The city of Columbia sent out its annual citizen satisfaction survey last week. Among the issues addressed are public safety, economic well-being and conditions of city streets. It is the latter issue on which city officials expect to receive the most feedback.
“We are hoping to see increases in satisfaction particularly in areas relating to the conditions of city streets,” said Toni Messina, a spokesperson for the city’s civics office.
Richard Stone, engineering manager for the Public Works Department, says the questions on the survey are more specific this year in an effort to obtain answers on the conditions of the surfaces of streets and sidewalks, rather than traffic and congestion.
“The purpose of the survey is to gather information on what folks think about our streets,” Stone said.
Stone said the public works department’s window of opportunity for addressing these issues is narrow. Therefore, council decisions and construction work should begin early next summer. The survey results may be considered in budget allocation decisions in 2017.