, AZ .................... 25,259 Sammamish city, WA ................. 45,780 San Anselmo town, CA ............... 12,336 San Antonio city, TX .............. 1,327,407 San Carlos city, CA .................... 28,406 San Diego city, CA .................1,307,402 San Francisco city, CA .............. 805,235 San Jose city, CA ...................... 945,942 San Juan County, NM ............... 130,044 San Marcos city, CA ................... 83,781 San Marcos city, TX................... 44,894 San Rafael city, CA ...................... 57,713 Sandy Springs city, GA ............... 93,853 Sanford city, FL.......................... 53,570 Sangamon County, IL............... 197,465 Santa Clarita city, CA ............... 176,320 Santa Fe County, NM ............... 144,170 Santa Monica city, CA ................ 89,736 Sarasota County, FL ................. 379,448 Savage city, MN ......................... 26,911 Scarborough CDP, ME ................. 4,403 Schaumburg village, IL .............. 74,227 Scott County, MN .................... 129,928 Scottsdale city, AZ ................... 217,385 Seaside city, CA ......................... 33,025 SeaTac city, WA ........................ 26,909 Sevierville city, TN ..................... 14,807 Shawnee city, KS ....................... 62,209 Sheboygan city, WI .................... 49,288 Shoreview city, MN ................... 25,043 Shorewood city, MN .....................7,307 Shorewood village, IL .................15,615 Shorewood village, WI ................13,162 Sioux Center city, IA .................... 7,048 Sioux Falls city, SD....................153,888 Skokie village, IL ........................ 64,784 Snellville city, GA ....................... 18,242 Snowmass Village town, CO ........ 2,826 South Kingstown town, RI.......... 30,639 South Lake Tahoe city, CA ......... 21,403 South Portland city, ME ............. 25,002 Southborough town, MA ............. 9,767 Southlake city, TX ..................... 26,575 Sparks city, NV .......................... 90,264 Spokane Valley city, WA ............ 89,755 Spring Hill city, KS ....................... 5,437 Springboro city, OH ................... 17,409 Springfield city, MO ................. 159,498 Springfield city, OR.................... 59,403 Springville city, UT..................... 29,466 St. Charles city, IL ...................... 32,974 St. Cloud city, FL ........................ 35,183 St. Cloud city, MN ...................... 65,842 St. Joseph city, MO .................... 76,780 St. Louis County, MN ............... 200,226 St. Louis Park city, MN ............... 45,250 Stallings town, NC ...................... 13,831 State College borough, PA ......... 42,034 Steamboat Springs city, CO ....... 12,088 Sterling Heights city, MI........... 129,699 Sugar Grove village, IL ................. 8,997 Sugar Land city, TX..................... 78,817 Summit city, NJ ..........................21,457 Summit County, UT ................... 36,324 Sunnyvale city, CA ................... 140,081 Surprise city, AZ ....................... 117,517 Suwanee city, GA ....................... 15,355 Tacoma city, WA ...................... 198,397 Takoma Park city, MD ................ 16,715 Tamarac city, FL ........................ 60,427 Temecula city, CA .................... 100,097 Tempe city, AZ ......................... 161,719 Temple city, TX ......................... 66,102 The Woodlands CDP, TX ............ 93,847 Thornton city, CO ..................... 118,772 Thousand Oaks city, CA ........... 126,683 Tigard city, OR .......................... 48,035 Tracy city, CA ............................ 82,922 Tualatin city, OR ........................ 26,054 Tulsa city, OK .......................... 391,906 Twin Falls city, ID ....................... 44,125 Tyler city, TX ............................. 96,900 Umatilla city, OR ......................... 6,906 Upper Arlington city, OH ............ 33,771 Urbandale city, IA ...................... 39,463 Vail town, CO .............................. 5,305 Vancouver city, WA .................. 161,791 Vestavia Hills city, AL ................. 34,033 Victoria city, MN .......................... 7,345 Virginia Beach city, VA ............. 437,994 Wake Forest town, NC ................ 30,117 Walnut Creek city, CA................. 64,173 Washington County, MN .......... 238,136 Washington town, NH .................. 1,123 Washoe County, NV ................. 421,407 Watauga city, TX ........................ 23,497 Wauwatosa city, WI ................... 46,396 Waverly city, IA ........................... 9,874 Weddington town, NC ................. 9,459 Wentzville city, MO ................... 29,070 West Carrollton city, OH ............. 13,143 West Chester borough, PA .........18,461 West Des Moines city, IA ........... 56,609 West Richland city, WA .............. 11,811 Western Springs village, IL ......... 12,975 Westerville city, OH.................... 36,120 Westlake town, TX ......................... 992 Westminster city, CO ............... 106,114 Weston town, MA ...................... 11,261 White House city, TN.................. 10,255 Wichita city, KS ........................ 382,368 Williamsburg city, VA ................ 14,068 Wilmington city, NC ................. 106,476 Wilsonville city, OR ................... 19,509 Winchester city, VA ................... 26,203 Windsor town, CO ..................... 18,644 Windsor town, CT...................... 29,044 Winnetka village, IL .................... 12,187 Winston-Salem city, NC ........... 229,617 Winter Garden city, FL............... 34,568 Woodbury city, MN ....................61,961 Woodland city, CA..................... 55,468 Woodland city, WA ..................... 5,509 Wrentham town, MA .................. 10,955 Yakima city, WA ......................... 91,067 York County, VA........................ 65,464 Yorktown town, IN ...................... 9,405 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 113 MINNESOTA COMMUNITIES BENCHMARK COMPARISONS TABLE 144: QUESTION 1 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark How would you rate the quality of life in Edina? 