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8- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 9, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Vision ­ To be the most livable town in Canada 2008 REPORT CARD TO CITIZENS O A K V I L L E T O P S I N L I VA B I L I T Y The results are in! According to the Town's 2007 Citizen Survey, an overwhelming 87 per cent of Oakville residents surveyed expressed overall satisfaction with the Town of Oakville municipal government. When asked about the degree of livability in Oakville, over eight in ten residents said that Oakville is better than most areas in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In late 2007, the Town conducted a telephone survey on behalf of the Town of Oakville, by which a random sample of residents were asked about what they valued most about Oakville; what they saw as the top challenges facing Oakville; how they rated a wide variety of Town services; and what they had to say about future spending priorities. Findings are accurate to +/- 3.5%, 19 times out of 20. OAKVILLE - Celebrating 150 years! A GOOD PLACE TO CALL "HOME" Residents were asked to rate by importance, 12 factors that make a community a good place in which to live and work and then rank how they felt Oakville was performing. On all measures, from environmental protection to the feeling of belonging, the majority of residents believed that the Town was doing a good job of delivering on the quality of life measures important to them and awarded Oakville with a passing grade. Quality of Life Measures Importance to Residents Rating of Town's Performance PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE The highest rated top-of-mind issue facing Oakville was rapid development and urban sprawl. Other concerns included the related issues of traffic congestion, environmental protection and amount of open spaces. Growth and development are the greatest challenges facing Oakville. The good news is that Oakville's dealing with growth in a responsible and sustainable way. It is in the midst of creating a comprehensive Official Plan that will dictate where and how growth can occur. Oakville's interim growth strategy identifies specific areas where growth should occur to ensure that protection of our residential neighbourhoods remains a priority. Environment for Living Feeling of Belonging/Being Safe Amount of Green Space Town Efforts to Protect Environment Education/Training Opportunities Recreation/Sports Leisure Finding Help for Needy Appearance of Buildings/Community Business/Jobs/Opportunites for Residents Efforts to Protect Heritage Opportunities/Venues for Cultural Activities Civic Involvement Opportunities 94 / 74 91 / 85 85 / 73 80 / 59 73 / 71 73 / 80 71 / 51 64 / 82 63 / 53 52 / 73 44 / 66 37 / 62 T O W N S E R V I C E S M E E T E X P E C TA T I O N S Overall, those asked were satisfied with the current levels of spending and the delivery of services offered by the Town. For several service areas, the Town scored higher than other municipalities in the GTA. These services included parks, fire fighting services, public library services and cultural venues. Areas where respondents indicated there could be service improvements included environmental protection, the network of roads in Oakville, public transit and services for seniors. Satisfied with Town Services Parks Fire Fighting Services Public Library Services Cultural Venues OAKVILLE DELIVERS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE When asked about the Town's level of customer service, approximately nine in ten respondents agreed that Town employees are respectful and that services are dependable and accurate. Eight in ten agreed that Town employees are knowledgeable and that services are provided in a timely manner. Seventy-five percent agreed that they could easily find the right staff to deal with the situation. Oakville will be launching a customer service strategy to improve access to the Town. Experience with Town Staff 92 92 88 86 Town Employees are Respectful Services Dependable/Accurate Town Employees are Knowledgeable Services Provided in Timely Manner Can Easily Find Right Staff to Deal with Situation 91 86 85 83 75 e. Spend More on Town Services Environmental Protection Network of Roads Public Transit Services for Seniors 46 44 39 34 FOR MORE INFORMATION This is the third Citizen Survey Oakville has conducted. Current and past survey results are available at www.oakville.ca. For more information please contact the Strategy, Policy & Communications Department at 905-845-6601 ext. 3005 or email communications@oakville.ca.