SUBJECT:
Title
Presentation of Results from Comprehensive Survey
Department
DEPARTMENT: Communications & Community Engagement
Presenter
PRESENTER(S): Gabi Rae, Director Communications & Community Engagement
Courtney Sievers, Director of Survey Research, Magellan Strategies
end
Time
TIME ESTIMATE: 150 minutes
end
For time estimate: please put 0 for Consent items.
Fiscal
FISCAL SUMMARY:
N/A
Policy
POLICY ISSUES:
The Council requested a survey on specific topics for the community, managed by a professional research firm. Council will now review the results of the survey, which will be one tool used to facilitate policymaking decisions going forward.
Recommendation
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Information only
Body
SUMMARY/KEY POINTS
• This item is before Council to share data and analysis of the Comprehensive Survey.
• The survey was sent to all households in Erie and was open to all residents in Erie over the age of 18
• The survey contained questions which were drafted and approved by this Council.
BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Council drafted and approved a standalone special topic survey to thoroughly explore issues of density, growth, affordable housing, funding facility and amenity construction, traffic, sustainability, and other related topics.
On May 6, 2025, the Council met with a hired research and data analysis consulting firm to share topic areas for this survey. The consultants then created a draft survey for Council consideration covering all requested topics as well as necessary demographic questions for community segmentation in the data analysis.
On June 3, the Council met to review the draft survey, ask questions, and provide edits. The Council completed nearly half of the survey review on June 3 and finished the remainder of the review on June 17. Following the June 17 meeting, Mayor Moore and Council Member Hoback met with the consultant to work out final edits. The Council approved the final survey questions on July 8.
The consultant sent the survey to all households in Erie and it was open to all residents in Erie over the age of 18. The survey was open from July 14-Aug. 1, and 3,854 individuals completed the survey. Erie is estimated to have an adult population of nearly 30,000 people, which means this survey had a 12.8% completion rate.
Magellan Strategies will share the data and their analysis of the survey results, which show a margin of error of +/- 1.47% and a 95% confidence interval. As expected, subgroups of data have a higher margin of error than the overall sample.
priorities
TOWN COUNCIL PRIORITY(S) ADDRESSED:
☒ Attractive Community Amenities
☒ Engaged and Diverse Community
☒ Prosperous Economy
☒ Well-Maintained Transportation Infrastructure
☒ Small Town Feel
☒ Safe and Healthy Community
☒ Effective Governance
☒ Environmentally Sustainable
☒ Fiscally Responsible
attachments
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Presentation
2. Topline Results
3. Verbatim Response - T3 Issues
4. Verbatim Response - T5 Right Directions
5. Verbatim Response - T6 Wrong Track
6. Verbatim Response - T12 Define Small Town
7. Verbatim Response - T23 Traffic Areas
8. Verbatim Response - T25 Other Traffic Comments
9. Weighted Crosstabs
10. Ballot Item Steps & Timelines