Council reworks proposed Wasilla survey

WASILLA — When it comes to a $13,000 community survey, some city council members believe more is better.

Wasilla City Council had its first look this week at a community survey that will be sent to local residents and businesses owners. The questionnaire will serve as a follow-up survey to one conducted in 2005 by Dittman Research Corp. After reviewing the document, some council members found the survey lacking.

“One of the things that we were told when this came up … is that basically what we were going to get is the old survey,” said Council member Dianne Woodruff, adding that using a similar survey would help gauge progress. “When I got the new survey I realized there was a lot of that left out.”

With that in mind, council members proposed amendments and decided to postpone further discussion about the new survey until March 24.

Woodruff has opposed the follow-up survey since it reached the council for approval Feb. 11. In the beginning, she expressed concerns about funding a survey when more important financial decisions like funding the library needed to be made.

Although Woodruff said she still doesn’t like the idea of spending money on the survey, now that it’s going to happen, she wants to make sure the survey will give the city its best “bang for the buck.”

Woodruff said some parts of the proposed document lack the necessary questions to successfully conduct a follow-up survey. For example, a question in the survey asks where residents turn to for news about city business. Although the question is a follow-up to the 2005 survey, she feels it doesn’t provide enough detail about the options.

When reworked, the new survey will also include more chances for residents to respond with written comment. In several areas the council chose to add comment lines.

Deputy Mayor Kristofer Larson voted in favor of the survey when the item reached the council in February. For Larson, the cost of the survey is a small price to pay for the information it could provide.

“In terms of the city budget, a $13,000 survey is not that expensive,” he said. “It gives us a chance to ask our constituents what they want.”

Although some council members felt it necessary to add more to the survey, Larson said he was satisfied with the document as is.

“To me, the survey was good enough to get the job done,” Larson said, adding he’s not aware of any survey ever being perfect.

Not only is Larson satisfied with the survey, when it comes to the council’s involvement with the survey, he believes council is too involved. Overall, he said he believes the council should take a step back from a survey that is geared for to be useful for city administration.

“It’s an administrative survey,” he said. “It’s not a council survey.”

In addition to concerns the council is getting too involved the new community survey, Larson wonders how all of the changes will affect the approximate $13,000 price tag.

“I would surprised if they don’t ask for more money after we meddled with it so much,” he said..