96% 1 26 Higher TABLE 145: QUESTION 2 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Overall feeling of safety in Edina 96% 4 14 Similar Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit 88% 2 9 Similar Quality of overall natural environment in Edina 88% 6 13 Similar Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) 81% 3 7 Similar Health and wellness opportunities in Edina 90% 3 8 Similar Overall opportunities for education and enrichment 94% 1 7 Higher Overall economic health of Edina 91% 1 8 Higher Sense of community 73% 2 17 Similar Overall image or reputation of Edina 86% 4 18 Higher Neighborliness of residents in Edina 76% 2 5 Similar TABLE 146: QUESTION 3 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks 92% 6 11 Similar Remain in Edina for the next five years 89% 5 11 Similar TABLE 147: QUESTION 7 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark In your neighborhood 96% 1 8 Higher The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 114 TABLE 148: QUESTION 10 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Traffic flow on major streets 58% 9 12 Similar Ease of public parking 68% 3 5 Similar Ease of travel by car in Edina 83% 4 14 Similar Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina 37% 7 7 Similar Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina 47% 13 13 Lower Ease of walking in Edina 60% 13 14 Similar Availability of paths and walking trails 58% 13 13 Lower Air quality 92% 6 9 Similar Cleanliness of Edina 95% 4 12 Similar Public places where people want to spend time 84% 3 7 Similar Variety of housing options 59% 12 14 Similar Availability of affordable quality housing 36% 19 20 Lower Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) 71% 6 7 Similar Recreational opportunities 76% 13 20 Similar K-12 education 94% 1 12 Much higher Adult educational opportunities 85% 1 5 Higher Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities 74% 2 11 Higher Employment opportunities 63% 4 18 Higher Shopping opportunities 90% 1 14 Much higher Cost of living in Edina 46% 4 6 Similar Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina 86% 3 12 Higher Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 70% 4 8 Similar Opportunities to volunteer 70% 5 11 Similar Opportunities to participate in community matters 62% 6 9 Similar Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 51% 11 15 Similar The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 115 TABLE 149: QUESTION 13 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Police services 90% 6 20 Similar Fire services 98% 1 19 Similar Ambulance or emergency medical services 98% 2 12 Similar Crime prevention 87% 3 14 Similar Fire prevention and education 85% 4 13 Similar Traffic enforcement 75% 6 13 Similar Street repair 49% 14 24 Similar Street cleaning 72% 6 15 Similar Street lighting 69% 10 20 Similar Snow removal 87% 1 33 Higher Sidewalk maintenance 69% 8 14 Similar Traffic signal timing 58% 7 12 Similar Bus or transit services 57% 5 7 Similar Garbage collection 84% 6 9 Similar Recycling 88% 8 17 Similar Yard waste pick-up 85% 1 8 Similar Storm drainage 78% 10 15 Similar Drinking water 69% 20 21 Similar Sewer services 83% 12 22 Similar Utility billing 77% 4 6 Similar City parks 93% 7 18 Similar Recreation programs or classes 85% 3 17 Similar Recreation centers or facilities 84% 6 16 Similar Land use, planning and zoning 57% 10 16 Similar Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 63% 5 13 Similar Animal control 77% 3 20 Similar Economic development 76% 3 14 Higher Public health services 84% 2 9 Higher Public library services 97% 3 13 Similar Public information services 82% 2 10 Similar Cable television 49% 4 7 Similar Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 72% 6 14 Similar Edina open space 70% 7 7 Similar Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina 87% 5 25 Similar The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 116 TABLE 150: QUESTION 18 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina 78% 1 29 Higher The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement 64% 4 15 Similar Overall confidence in Edina government 72% 3 7 Similar Generally acting in the best interest of the community 72% 3 7 Similar Treating all residents fairly 70% 3 7 Similar TABLE 151: QUESTION 29 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Overall quality of the City of Edina website 73% 2 8 Similar TABLE 152: QUESTION 31 Percent positive Rank Number of communities in comparison Comparison to benchmark Knowledge 93% 5 16 Similar Courtesy 86% 4 6 Similar Responsiveness 84% 8 16 Similar Overall customer service 87% 6 23 Similar The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 117 COMMUNITIES INCLUDED IN MINNESOTA COMPARISONS The communities included in the Edina comparisons are listed on the following pages along with their population according to the 2010 Census. Albert Lea city, MN ................................................................................... 18,016 Beltrami County, MN ............................................................................... 44,442 Blaine city, MN ......................................................................................... 57,186 Bloomington city, MN .............................................................................. 82,893 Chanhassen city, MN ............................................................................... 22,952 Coon Rapids city, MN................................................................................ 61,476 Dakota County, MN ................................................................................ 398,552 Duluth city, MN ....................................................................................... 86,265 East Grand Forks city, MN .......................................................................... 8,601 Eden Prairie city, MN ................................................................................ 60,797 Elk River city, MN .................................................................................... 22,974 Elko New Market city, MN ..........................................................................4,110 Golden Valley city, MN ............................................................................. 20,371 Hopkins city, MN ...................................................................................... 17,591 Hutchinson city, MN ................................................................................. 14,178 Lakeville city, MN .....................................................................................55,954 Mankato city, MN .....................................................................................39,309 Maple Grove city, MN ............................................................................... 61,567 Minneapolis city, MN .............................................................................. 382,578 New Brighton city, MN .............................................................................21,456 Olmsted County, MN ............................................................................. 144,248 Plymouth city, MN .................................................................................... 70,576 Prior Lake city, MN .................................................................................. 