The Survey Says: All Hail to the City Manager....
Here is what is wrong with the City of Grand Terrace paying $15,000.00 for a Survey of 300 residents.
1) Survey Questions can be manipulated to foster the desired outcome. No doubt this will be part of the argument for any future use of Eminent Domain for such things like Taking a Home and Selling the Property to a Private Developer, not using it for a PUBLIC Purpose.
2) If you drive around the parks there is little use. Limited number of tables for picnics and grills may be the cause. Unless your family is involved in Baseball or Soccer our parks are limited in use. Most of us in Grand Terrace are happy to spend our non commuting time in our overpriced back yards on the weekends.
3) The City should not be in the Business of Business. The Redevelopment Agency should aid the existing businesses and homes and not be involved in Venture Capital. Including the adding a Debt Bond to pay for the Senior Center or increased cost of developing the Freeway Frontage Area.
4) People don’t come down to the City Council, as the Council does not listen to the Citizens who do show up. This is why the Courts have been used to bring to the public the concerns of the Citizens in hope for a just hearing and process.
5) Citizens who attend Planning Commission Meetings and Planning Commissioners’ have concluded that any City Staff Presented Plan goes through Planning Commission Approval as a formality. When exceptions and adjustments are made there is a lack of follow up to make changes, and minutes and records supporting changes and objections are not included or traceable and often the City Council is presented only the Staff Report Presentation or the Presentation of the Developer, Citizens are limited to their access to information and 3 minutes to make their concerns known.
6) The amount to be spent on the Survey is nearly the amount earned by the Youth Sports Teams as they torment us with fireworks sales and fire risks. If money is available to Spend, spend it on paying a College Student to hold some sort of Mentoring Program, or perhaps a community band, or give the 4H a place to have animals and a green house on city/Edison property. A Community Youth Center for Ages 13 to 18 could be a city activity that would aid the citizens.
Should the City Manager spend 15,000.00 so he can say “the Survey Says”, like on Family Feud.? Properly written or slanted questions will give the results to be use as flimsy support for any future action he wants to present to the city council. So I say NO Survey. Citizens Go to City Council Meetings, try listening to them, more will come.
If the Survey is to be made the writing of the questions should be done by the citizens who do show up at the City Council Meetings, not by the City Manager, City Council, or Steve Berry.
Citizens want basic, Fire, Police protection. Citizens want to be left to live their lives and enjoy their property. Citizens of GT need activities for youth of the 13 to 18 year old ages. Any more than these basics are intrusions into the life and pocket books of the Citizens of the Community. This survey is simply an attempt to justify more intrusion into your homes, lives and growing the City Governments Entanglement in the Local Business Economy. Not the way I want my money spent.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, January 21, 2008
By JULIE FARREN
The Press-Enterprise
Grand Terrace residents may soon get a call asking them whether they are satisfied with the City Council and how often they use the city's parks and libraries.
The council will vote tonight on whether to approve a community satisfaction survey by Probolsky Research in Laguna Hills.
The telephone survey of 300 registered voters will cost $15,900, to be paid from the general fund's unappropriated balance, Berry said. Grand Terrace has 12,500 residents.
Assistant City Manager Steve Berry said council members have been interested in a survey similar to this one for quite some time. The last survey conducted by the city was on the general plan in 1995.
A survey was done more than 13 years ago asking residents what kind of retail stores were needed in Grand Terrace.
This survey, Berry said, will provide answers about what residents want from City Hall.
"We think there is a very large silent majority who don't have the time to come down to council and voice their opinions and that's what we want to hear from," Berry said.
Probolsky Research did a community survey for the city of Diamond Bar on residential, retail and entertainment venues for residents.
The firm also has conducted an annexation and revenue survey for the city of Colton and a street maintenance tax survey for the city of Santa Ana.
Berry said he didn't know when the survey would start but that he encouraged residents to participate if called.
Some questions will address the more controversial issues in town, including eminent domain and a new senior center.
Berry said it will take about two weeks for Probolsky to do the survey and present the report, which will be made public.
Reach Julie Farren at 909-806-3066 or jfarren@PE.com
