Survey shows decline in resident satisfaction with Columbia’s services and safety
Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)
On Monday, the Columbia City Council will discuss the results of a community survey that shows residents feel the city is worse off than it was five years ago.
The five-page survey was mailed to a random sample of houses in August and September, hoping at least 800 residents would fill it out. The city met its goal with 855 total responses. Respondents emphasized the quality of police and fire services, street quality, and code and ordinance enforcement as the three most important things the city should focus on in the next two years. The largest points of contention were the city roads and value received for taxes and fees with over 45 percent of respondents saying they were dissatisfied.
Quality of Life
Sixty-four percent of respondents said Columbia was either an “excellent” or good place to work, while 61 percent viewed it as an “excellent” or good place to live. However, only 55 percent had a favorable view on whether Columbia was a place to raise a family.
Respondents were also satisfied with major city services with, 65 percent of respondents scoring the quality of city parks, recreational programs, and facilities giving the city a rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale.
Fifty-eight percent of people were satisfied with the quality of electric services and customer service from city employees while 53 percent had a favorable view of health and human services and solid waste services.
Public Saftey
Respondents identified the lack of crime prevention, the quality of the Columbia Police Department, and the visibility of CPD as its three largest concerns.
Overall just 40 percent of people said they felt safe in Columbia. Data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol shows that violent crime is up compared to last year. Through 11 months CPD had reported 515 violent crimes, which has already surpassed last year's total of 513.
Sixty-two percent of respondents also said they were dissatisfied with the city’s efforts to prevent crime. Within the last year, Mayor Barbra Buffaloe created an Office of Violence Prevention. The city council also voted to implement over 100 Flock security cameras across the city.
Eighty-one percent (81%) of respondents, who had an opinion, were “very supportive” or “somewhat supportive” of the City utilizing gunshot detection technology for public safety; 71% support utilizing public space cameras; 61% support utilizing license plate reader technology, and 51% support utilizing drone surveillance.
The Fire Department was one of just three categories that had an overall satisfaction rating of over 70 percent (83) along with daytime safety and perception of city parks.
Decline In Overall Satisfaction
The last survey done in 2019 showed that residents had a much more favorable view of the city. Columbia scored lower in seven of eight categories in “major city services."
The most significant drops came in the quality of the city’s solid waste services which saw its satisfaction rating plummet by just over 28 percent.
The city also scored lower in all seven “public safety” categories. Only 17 percent of respondents said that they were satisfied with Columbia’s crime prevention efforts.