22,796 Ramsey city, MN...................................................................................... 23,668 Rogers city, MN ......................................................................................... 8,597 Savage city, MN........................................................................................26,911 Scott County, MN .................................................................................. 129,928 Shoreview city, MN...................................................................................25,043 Shorewood city, MN ................................................................................... 7,307 St. Cloud city, MN .................................................................................... 65,842 St. Louis County, MN ............................................................................. 200,226 St. Louis Park city, MN ............................................................................. 45,250 Victoria city, MN ......................................................................................... 7,345 Washington County, MN ......................................................................... 238,136 Woodbury city, MN...................................................................................61,961 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 118 APPENDIX F: SURVEY METHODOLOGY DEVELOPING THE QUESTIONNAIRE The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey was first administered in 2011. General citizen surveys, such as this one, ask recipients their perspectives about the quality of life in the city, their use of city amenities, their opinion on policy issues facing the city and their assessment of city service delivery. The 2015 survey instrument was developed by starting with the version from the previous implementation in 2013. A list of topics was generated for new questions; topics and questions were modified to find those that were the best fit for the 2015 questionnaire. In an iterative process between City staff and NRC staff, a final five-page questionnaire was created. SELECTING SURVEY RECIPIENTS “Sampling” refers to the method by which survey recipients are chosen. The “sample” refers to all those who were given a chance to participate in the survey. All households located in Edina’s boundaries were eligible for the survey. Because local governments or organizations generally do not have inclusive lists of all the residences in the community (tax assessor and utility billing databases often omit rental units), lists from the United States Postal Service (USPS), updated every three months, usually provide the best representation of all households in a specific geographic location. NRC used the USPS data to select the survey recipients. A larger list than needed was pulled so that a process referred to as “geocoding” could be used to eliminate addresses from the list that were outside Edina’s boundaries. Geocoding is a computerized process in which addresses are compared to electronically mapped boundaries and coded as inside or outside desired boundaries; in this case, within Edina. All addresses determined to be outside the study boundaries were eliminated from the list of potential households. Each address identified as being within city boundaries was further identified as being within the northeast, northwest, southeast or southwest quadrant of the city. A random selection was made of the remaining addresses to create a mailing list of 1,500 addresses, distributed proportionately between the geographic quadrants. Attached units were over sampled as residents of this type of housing typically respond at lower rates to surveys than do those in detached housing units. An individual within each household was randomly selected to complete the survey using the birthday method. The birthday method selects a person within the household by asking the “person whose birthday has most recently passed” to complete the questionnaire. The underlying assumption in this method is that day of birth has no relationship to the way people respond to surveys. This instruction was contained in the cover letter accompanying the questionnaire. SURVEY ADMINISTRATION AND RESPONSE RATE Each selected household was contacted three times. First, a prenotification announcement was sent, informing the household members that they had been selected to participate in the City of Edina Quality of Life Survey. Approximately one week after mailing the prenotification, each household was mailed a survey containing a cover letter signed by the City Manager enlisting participation. The packet also contained a postage-paid return envelope in which the survey recipients could return the completed questionnaire directly to NRC. A reminder letter and survey, scheduled to arrive one to two weeks after the first survey, was the final contact. The second cover letter asked those who had not completed the survey to do so and those who had already done so to refrain from turning in another survey. Each wave of the cover letter accompanying the survey included a web link for residents to visit if they preferred to take the survey online. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 119 The mailings were sent in May and June, 2015. Completed surveys were collected over the following five weeks. About 4% of the 1,500 surveys mailed were returned because the housing unit was vacant or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the 1,444 households presumed to have received a survey, 512 completed the survey (37 of which were completed online), providing a response rate of 35%. Response rates by geographic quadrant ranged from a low of 25% in the southeast quadrant to a high of 47% in the northeast quadrant of the city. RESPONSE RATE BY QUADRANT Geographic Quadrant Number Mailed Number Undeliverable Number Returned Response Rate Northeast 293 10 134 47% Northwest 395 7 164 42% Southeast 582 32 139 25% Southwest 230 7 79 35% Overall 1500 56 516 35% MARGIN OF ERROR The 95% confidence interval (or “margin of error”) quantifies the “sampling error” or precision of the estimates made from the survey results. A 95% confidence interval can be calculated for any sample size, and indicates that in 95 of 100 surveys conducted like this one, for a particular item, a result would be found that is within four percentage points of the result that would be found if everyone in the population of interest was surveyed. The practical difficulties of conducting any resident survey may introduce other sources of error in addition to sampling error. Despite best efforts to boost participation and ensure potential inclusion of all households, some selected households will decline participation in the survey (referred to as non-response error) and some eligible households may be unintentionally excluded from the listed sources for the