2014 GREENWICH RESIDENT SATISFACTION SURVEY

Nancy Lin

Kaitlin Norton

University of Connecticut

Department of Public Policy

December 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 2 COMMUNITY FIRST INITIATIVE .................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................ 3

BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH DESIGN .......................................................................... 4 TARGET POPULATION .................................................................................................................. 4 SURVEY INSTRUMENT .................................................................................................................. 5

Measuring Scale Used in the Survey ...................................................................................... 7 Vendor Process ....................................................................................................................... 7 Survey Timeline ....................................................................................................................... 8

METHODOLOGY AND DATA ......................................................................................................... 9 RESPONSE RATE .......................................................................................................................... 9 OVERVIEW OF SAMPLE ................................................................................................................ 9

RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... 10 GENERAL SATISFACTION ........................................................................................................... 11 IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE DEPARTMENTS .................................................................................. 13 BUILDING INSPECTION DIVISION ................................................................................................ 14 PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT ...................................................................................... 15 INLAND WETLAND AND WATERCOURSES AGENCY .................................................................... 16 HIGHWAY DIVISION ................................................................................................................... 17 PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT —RECREATION PASSES .............................................. 18 PARKS AND RECREATION—RECREATION SITES ........................................................................ 19 DATA RESULTS CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 20

RE-ADMINISTERING THE SURVEY ................................................................................... 21 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 22

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 23 APPENDIX A. SURVEY INSTRUMENT .......................................................................................... 24 APPENDIX B: VENDOR CONTACT INFORMATION ........................................................................ 37 APPENDIX C. RESPONSE RATES ................................................................................................. 38 DISPOSITION/DIALING SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 39 APPENDIX D. DEMOGRAPHICS OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS ......................................................... 40 APPENDIX E. CENTRAL TENDENCY MEASURES ......................................................................... 42

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Executive Summary The Town of Greenwich is committed to providing outlets for residents to express their opinions, preferences, and satisfaction with services offered by the Town. First Selectman Peter Tesei and the Office of the First Selectman contacted the Department of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut and expressed interest in evaluating resident satisfaction with town-provided services. In the fall of 2014, the Office of the First Selectman worked with a team of University of Connecticut (UConn) graduate students to create a resident satisfaction survey, which was administered via the telephone, in order to receive feedback on Town services. A copy of the survey and a complete report of the results can be found in the appendices of this report. Key Findings Residents were asked to rate their satisfaction with several key services provided by the Town. The survey included questions regarding primary government services as well as target services, which were identified by the Office of the First Selectman.1 In the first level of analysis provided by the UConn team, the following are the key findings of the survey. Based on the average value of responses, residents indicated a high level of satisfaction with the following services: ● Primary services: Fire department (6.54), police department (6.05), public schools (5.49);

overall satisfaction of services (5.65); and investment of tax dollars (5.32) ● Accuracy of information provided by staff from the target services2: Building Inspection

Division (4.18), Planning and Zoning Department (5.06), and Parks and Recreation Department (Recreation Passes: 5.88)

Residents gave the following lower ratings compared to other factors measured within each service department: ● The factors measuring time spent obtaining permits for the Building Inspection Division

(3.54), Planning and Zoning Department (3.26), and Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency (2.24)

● The factor measuring time waiting at Town Hall for recreation passes (4.73) ● Ease of finding service information on the Town’s website for Building Inspection

Division (3.33), Planning and Zoning Department (4.09), Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency (3.99), and Parks and Recreation Department (Recreation Passes: 5.49) (Recreation Sites: 5.46)

● Communication of projects and road conditions (4.39)

                                                                                                               1 The primary services concerned the fire department, police department, and public schools. The targeted services were under the Building Inspection Division, Planning and Zoning Department, Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency, Highway Division, and Parks and Recreation Department. 2 The Building Inspection Division and the Highway Division are under the Department of Public Works.  

