City Services Satisfaction Survey 2010 City Services Satisfaction Survey | Page 12
Overall Rating Of Arlington And City Services
In terms of quality of life, Arlington residents continue to rate the city high as a place to
live. Four out of five residents (81%) rate Arlington as offering a “good” or “excellent”
quality of life. The quality of life rating has increased from 77% in 2008, and bounced
back to the 2007 level.
City services in Arlington generally receive high overall ratings, with ten of the fourteen
services rated receiving a top-two-box rating (“good” or “excellent”) of 80% or higher.
The Arlington Fire Department, at 95%, continues to receive the highest ratings among
city services, followed by garbage collection, landfill service, water and sewer services,
emergency medical services, recycling services, convention center, community
education services by the Fire Department, police, and One Start Shop development
process. Compared to the other high-performing departments, Handitran, municipal
courts services, code enforcement, and animal services appear to have some room for
improvement, with overall ratings between 56% and 75%.
There are some notable changes from the last wave.
• Overall rating of code enforcement has increased significantly from 63% in 2008 to
72% in 2009.
• Overall rating of Handitran has declined significantly from 73% in 2008 to 56% in
2009. However, it is notable that this rating drop could be partly attributed to
transitional changes (e.g., automated scheduling system) implemented in the first
quarter of FY 2009, in addition to low usage of Handitran among residents (13%).
Consistent with these overall ratings, citizens are more likely than in the past to think
that the City of Arlington is generally headed in the right direction. Four out of five
residents (82%) feel the city is headed in the right direction. This rating has increased
significantly from 75% in 2008 to 82%, the highest rating since 2004.
Decision Analyst, Inc.
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