sample (referred to as coverage error). While the margin of error for the survey is generally no greater than plus or minus four percentage points around any given percent reported for the entire sample, results for subgroups will have wider confidence intervals. Where estimates are given for subgroups, they are less precise. For each subgroup from the survey, the margin of error rises to as much as plus or minus 10% for a sample size of 100 completed surveys. SURVEY PROCESSING (DATA ENTRY) Mailed surveys were returned via postage-paid business reply envelopes. Once received, staff assigned a unique identification number to each questionnaire. Additionally, each survey was reviewed and “cleaned” as necessary. For example, a question may have asked a respondent to pick two items out of a list of five, but the respondent checked three; staff would choose randomly two of the three selected items to be coded in the dataset. Once all surveys were assigned a unique identification number, they were entered into an electronic dataset. This dataset is subject to a data entry protocol of “key and verify,” in which survey data were entered twice into an electronic dataset and then compared. Discrepancies were evaluated against the original survey form and corrected. Range checks as well as other forms of quality control were also performed. WEIGHTING THE DATA The primary objective of weighting survey data is to make the survey sample reflective of the larger population of the community. This is done by: 1) reviewing the sample demographics and comparing them to the population norms from the most recent Census or other sources and 2) comparing the responses to different questions for demographic subgroups. The demographic characteristics that are least similar to the Census and yield the most different results are the best candidates for data weighting. A special software program using mathematical algorithms is used to calculate the appropriate weights. Several different weighting “schemes” are tested to The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 120 ensure the best fit for the data. The variables used for weighting were respondent gender, age, race, ethnicity, housing unit type (attached or detached), housing tenure (rent or own) and geographic location of respondents residency. The results of the weighting scheme are presented in the following table. 2015 EDINA QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY WEIGHTING TABLE Characteristic Population Norm Unweighted Data Weighted Data Housing Rent home 25% 13% 24% Own home 75% 87% 76% Detached unit 59% 57% 59% Attached unit 41% 43% 41% Race and Ethnicity White 90% 92% 89% Not white 10% 8% 11% Not Hispanic 98% 98% 98% Hispanic 2% 2% 2% Sex and Age Female 54% 59% 53% Male 46% 41% 47% 18-34 years of age 18% 4% 15% 35-54 years of age 37% 24% 37% 55+ years of age 45% 72% 48% Females 18-34 9% 2% 9% Females 35-54 19% 14% 19% Females 55+ 26% 42% 25% Males 18-34 9% 2% 7% Males 35-54 18% 9% 17% Males 55+ 19% 30% 23% Geographic Quadrant Northeast 22% 26% 23% Northwest 29% 32% 30% Southeast 32% 27% 31% Southwest 17% 15% 17% ANALYZING THE DATA The electronic dataset was analyzed by NRC staff using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). For the most part, frequency distribution ratings are presented in the body of the report. A complete set of frequencies for each survey question is presented in Appendix B: Complete Survey Frequencies. Also included are results by respondent characteristics (Appendix D: Responses to Selected Survey Questions by Respondent Characteristics). Chi-square or ANOVA tests of significance were applied to these breakdowns of selected survey questions. A “p-value” of 0.05 or less indicates that there is less than a 5% probability that differences observed between groups are due to chance; or in other words, a greater than 95% probability that the differences observed in the selected categories of the sample represent “real” differences among those The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 121 populations. Where differences between subgroups are statistically significant, they have been marked with grey shading in the appendices. Comparing to Previous Survey Results For reporting comparability, the “don’t know” responses from past years data were removed in order to match the reporting of the 2015 data which shows the percentages without “don’t know” to focus on the results from those who had an opinion about a particular service or activity. Edina’s survey data were collected by phone in 2013 and prior. In 2015, the City switched data collection from phone to mail. Research is clear that a change in the method of survey data collection, by itself, will result in a change in results if the shift is from telephone administration to self-administration or vice versa. The change occurs even without change in resident perspectives and is attributed to the different environment that a survey respondent confronts when providing answers to a person on the telephone compared to offering private anonymous opinions. Questions by phone elicit more positive, optimistic, socially-desirable responses than do the same questions asked on a written self-administered questionnaire. The self-administered questionnaire brings out more candid responses. As a consequence of the switch in methodology, a general decline in ratings was both expected and observed; an average of about 12 percentage points (after the removal of “don’t know” responses). Thus, NRC adjusted down the findings from 2013 and prior by this average difference for the most extreme differences in order to maximize the comparability of results over time. This way the reported trendline data are not influenced by the decline that is attributable to the change in data collection mode from phone to mail. While the adjusted findings for data prior to 2013 reasonably control for the expected change from phone to mail data collection, the comparability of data over time does have some limitations. Not only is there sampling error in each survey administration, but also, the methods change occurred after a two-year gap in survey administrations and some question wording was inconsistent among survey years. Because of the overall shift in the methodology and related survey changes, NRC recommends that any change in ratings or reported behaviors be viewed with caution and that Edina consider differences of more than 10 percentage points from previous years to be large enough to signal a genuine change in opinion from 2013. Differences that do not reach this threshold should not be considered changes worthy of further interpretation. The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey July 2015 122 APPENDIX G: SURVEY MATERIALS The following pages contain copies of