Survey online through April
By Kyle LoJacono
Pasco County citizens can help shape the future of local government in about 20 minutes.
That is the amount of time needed to take the 2011 citizen survey, available at www.bringingopportunitieshome.com.
“Any Pasco resident is welcome to take the survey,” said Heather Grimes, Pasco performance development administrator. “We want everyone’s input.”
The survey asks county residents, among other things, where Pasco budget cuts should be made.
Pasco budget director Michael Nurrenbrock recently revealed the projected county budget for next year with a $3.3 million shortfall.
“Many of the questions help us during the budget process,” Grimes said. “When you only have one pot of money, you have to make tough decisions. We like to make those decisions based on facts regarding citizen preferences.”
Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri was the board’s chairwoman during budget discussions in 2010.
“Last year when we were facing a huge budget crunch, we looked at the things most important to our citizens and kept those services at the same level,” Mulieri said.
The top three ranked county services in last year’s survey were firefighting and rescue, emergency medical service and law enforcement. Road maintenance and Meals on Wheels services came in fourth and fifth.
Budget questions are a big part of the survey, but not the only elements.
“Most of the other questions are related to measuring our performance in providing services to citizens,” Grimes said. “We have instituted a culture of continuous improvement here in Pasco. You don’t know if you have successfully improved your services if you don’t survey your customers to find out.”
Residents can take the survey until the end of April. The county will also have in-person interviews with a few hundred Pasco residents as part of the data when compiling the final results of the survey, which will likely be released in September.
Pasco’s new budget must be in place before Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