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Introduction The First Selectman serves as the Town of Greenwich’s full-time chief executive officer of the Town and assists with day-to-day administrative decisions. The First Selectman works alongside four governmental boards: the Representative Town Meeting (RTM); the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET); the Board of Education (BOE); and the Board of Selectman.3 In this style of government the primary opportunity for residents to participate in governmental decision-making is though the RTM, which serves as the Town’s legislative body and, in Greenwich, is comprised of approximately 230 elected members. Public participation in the governmental decision-making process can provide benefits to Town administrators and residents. One benefit for the Town includes better information and improved performance by being aware of citizen’s preferences and opinions that would otherwise be unavailable. Public participation can also increase trust and support for policy changes by creating buy-in from those who helped shape the changes. For residents, the benefits of participating can include a better fit of public policies and services to their preferences, leading to a better quality of life.4 Surveys are a tool that are often used to measure and track resident satisfaction to provide the aforementioned benefits. Surveys help to change the way government administrators accomplish, measure, and develop policy changes as well as future plans. When surveys are administered to a random sub-population of a community, this provides an opportunity for the surveyor to collect representative feedback and opinions that citizens may not have otherwise shared. Random surveys also allow town administrators to collect a broad range of data that can be used to highlight areas in the town that need immediate attention or areas where resources may be directed to make sustainable policy or process changes.

Community First Initiative In 2012-2013, the Town launched the Community First Customer Service Initiative aimed at promoting excellent customer service in the Town’s various departments. The 2014 Annual Department Operational Plan states the purpose of the initiative and its ongoing mission:

The purpose of the initiative was to provide employees with the tools to assist them in providing quality customer service in economically challenging times. The focus of Community First is the effective blend of both technology and interpersonal skills in the daily interaction with constituents. In 2012-2013, more than 1,200 employees received training appropriate to their position within the Town. In 2013-2014, training will continue as needed and follow-up measures will be implemented to insure that what was learned in that training is being successfully put to use.5

                                                                                                               3 Tesei, P. (2014). First Selectman’s message. Town of Greenwich, Connecticut Website. Retrieved from:http://www.greenwichct.org/government/departments/first_selectman/first_selectmans_message/ 4 Thomas, J. C. (2013). Citizen, customer, partner: Rethinking the place of the public in public management. Public Administration Review, November/December 2013.  5 Annual Department Operational Plans (2014). Town of Greenwich, Connecticut. Retrieved from: http://www.greenwichct.org/upload/medialibrary/d75/Annual_Dept_Operational_Plans_2014-2015.pdf

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To further expand this initiative, the Town recommended the service departments add customer service measurements to their annual operational plans in order to quantify the improvement to their services.

Project Purpose The Town of Greenwich is committed to continuously monitoring the satisfaction of its residents. Residents communicate with the Town in a variety of ways including phone calls, postage-mail, emails, and face-to-face interactions with Town administrators. However, even with this open-door model, the Town cannot guarantee that it hears from a representative sample of its residents. First Selectman Peter Tesei and administrators from the Office of the First Selectman, in connection with Community First, contacted Dr. Jennifer Dineen, Program Director of the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) Department of Public Policy Graduate Program in Survey Research, to assist with an initiative to assess resident satisfaction of certain town-provided services. To fulfill the Office of the First Selectman’s request, a two-member Capstone Team of Masters of Public Administration (MPA) students worked under the supervision of Dr. Dineen and Dr. Kerri Raissian, the UConn Department of Public Policy Capstone Director, to create and administer a satisfaction survey of Greenwich residents in the fall of 2014. The resident satisfaction survey was administered by phone to a random sample of Town residents 18 years of age or older. Castleton Polling Institute administered the survey from October 13-29, 2014. Preliminary analysis is provided below. The Office of the First Selectman has stated the Town’s intention to recreate this survey on a biennial or triennial basis and to compare the responses to the 2014 benchmark data. By using the 2014 data as a benchmark, the Town will be able to measure the changes in satisfaction in the departments targeted by the survey and craft policy or management responses as appropriate.

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Background and Research Design Our research accomplished the following set of objectives: ● Developed a resident satisfaction survey; ● Conducted preliminary analysis of survey results; ● Provided information on how to re-administer the survey in the future.

In this section, we describe the background and methodology of the 2014 resident satisfaction survey. To gather background information on the five service departments targeted in our study, we visited Greenwich Town Hall in late September to meet with administrators from the Office of the First Selectman, including First Selectman Peter Tesei. In this meeting, the Executive Assistant to the First Selectman Michael Rosen and Special Projects Manager Dustin Anderson identified the following departments as services the Office of the First Selectman specifically wanted to measure on the survey:

• Building Inspection Division6, • Planning and Zoning Department, • Highway Division7, • Parks and Recreation Department, and • Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency.