the survey materials sent to randomly selected households within the City of Edina. Dear Edina Resident, It won’t take much of your time to make a big difference! Your household has been randomly selected to participate in a survey about your community. Your survey will arrive in a few days. Thank you for helping create a better community! Sincerely, Scott H. Neal City Manager Dear Edina Resident, It won’t take much of your time to make a big difference! Your household has been randomly selected to participate in a survey about your community. Your survey will arrive in a few days. Thank you for helping create a better community! Sincerely, Scott H. Neal City Manager Dear Edina Resident, It won’t take much of your time to make a big difference! Your household has been randomly selected to participate in a survey about your community. Your survey will arrive in a few days. Thank you for helping create a better community! Sincerely, Scott H. Neal City Manager Dear Edina Resident, It won’t take much of your time to make a big difference! Your household has been randomly selected to participate in a survey about your community. Your survey will arrive in a few days. Thank you for helping create a better community! Sincerely, Scott H. Neal City Manager Presorted First Class Mail US Postage PAID Boulder, CO Permit NO. 94 Presorted First Class Mail US Postage PAID Boulder, CO Permit NO. 94 Presorted First Class Mail US Postage PAID Boulder, CO Permit NO. 94 Presorted First Class Mail US Postage PAID Boulder, CO Permit NO. 94 www.EdinaMN.gov • 952-927-8861 • Fax 952-826-0390 May 2015 Dear Edina Resident: Please help us shape the future of Edina! You have been randomly selected to participate in the 2015 Quality of Life Survey. Please take a few minutes to fill out the enclosed survey. Your participation in this survey is very important – especially since your household is one of only a small number of households being surveyed. Your feedback will help Edina make decisions that affect our community. A few things to remember:  Your responses are completely anonymous.  In order to hear from a diverse group of residents, the adult 18 years or older in your household who most recently had a birthday should complete this survey.  You may return the survey by mail in the enclosed postage-paid envelope, or you can complete the survey online at: www.n-r-c.com/survey/edina.htm If you have any questions about the survey, please call the Communications & Technology Services Department at 952-833-9520. Thank you for your time and participation! Sincerely, Scott H. Neal City Manager ENC www.EdinaMN.gov • 952-927-8861 • Fax 952-826-0390 May 2015 Dear Edina Resident: Here’s a second chance if you haven’t already responded to the 2015 Quality of Life Survey! (If you completed it and sent it back, we thank you for your time and ask you to recycle this survey. Please do not respond twice.) Please help us shape the future of Edina! You have been randomly selected to participate in the 2015 Quality of Life Survey. Please take a few minutes to fill out the enclosed survey. Your participation in this survey is very important – especially since your household is one of only a small number of households being surveyed. Your feedback will help Edina make decisions that affect our community. A few things to remember:  Your responses are completely anonymous.  In order to hear from a diverse group of residents, the adult 18 years or older in your household who most recently had a birthday should complete this survey.  You may return the survey by mail in the enclosed postage-paid envelope, or you can complete the survey online at: www.n-r-c.com/survey/edina.htm If you have any questions about the survey, please call the Communications & Technology Services Department at 952-833-9520. Thank you for your time and participation! Sincerely, Scott H. Neal City Manager ENC The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey Page 1 of 5 Please complete this questionnaire if you are the adult (age 18 or older) in the household who most recently had a birthday. The adult’s year of birth does not matter. Please select the response (by circling the number or checking the box) that most closely represents your opinion for each question. Your responses are anonymous and will be reported in group form only. 1. How would you rate the quality of life in Edina?  Excellent  Good  Fair  Poor  Don’t know 2. Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Overall feeling of safety in Edina ....................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall ease of getting to the places you usually have to visit ............................ 1 2 3 4 5 Quality of overall natural environment in Edina ............................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall established “built environment” of Edina (including overall design, buildings, parks and transportation systems) .................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Health and wellness opportunities in Edina ....................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall opportunities for education and enrichment......................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall economic health of Edina ..................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Sense of community ........................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall image or reputation of Edina ................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Neighborliness of residents in Edina .................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 3. Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Don’t likely likely unlikely unlikely know Recommend living in Edina to someone who asks ................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Remain in Edina for the next five years.................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 4. Why did you choose to live in Edina? (Please check all that apply.)  Family lives here/ born or raised here  Affordable housing  Amenities (e.g., parks, library, etc.)  Job was here (or nearby)  Attractive community  Good neighborhoods  Good schools  Safe community  Other 5. What one thing do you like most, if anything, about living in Edina? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What would you say is the most serious issue facing Edina at this time? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: Very Somewhat Neither safe Somewhat Very Don’t safe safe nor unsafe unsafe unsafe know In your neighborhood ........................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 In the 50th and France area (downtown area) ....................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 In the Southdale area ............................