While 83 per cent of Calgarians still say quality of life is good, 37 per cent say it’s gotten worse in the last three years, according to the city’s 2016 Citizen Satisfaction Survey released Tuesday.
When asked an open-ended question on what could be done to improve quality of life, the top two answers submitted were for the city to “improve job creation/employment” (13 per cent, up from just two per cent in 2014) and “reduce taxes” (nine per cent, up from four per cent in 2014).
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“We may all be hurting right now, but I’m pleased to see that public satisfaction with the city and the services it provides remains high,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in a statement. “Research like this helps council as we prepare to make decisions regarding mid-cycle adjustments and how the city can support the quality of life we all enjoy. ”
Only 65 per cent say Calgary is a great place to make a living, down significantly from 80 per cent last year.
Given the economic downturn, the city noted there are shifts in public opinion related to tolerance for tax increases.
While 63 per cent of residents gave a “good value” rating for the value of their property tax dollars, only 49 per cent support tax increases to maintain or expand services. The report noted this was a statistically significant 10 percentage point drop from 59 per cent last year.
When asked which of four options they would most like the city to pursue related to taxes:
- 32 per cent (up seven percentage points from 2015) select “cut services to maintain the current tax level”
- 14 per cent select “cut services to reduce taxes”
- 31 per cent (down three percentage points from 2015) select “increase taxes to maintain services”
- 19 per cent (down six percentage points from 2015) select “increase taxes to expand services”
Infrastructure, traffic and roads remain at the top of the issue agenda, transit continues to hold second place and crime, safety and policing is a solid third, the survey found. The report noted “economy” has emerged as an important issue this year.
For full results from the survey, visit the city website here.
The Citizen Satisfaction Survey helps to inform city council during discussions on the 2017 budget and business plan. Those discussions are set to start Nov. 21.
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