Citizen Survey Begins Thursday, August 14th

Residents of Ottumwa may soon be receiving a telephone call asking their opinion about their community and City services. The Ottumwa City Council commissioned a citizen survey to gather input from residents. The data will be used as part of the City Council's strategic planning process.

The City has hired The Thomas Group, an Iowa City based public opinion firm to conduct the citizen survey by telephone. Survey calls will begin on Thursday, August 14th and should take about one week to complete. Calls will be spread evenly across the community with an equal number of calls in each voting precinct. Given Ottumwa's population, a survey base of 378 respondents represents a statistically valid sample. Once the responses are collected, the information will be tabulated and presented to the City Council.

The survey itself should only take three to five minutes to complete. Residents are selected at random and may decline to respond. If willing to participate, the caller will ask two demographic questions; their sex and length of residency in the City. The survey will seek residents' input on issues like how well the City is meeting the needs of various demographic groups, opinions about financing for public infrastructure improvements and their feelings about community safety.

Once completed, the City Council will review the citizen survey data and use the information in establishing future policy and direction for the City. This will help the City plan a course of action that is responsive to the needs of the community as a whole.