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6 8. Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to ride a bicycle in Edina? (Please check all that apply.)  If I felt more confident on my bike  If I felt safer from crime  If motorists drove slower and respected cyclists  If there were more well-marked greenways and off-road paths  If there were more on-road facilities such as bike lanes  If street/road conditions were better, such as smooth pavement and less debris  If there were wider roads for riding or roads had paved shoulders 9. Which of the following, if any, would make you more likely to walk in Edina? (Please check all that apply.)  If I felt safer from crime  If motorists drove slower  If there were more sidewalks along streets  If there were more paths and trails designated for walking  If street lighting was better  If there were more crosswalks  If condition of existing sidewalks were better The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey Page 2 of 5 10. Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to Edina as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Traffic flow on major streets .............................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of public parking ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of travel by car in Edina ............................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of travel by public transportation in Edina ................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of travel by bicycle in Edina ...................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of walking in Edina .................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of paths and walking trails .............................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Air quality .......................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Cleanliness of Edina ........................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Public places where people want to spend time ................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Variety of housing options ................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of affordable quality housing .......................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) .......... 1 2 3 4 5 Recreational opportunities ................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 K-12 education .................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Adult educational opportunities ......................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities ...................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Employment opportunities ................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Shopping opportunities ...................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Cost of living in Edina ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of business and service establishments in Edina ........................ 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of commercial redevelopment in Edina .................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of residential redevelopment in Edina ...................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to participate in social events and activities ................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to volunteer ................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to participate in community matters .......................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 11. In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members used any of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities? Once or 3 to 12 13 to 26 More than Never twice times times 26 times Trails .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Neighborhood parks .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Large community athletic fields ......................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Edinborough Park .............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Centennial Lakes Park ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 The Aquatic Center ........................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 The Senior Center ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Arena (Ice arena) ................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 The Edina Art Center ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Golf Course ......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Golf Dome .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Field (sports dome) .............................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 12. Please rate each of the following Edina Parks and Recreation Department amenities: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Trails .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Neighborhood parks .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Large community athletic fields ......................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Edinborough Park .............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Centennial Lakes Park ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 The Aquatic Center ........................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 The Senior Center ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Arena (Ice arena) ................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 The Edina Art Center ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Golf Course ......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Golf Dome .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Braemar Field (sports dome) .............................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey Page 3 of 5 13. Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Police services .................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Fire services ........................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Ambulance or emergency medical services ....................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Crime prevention ............................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Fire prevention and education ........................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Traffic enforcement ........................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Street repair ....................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Street cleaning ................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Street lighting ..................