In its meeting of November 28, the Greenbelt City Council discussed the results of the Election 2021 Community Questionnaire. Interim Assistant City Manager Debi Sandlin presented the results. The outcome closest to the News Review’s heart was that the favorite pathway for residents to receive city news was this newspaper. It was more popular than email and postal service combined. Thank you, voters!
Background
The University of Maryland Institute for Governmental Service and Research has tabulated the city’s 2021 Community Election Survey and results are based on a total number of respondents (1,389) from a pool of 2,675 voters.
This questionnaire has been given to voters once every two years for the last 15 or so years, remaining essentially the same so that responses to the same questions can be compared year to year. The 2021 survey covers provision of city services across the board and also community use and support of the city’s website, services and departments and use of increased taxes.
Survey Results
Graphic layouts in the Election 2021 Community Questionnaire Report were designed by Public Information Specialist James Wisniewski to help residents understand the underlying data in the questionnaire. For example, the largest percentage of questionnaire responses (36 percent) came from those using early voting (precinct unspecified) while the smallest (4 percent) came from precincts 13 and 18 which together compose Greenbelt East. Councilmembers questioned these dwelling location statistics and Sandlin will double-check them. Sandlin also noted that the effect of the pandemic can be seen in the low ratings for services like “tutoring” whose provision was much curtailed during the pandemic period immediately preceding the survey.
Councilmember Judith Davis noted the survey contained respondent’s written comments which would be helpful for council to review. Councilmember Kristen L.K. Weaver noted a lot of “No Response” selections which may mean “No experience with this question or service.” Councilmember Ric Gordon noted that the survey could be shortened to get a better response rate but Interim City Manager Timothy George noted that the attempt to keep the data consistent with prior survey years constrained the flexibility.
Survey Demographics
The number of respondents was the highest in all 15 years of the survey, with the percentage responding staying much the same but the overall number of voters increasing. The highest percentages of respondents (61 percent) came from residents in single-family homes or in GHI, with 14 percent each from townhomes or apartments and 11 percent hailing from condominiums. While slightly over 50 percent of those responding were over age 60, the 18-to-60 age group was well-represented and nearly half of respondents had lived in Greenbelt for 21 years or more. There is no data on racial or gender demographics.
Work Location
The location of work for those employed was an almost even split among Greenbelt, Prince George’s County (but not Greenbelt) and somewhere else. Despite Greenbelt’s excellent connections to major transportation routes, working close to home appears to be a favorite factor in living here.
City Services
Residents were most pleased with city services relating to camp programs, fire and rescue, arts and special events/arts programming. Areas with less satisfaction were mostly related to activities affected by the pandemic. The city’s website was used by 53 percent of respondents with over half noting that they used it mostly for the calendar.
Election Questions
Some new questions on the survey related to elections, with a majority continuing to support the at-large election of council and most respondents being pleased with extended voting options. In responding to a question about allowing non-citizens to vote in city elections, just over 50 percent were in favor and approximately 40 percent against.
Police
Of those responding to questions about contact with the police, about 83 percent found the police polite and courteous. Of those answering who had specifically requested assistance, 76 percent found the aid they received satisfactory. (Note: the statistics given in the report itself are confusing – these values were confirmed by the city).
Schools
Of those responding to the schools questions, Dora Kennedy French Immersion eclipsed other local schools with a positive rating of 4.26. Greenbelt Middle at 2.75 and county schools in general at 2.87 fared considerably less well (scores presumably out of five though not noted).
Value for Money
The rating for value of city services against their cost in tax dollars was, by a small margin, lower than at any time since the first survey (2007) at 3.97 out of 5. Residents were most satisfied with a score of 4.21 in 2011. Notwithstanding that, most respondents were willing to view a tax increase positively if it related to fair wages, increased services or investment in green alternatives. Only 28 percent of respondents wanted city services to remain the same.