Holly Springs often receives accolades for everything from being the safest town in North Carolina, to ranking among the best places to live in the state. People who live in Holly Springs recognize that it is a special place and now the Town is looking for a deeper understanding of how residents perceive whether their expectations for service are being met.
This fall the Town of Holly Springs is conducting an anonymous community survey to better understand resident perceptions and priorities. The purpose of the survey is to help the Town gather input from the community on a wide range of issues impacting overall quality of life.
The Holly Springs Town Council approved the expenditure to help ensure it makes informed decisions on a variety of topics. ETC Institute, a professional market research firm, is mailing the survey to a statistically significant random sample of residents. The survey sample will be balanced, seeking residents across age, race, gender, income and Town geographical areas.
“Surveys allow us to get feedback directly from residents to help identify areas where we shine and also find out where opportunities might be for improvement,” said Holly Springs Town Manager Randy Harrington. “This information will also help guide our planning and decision making for how budget funds are allocated.”
ETC has administered surveys in more than 300 cities and counties across the United States, including Apex, Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Benchmarking analysis will also help Holly Springs get an idea of how its results compare to similar communities.
The community survey will benchmark data from two data sources:
National Benchmarks. A national survey that was administered by ETC to a random sample of more than 4,000 residents across the U.S.
Regional Benchmarks. A survey administered by ETC in communities throughout the Southeast Region
Sample questions from the survey include overall satisfaction with customer service, transportation improvements, maintenance of streets and sidewalks, emergency services, planning and development, parks programming and more. Respondents will also be asked to rank priorities for the future and strategic goals.
This fall, surveys will be mailed through the postal service to residents across Holly Springs. About 10 days after mailing the surveys, ETC Institute will follow up via email. The survey report will be presented to the Holly Springs Town Council in December or January.