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Snow removal .................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Sidewalk maintenance ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Traffic signal timing ........................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Bus or transit services ......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Garbage collection ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Recycling ........................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Yard waste pick-up ............................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Storm drainage .................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Drinking water ................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Sewer services .................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Utility billing ...................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 City parks ........................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Park maintenance .............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Condition of trails and sidewalks ....................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Recreation programs or classes .......................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Recreation centers or facilities ........................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Land use, planning and zoning .......................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) ...................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Animal control ................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Economic development ..................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Public health services ......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Public library services ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Public information services ................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Cable television .................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) ............................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Edina open space ............................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 City-sponsored special events ............................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of services provided by the City of Edina .................................. 1 2 3 4 5 14. Thinking about your property taxes in comparison with neighboring cities, do you consider property taxes in Edina to be…?  Very high  Somewhat high  About average  Somewhat low  Very low  Don’t know 15. To what extent would you support or oppose an increase in your property taxes to maintain City services at their current level?  Strongly support  Somewhat support  Somewhat oppose  Strongly oppose  Don’t know 16. All in all, do you think things in Edina are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track?  Right direction  Wrong track  Why? _______________________________________________________________________________  Don’t know 17. Other than voting, do you think that if you wanted to, you could have a say about the way things are run in this community?  Yes  No  Why? ______________________________________________________________________________________  Don’t know 18. Please rate the following categories of Edina government performance: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know The value of services for the taxes paid to Edina ............................................... 1 2 3 4 5 The job Edina government does at welcoming citizen involvement .................. 1 2 3 4 5 Overall confidence in Edina government .......................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Generally acting in the best interest of the community ..................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Treating all residents fairly ................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey Page 4 of 5 19. Please rate the following aspects of drinking water in Edina: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Appearance ........................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Taste .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Odor .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Hardness ............................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Reliability ........................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Safety ................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 20. How well, if at all, do you feel the City is managing tensions in the community related to residential redevelopment in Edina?  Very well  Somewhat well  Somewhat poorly  Very poorly  Don’t know 21. The City of Edina owns and operates three municipal liquor stores. Profits from the liquor operations are used for capital and public improvements and to offset operating costs of some recreation facilities. To what extent do you support the City continuing to operate its municipal liquor stores?  Strongly support  Somewhat support  Somewhat oppose  Strongly oppose  Don’t know 22. If you have purchased liquor, what portion of your business would you say goes to any one of the three Edina municipal liquor stores?  All of my business  Most of my business  Some of my business  None of my business  Not applicable 23. Please rate your impression of each of the following: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Product selection ................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Prices of products ............................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Layout, organization and presentation of the store ........................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Courtesy and friendliness of staff ....................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Knowledge of staff ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 24. Please rate how much of a problem, if at all, you feel each of the following is in Edina. Not a Minor Moderate Major Extreme Don’t problem problem problem problem problem know Traffic speeding in your neighborhood ......................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stop sign violations in your neighborhood .................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Violent crime ................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Drugs ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Youth crimes .................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vandalism and property crimes ..................