An annual online citizen survey offers a snapshot in time of how Pasco County residents view their quality of life.
And, it turns out that in 2017, about 71 percent of the people living in Pasco considered the quality of life either excellent or good.
The survey did spotlight a few negatives, including a frustration with traffic that makes it hard to get around. On that issue, results showed about a 10 percent decline in their views on “traffic flow” compared to the rating they gave it in 2015.
“Ease of travel by all modes of transportation such as walking, biking, driving or public transportation were rated lower in Pasco County than in communities across the nation,” according to survey’s written conclusions.
But, the news wasn’t all bad on roads.
There is room for improvement, but about 34 percent of survey responders felt positive about road repairs, compared to only 25 percent in 2016.
That “big jump” is a trend in the right direction that indicates residents are seeing improvements in road repair efforts, said Marc Bellas, the county’s performance manager.
And, the overall quality of government services rose about 9 percent from 2014, according to the survey.
In general, Bellas said, “(Residents) feel more positive about the direction we’re going in.”
Bellas presented the survey results to Pasco County commissioners at their Aug. 29 meeting in New Port Richey.
County officials launched the online survey in mid-April. Residents had until May 31 to participate. Residents also had the opportunity to complete a survey during the Pasco County’s Disaster Expo in April, and later at a county-staffed booth at the Cotee River Seafest in New Port Richey.
About 2,500 residents completed the survey, and also provided written comments.
On average, about 350 communities within Pasco participate in the survey each year.
About 59 percent of the responses in 2017 were from west Pasco; 26 percent from central Pasco; and 15 percent from east Pasco.
Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes generally fell within central Pasco. Zephyrhills and Dade City were in east Pasco. But, there was some overlap as boundary lines were drawn, based on population density and zip codes.
The survey is one of the county’s tools to measure how often residents use government services, and how effectively government meets their needs. Results also can help guide county officials in strategic planning.
The survey provides insights, too, on areas where residents might need more information on projects their government is working on, said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore.
“Let’s think about how we can get the word out there better, so (residents) know what’s coming,” he said.
Questions were modeled from a national citizen survey, and results compared with national benchmarks. Pasco did its first online survey in 2009.
Safety and the economy were among the most important issues in 2017. These results largely mirrored results from the 2016 survey, though the economy slipped past mobility into second place as an issue of importance.
Comments on the economy were mixed.
Residents said they still see empty buildings, but Bellas said, they also like seeing new businesses “that are of high quality.”
Not counting law enforcement, fire rescue and ambulance service, residents singled out road maintenance, code enforcement, and parks and recreation as top priorities.
While residents see improvements in the quality of road maintenance and code enforcement, those services fall below the national benchmarks.
On a positive note, about 70 percent of survey respondents had positive views of the quality of parks and recreation services. That is an upward trend that exceeded the national benchmark.
Residents appear to place increasing value on those services as important to quality of life, Bellas said.
“Citizens are noting that we’re making a difference,” he added.
For more details about the survey results, visit PascoCountyFl.net.
Published September 20, 2017
