With responsibility for $74 million of ratepayers money, Parramatta City Council is determined to fulfil residents wishes when it comes to expenditure. For a tiny fraction of their budget, Parramatta has, for the past four years, invested in community surveys to ascertain the priorities and requirements of the electorate.
Councillors and officers at Parramatta use the results of these surveys when planning budget outlays for the forthcoming year. Hunter Valley Research Foundation conducts the surveys. One thousand residences are telephoned at random, 200 in each ward of the City. The householder over 16 years of age who last had a birthday is interviewed.
“Councillors and staff now have solid data each year to justify decisions when we allocate scarce resources,” said Lord Mayor John Books. “It puts Local Government on a firm business footing and helps us to be more accountable to our communities.”
Each year the survey looks at residents’ level of satisfaction over the full range of Council services. This information is then used by management in decision making. Areas of specific concern can also be followed up. In 1995, residents indicated a high interest in Council conducting a green waste collection. This year they were asked more detailed questions to ascertain how such a collection can be best managed and utilised by residents.
Where the survey shows a high level of dissatisfaction Council is able to put in place changes to accommodate concerns. For example, refurbishment of the local library was carried out on the basis of concerns users raised through the survey.
Overall, the surveys mean Council is able to anticipate changing demands and priorities in the allocation of funds as demographic and other changes occur in the City. As an added benefit, Hunter Valley Research provides an annual benchmarking comparison, on the basis of data it collects for all its Council clients.
For further information contact Alan Raby, Community Relations Officer, telephone (02) 9806 5000.
