Survey: Cedar Rapids has good quality of life, but several roads need fixing

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids is a good place to live with its best days ahead, people generally feel safe, especially in their neighborhoods, and four of five people would recommend the community to someone else.

But when it comes to streets, well, that's a different story. A majority of Cedar Rapids residents say fixing roads is the most important issue facing the city but only a small number say enough is being done to address the situation.

These are among the findings of a Community Livability Report released Thursday by city officials.

• Read the full report

'Ratings in Cedar Rapids are strong especially compared to other communities, and folks living in Cedar Rapids are optimistic about the future,' said Ashly Perez de Tejada, a survey specialist with the Boulder, Colo.-based National Research Center, which conducted the survey.

She presented the findings Thursday at City Hall to several members of the Cedar Rapids City Council, members of the city's leadership staff and the media.

Respondents had high opinions of neighborhood safety, public services, such as fire and library, and garbage collection, and about half had a positive view of job prospects, which was better than the national average.

The survey was mailed randomly to 3,000 Cedar Rapids residents in January and February of which 929 responded. The survey had a 3 percent margin of error.

The survey, which cost the city $28,300, compared local results with answers from 130 cities nationally and 38 custom-selected cities based on populations and median income ranges, including Davenport, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Yakima, Washington.

Despite strong quality-of-life measures, it's not all roses here in the City of Five Seasons.

When it comes to street repairs, only 16 percent had a favorable opinion, 33 percent called progress on fixing streets poor, and 31 percent identified street repairs as the No. 1 issue, beating out public safety at 22 percent and job creation at 21 percent for top priority.

Cedar Rapids officials handcrafted a question on the survey about street repairs as a way to track public opinion as the city's new Paving for Progress campaign gets underway. Paving for Progress is a 10-year street repair initiative being paid for through a 2013 voter-approved, 1 percent, local-option sales tax.

Sandi Fowler, assistant city manager, said Cedar Rapids officials plan to conduct a similar survey every other year with hopes the feedback on local roads improves.

'I'm glad we could do it at this early stage with the full expectation we can measure the progress,' Fowler said.

Lindsay Hess, 37, of Cedar Rapids, said the survey hits the mark virtually across the board.

'Right now, I would recommend Cedar Rapids,' she said. 'Before the flood, I would have said, 'Do not come here. There's nothing to do.' '

Hess was outside NewBo Market on Thursday with her mother, Jill Hess, 65, who relocated last year to Florida after more than 40 years in Cedar Rapids.

'I don't miss the streets,' said Jill Hess.

City Council member Kris Gulick said the survey results about recommending Cedar Rapids prompted a reflection on the book 'Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service,' which makes a case about people willing to personally vouch for a place or service.

'That's my No. 1 thing in the survey,' Gulick said. 'Raving fans, that is what you want because they will tell other people about it.'

The Hess family said they are impressed with upgraded amenities in and around downtown, such as Greene Square, the ability to get between downtown, NewBo and Czech Village by foot or bike, and job opportunities.

On the flip side, the Hesses and Pat Meyer, 26, who lives in North Liberty and works in Cedar Rapids, agreed with concerns about crime in certain places. However, Meyer pointed out he feels safe downtown, which can't be said for some cities.

'I feel very safe here compared to downtown Minneapolis,' Meyer said of his former residence.

In the survey, public safety received mixed reviews.

For example, 77 percent of respondents have a good or excellent opinion of police, which is on par with the national benchmark, but 51 percent have a good opinion of crime prevention, which is worse than the national average. While 91 percent of people report feeling safe in their neighborhood and 82 percent feel safe downtown and in commercial areas — which is on par nationally — the overall feeling of safety is 64 percent positive, which is below average.

People had favorable opinions of city services including the library, ambulance and fire, garbage and recycling, ease of travel, housing options, the overall economic health, health care, education, employment opportunities and Cedar Rapids as a place to work. Cedar Rapids fell below national benchmarks in several categories, including air quality (52 percent favorable rating), cleanliness (52 percent), overall natural environment (60 percent) and overall city appearance (54 percent).

Parking, sidewalk maintenance, and street cleaning also lag against national benchmarks at 37, 37, and 35 percent, respectively.

In governance categories, 65 percent of those surveyed look favorably on the customer service provided by city employees. But in eight other subcategories — value of services for taxes paid, overall direction, welcoming citizen involvement, confidence in city government, honesty, acting in the best interest of the city, services provided by the federal government and treating residents fairly, favorability ratings failed to top 50 percent. The scores all are on par with national benchmarks except value of taxes paid, which is below average.

The purpose of the survey is to confirm public opinion is reflected in city priorities and to help inform future goals and priorities, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said. The fact that the findings, both the good and bad, are reflected in the city's budget and strategic plans is a good sign, he said.