After deciding upon the aforementioned services, we visited and spoke with staff from the service departments with the exception of the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency.8 Visiting the service departments gave us insight into how residents interact with the departments. Through these interactions we learned more about the processes and direct services that the departments provide. Additionally, First Selectman Tesei’s office provided us with the reports the service departments submit to him outlining their operations and yearly goals.9 We were also provided a copy of the results from the Town of Greenwich’s most recent resident survey that was conducted in 2003. These tools were instrumental in the survey creation and allowed for a firm understanding of how Greenwich residents interact with the government service departments.

Target Population The population of interest for the 2014 survey consists of men and women over the age of 18 who reside in the Town of Greenwich. According to the United States 2010 Census, the Town has a total population of 61,171, which is comprised of approximately 23,076 households.10 The                                                                                                                6 The Building Inspection Division is organized under the Department of Public Works. 7 The Highway Division is organized under the Department of Public Works. 8 The department’s office was closed for the rest of the day when the team visited. 9 Final Budget (FY15), Annual Report (FY12), Fiscal Operational Plans (FY2013), Annual Department Operational Plans (FY15) 10 U.S. Census Bureau; generated by Nancy Lin; using American FactFinder; <http://factfinder2.census.gov>; Retrieved on 7 September 2014.  

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population is distributed such that there are 44,833 residents (or 73% of the total population) over the age of 18. The population over the age of 18 has a median age of 50 years, of which 46% are male and 54% are female.

Survey Instrument After the initial visit to Greenwich Town Hall and a discussion with Mr. Rosen and Mr. Anderson, the team developed a 12-minute telephone survey reflecting the various aspects of resident service.11 The 2014 resident satisfaction survey consists of department-specific questions, importance of each service, two questions specifically expressed by the Office of the First Selectman, general broad satisfaction questions, and demographic questions. The primary objective of the survey was to measure resident satisfaction with the five service departments identified by administrators from the Office of the First Selectman. In the development of the survey, we examined a variety of existing satisfaction surveys and how they have been used to capture the preferences and opinions of residents. From our research we determined four overall factors that are used to measure service satisfaction: ● TIME: which represents the convenience of the service and/or its process with respect to

time; ● ACCURACY: which represents the accuracy of information provided; ● HELP: which represents the assistance provided by staff members; ● INFORMATION: which represents the ease of finding information provided on the

Town’s website or the degree of communication provided about a service. We used these four factors to create backbone parallel structure of questions in the survey for each service department.12 These factors were then tailored for each service department. The following sections describe why and how we tailored each factor a certain way. Building Inspection Division, Planning and Zoning Department, and Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency are service departments that provide residents with permits. Since the departments have a similar overall structure we found it beneficial, for data comparison, to construct these departments’ questions in the same way, asking the questions in a parallel fashion. To do this we began by asking if the respondent had obtained a permit from the department in the last five years, allowing those who have not to skip over the remainder of that department’s questions. Next, we asked if the respondent personally had obtained the permit or if they used a contractor.13 To respondents who used a contractor to obtain a permit, we could only ask if their contractor expressed any difficulties working with the service departments. To respondents who used the permitting services directly, the survey asked questions pertaining to the four measures of satisfaction. First the respondent was asked about their satisfaction with the time spent in the permit process. Next, the respondent was asked about the degree of accuracy on the information that the departments provided. Helpfulness was assessed in regards

                                                                                                               11 On average, the survey took 12 minutes to complete. 12 The services under the Parks and Recreation Department were split into two parts: services provided at Town Hall and services provided at recreation sites. 13 Those who used a contractor were given a different skip pattern. See Appendix A.

