Results of the 2023 Citizen Survey will be shared with Council at their meeting on August 1, 2023. The City conducted the survey between June 12 and 30 and received responses from 1,400 residents, an increase of 20% since 2019 when the last survey was conducted. The total includes 322 responses from the random sample that are highlighted in the report.
“We received an excellent response to the survey and have a wealth of information to inform the work of Council and staff and the direction of the city,” said JoAnne Kleb, the City’s manager of communications and engagement. “We want to thank the residents who invested the time to complete the survey and share their thoughts with the City.”
The survey invited residents to evaluate quality of life in the city and City services, and provide input on priorities to be addressed by Council. One of the key findings from the survey is that views of the overall quality of life in Penticton remain positive with 61% rating it as very good or excellent despite dropping by 5% from 2019.
“Like other cities in the valley, Penticton has seen a slip in residents’ perception of overall quality of life driven by concerns about affordability, housing and safety,” said Kleb. “Despite this change, other indicators – such as Penticton as a place to find work, open a business and raise children – did see improvements from pre-pandemic levels which is very encouraging.”
Results from the section evaluating City services were also positive with ratings for 17 of 25 services improving over in 2019, including a 43% increase in satisfaction for building permits and business licensing and 11% for the electric utility. Concerns about bike lanes and social issues in the city were reflected by low scores for these services, included for the first time in the Citizen Survey.
Other ratings for City services also improved over prior years including the perception that the “City is doing a good job overall”, that residents “receive good value for their tax dollars” and that residents have a better understanding of “how the City spends the taxes” residents pay. Residents also indicated that when it comes to addressing the rising costs of services and infrastructure, they would like to see the City raise revenue through growth, user fees and tax increases as opposed to decreasing service levels.
Crime and safety continued to top the community’s agenda of concerns they would like to see addressed with 44% of participants identifying it as the top issue for Council followed by social issues, homelessness and drug use at 36%. Housing and affordability were also amongst the top four issues identified by the community. Other issues on the radar for the community are climate and sustainability, governance, growth, transportation, sense of community and amenities.
The complete report including the verbatim comments can be viewed as part of the agenda package for the Aug. 1 Council Meeting at www.penticton.ca.