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Identity theft .................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Domestic abuse .............................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 25. Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. To what extent do you support the City changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses one hauler for the whole community?  Strongly support  Somewhat support  Somewhat oppose  Strongly oppose  Don’t know 26. Please rate the extent to which you use each of the following as sources of information about Edina government and its activities, if at all. Not a source Minor source Major source Don’t know About Town City magazine .............................................................................. 1 2 3 4 Parks & Recreation Activities Directory .................................................................. 1 2 3 4 Edina Sun-Current newspaper ........................................................................... 1 2 3 4 Edition: Edina monthly insert in Edina Sun-Current newspaper ......................... 1 2 3 4 Star-Tribune newspaper ................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 City’s website (www.EdinaMN.gov)............................................................... 1 2 3 4 Edina Channels 16 or 813 ............................................................................. 1 2 3 4 City employees ............................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 City Council members ................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 Direct mail updates ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 Social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) ........................................................... 1 2 3 4 Blogs............................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 NextDoor ....................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 Online web stream videos on YouTube or Granicus .................................... 1 2 3 4 City Extra e-mail subscription service .............................................................. 1 2 3 4 Word of mouth from friends, family or neighbors ......................................... 1 2 3 4 27. To what extent do you find About Town to be an effective communication tool for keeping informed of City activities?  Very effective  Somewhat effective  Somewhat ineffective  Very ineffective  Don’t know The City of Edina 2015 Quality of Life Survey Page 5 of 5 28. Have you accessed the City of Edina website (www.EdinaMN.gov) in the last 12 months?  No  go to question #30  Yes  go to question #29 29. Please rate the following aspects of the Edina website. Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Appearance ................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Online information and services offered ..................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of navigation/ability to find information ............................................ 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of the City of Edina website ............................................... 1 2 3 4 5 30. With which of the following departments have you had contact (email, in-person or phone) in the last 12 months? (Please select all that apply.)  I have not contacted the City  go to question #D1  Parks and Recreation  Public Works  General information  I.T./Technology services  Utilities  City Manager  Planning/Economic Development  Utility Billing  Police  Building Inspections  Street Maintenance  Fire  Assessing  Engineering  Health  City Clerk  Environmental Services  Human Resources  Communications  Other 31. Please rate your impression of City employees: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know Knowledge ......................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Courtesy ............................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 Responsiveness ................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Follow-up (got back to you or took action if needed) ......................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Overall customer service .................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 Our last questions are about you and your household. Again, all of your responses to this survey are completely anonymous and will be reported in group form only. D1. What impact, if any, do you think the economy will have on your family income in the next 6 months? Do you think the impact will be:  Very positive  Somewhat positive  Neutral  Somewhat negative  Very negative D2. What is your employment status?  Working full time for pay  Working part time for pay  Unemployed, looking for paid work  Unemployed, not looking for paid work  Fully retired D3. Do you work inside the boundaries of Edina?  Yes, outside the home  Yes, from home  No D4. How many years have you lived in Edina?  Less than 2 years  11-20 years  2-5 years  More than 20 years  6-10 years D5. Which best describes the building you live in?  One family house detached from any other houses  Building with two or more homes (duplex, townhome, apartment or condominium)  Other D6. Is this house or apartment...  Rented  Owned D7. About how much is your monthly housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)?  Less than $300 per month  $1,000 - $1,499 per month  $300 - $599 per month  $1,500 - $2,499 per month  $600 - $999 per month  $2,500 or more per month D8. Do any children 17 or under live in your household?  No  Yes D9. Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older?  No  Yes D10. How much do you anticipate your household’s total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.)  Less than $25,000  $100,000 to $149,999  $25,000 to $49,999  $150,000 or more  $50,000 to $99,999 Please respond to both questions D11 and D12: D11. Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino?  No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino  Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino D12. What is your race? (Mark one or more races to indicate what race you consider yourself to be.)  American Indian or Alaskan Native  Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander  Black or African American  White  Other D13. In which category is your age?  18-24 years  55-64 years  25-34 years  65-74 years  35-44 years  75 years or older  45-54 years D14. What is your sex?  Female  Male Thank you for completing this survey. Please return the completed survey in the postage-paid envelope to: National Research Center, Inc., PO Box 549, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 Presorted First Class Mail US Postage PAID Boulder, CO Permit NO.94