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to the satisfaction of staff assistance. Finally, satisfaction related to information was asked by determining the ease of finding information from the department’s website. Because the Town of Greenwich has a large Parks and Recreation Department that services residents in a multitude of ways we chose to separate the department into two sections on the survey. The first section asked about the recreation passes that residents obtain from the department, and the second section pertained to the programs and activities at recreational sites.14 To measure satisfaction with the recreation pass process, a screening question determined whether the respondents had applied for or renewed a pass in the last 12 months. Since many residents buy recreation passes, asking respondents who experienced the process in the last 12 months allowed us to measure the latest interactions with residents and the department. To accurately gauge the respondents’ experience with the pass process, we inquired if they used the service in-person at Town Hall or used postage-mail to submit their paperwork. By specifying the purchasing method, residents who interacted with the Town Hall staff could rate their satisfaction with the wait time for recreation passes. Similar to the question format of the permitting departments, both mail and Town Hall users were asked about their satisfaction with the service by: accuracy of information provided by staff, helpfulness of staff assistance, and ease of gathering information on passes on the department’s website. All respondents were asked about their satisfaction with the Parks and Recreation leisure sites, which includes parks, beaches, athletic fields, playgrounds, community centers, and a municipal golf course. To maintain consistency in our satisfaction measures, questions were constructed to assess time, accuracy, help, and information. The hours of operation for the recreation sites evaluated the satisfaction with time. Satisfaction with the department’s accuracy was determined by asking respondents about the maintenance of parks, trails, and open spaces. Because staff members typically are present at the recreation sites, we asked about the assistance of on-site staff to measure the helpfulness aspect. As with each department, satisfaction with information was gauged as ease of finding information on the department’s website. Since residents do not directly interact with staff from the Highway Division, questions pertaining to the Department of Public Works’ Highway Division could not be asked in the same manner as the permitting departments or the Parks and Recreation Department. The Highway Division repairs and maintains the roads and sidewalks. Since people use the services of the division daily, we eliminated a screening question in this section of the survey and posed the same questions to each survey respondent. Services of the division were measured in the following manner: satisfaction with the convenience of construction hours, effectiveness of winter maintenance of roads in the Town, satisfaction with the prioritization of the projects selected by the department, and communication of road projects, highway conditions, and work zones. The 2014 survey also captured information about how important the five service departments are to respondents. This information can be used to identify priorities for improvement. More energy and effort should be spent on services that scored low on satisfaction but high on importance than services that scored low on both satisfaction and importance.                                                                                                                14 Recreation passes include beach, park, and tennis passes.  

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In addition, First Selectman Tesei’s office expressed interest in including specific questions in the survey. The first question was to assess residents’ perceived value of their tax dollars. The second was a qualitative response question to determine what service could be added or improved to make the Town of Greenwich a better place to live.15 We relied on survey research design to order the questions in our survey. Surveys want to engage the respondent from the beginning of the conversation, and to do this we added broad questions to build initial trust between the interviewer and the respondent. Our broad questions included the overall satisfaction with services and the satisfaction with larger services the Town provide such as the police department, fire department, and public school district. We included demographic questions at the end of the survey in order to increase the item response rates of these questions. For a variety of reasons demographic questions can make respondents feel uneasy, but by placing the questions at the end of the survey the interview feels more conversational.

Measuring Scale Used in the Survey The survey questions utilized a 7-point scale. A 7-point scale offers plenty of response options and a clear midpoint option. For purposes of this survey, one is used as the lowest possible response option, and seven is used as the highest possible response option. The midpoint is the moderate value of the scale; on the 1-7 scale the midpoint value is 4. For further clarification on scales for each question, please see Appendix A.

Vendor Process With the approval of the Office of the First Selectman, we utilized the services of Castleton Polling Institute. Castleton Polling Institute is a research unit at Castleton State College run by Dr. Richard Clark, Director of the Castleton Polling Institute (Castleton), and Christopher Becker, Operations Manager. Their contact information can be found in Appendix B. We carefully crafted the wording of each survey question to convey clear and neutral language. Meticulous language was used to ensure no double-barreled questions16 or leading questions17. Our faculty advisors, Dr. Dineen and Dr. Raissian, reviewed a preliminary version of the survey. We then pre-tested the survey with six people including UConn students and faculty, people who have used permit services in other municipalities, and people who have never taken a telephone survey before. The pre-tests verified the intent of the survey questions and clarified that it was created for a random sample of respondents. First Selectman Tesei, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Rosen approved the survey before the final version was given to Castleton. The final draft of the survey was sent to Castleton on October 10, 2014, to allow the Institute enough time to purchase the landline frame sample. Using this purchased sampling frame,18 Castleton randomly selected respondents by utilizing RDD (Random Digit Dial), a method of

                                                                                                               15 The qualitative data was made available to the Office of the First Selectman to be used for further analysis of the responses.    16 A double-barreled question touches on more than one issue or topic, but only allows for one answer. 17 A leading question suggests or influences a respondent to answer a certain way. 18 The sampling frame is the listing of the accessible study population, households in this survey, from which we can draw our sample.

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randomly generating phone numbers.19 Castleton programmed and tested the survey, which has randomization of sections and skip patterns20, in their CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) System. The CATI system automatically randomized sections, allowing interviewers to seamlessly transition from section to the next randomly generated section. Similarly, based on the response to a question, the CATI system automatically moves to the next applicable question. For a more in-depth look into the survey randomization and skip-patterns, please see Appendix A.

Survey Timeline After programing and pre-testing the survey, Castleton began interviewing the evening of Monday, October 13, 2014. Throughout the fielding period, Castleton provided us with multiple updates on the number of completed calls and any potential issues. On October 14, 2014, Castleton notified us that they were interviewing fewer respondents per day than expected. If this continued, Castleton would not be able to secure a sample size of 1,000. To increase the number of respondents Castleton proposed adding daytime calling shifts and three weekend calling shifts. At our request, Castleton allowed a number in the landline sample to accumulate up to nine callbacks attempts, in the event a call was unanswered or went to an answering machine. After making these changes, we captured our completed sample ahead of schedule; we reached 1,002 completed calls on Wednesday, October 29, 2014. Table 1 outlines the timeline of our vendor and survey fielding process. Table 1. Timeline of Vendor and Fielding Process

Date Task

September 17, 2014 Emails requesting for quotation and availability sent to potential vendors

October 4, 2014 Pre-testing of survey begins

October 9, 2014 Pre-testing of survey ends

October 10, 2014 Final survey instrument sent to vendor

October 11, 2014 General Service Agreement signed between vendor and Mr. Anderson

October 13, 2014 Survey in the field

October 29, 2014 Survey completed in the field

October 31, 2014 Cleaned dataset sent to the Capstone team via email

                                                                                                               19 RDD is a method of randomly generating numbers of a phone number. Landline numbers are determined by region and therefore have the same area code and prefix; the digits of the bank number are varied. RDD randomizes the bank numbers of a region to make the calls; PewResearch (2014). Random digit dialing—Our standard method. Center for the People & the Press. Retrieved from: http://www.people-press.org/methodology/sampling/random-digit-dialing-our-standard-method/  20 Skip patterns enable interviewers to skip questions that do not apply to a respondent.

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Methodology and Data In this section we provide preliminary analysis of the survey results. On October 31, 2014, the vendor provided us with a dataset of 1,002 responses and a codebook. The data represents a sample of Greenwich residents who are 18 years or older. Since the survey did not include every resident living in Greenwich, the sample statistics may differ from the population parameters. To account for sampling error, each survey result has a standard error of mean, which captures the imprecision of the sample estimate relative to the population’s true value.21 As with our survey, it is common for a large number of completed surveys to give a smaller more precise standard error. The standard errors for each survey result can be found in Appendix E. Based on the random sample of 1,002 respondents, the margin of error for the entire survey is +/- 3 percentage points.22 Questions with fewer than 1,002 respondents have higher margins of error.

Response Rate Castleton Polling Institute made a total of 22,062 call attempts to Greenwich residents to reach the 1,002 completed calls and 98 partially completed calls.23 A call was considered partial and not categorized as a refusal if the respondent answered questions up to “In general, how satisfied are you with the services provided by Greenwich?”24 The response rate is calculated as the proportion of all calls that were completed or partially completed, excluding ineligible calls.25 Using this definition, the response rate for the survey was 5.6%. For more information on how we calculated the response rate, please refer to Appendix C.

Overview of Sample Ideally, the survey sample should be representative of the population of the Town of Greenwich. However, problems such as non-response may cause some groups to be over- or under-represented in a sample; particular age groups or a gender can be over- or under-represented in the survey data. To ensure that the data is representative of the general Greenwich population, the data was weighted to age and gender. Weighting is a common technique used to adjust response data to more closely resemble demographics of the population. By weighting the responses of under-represented respondents more than over-represented respondents, the sample reflects the population of interest, and the results can be deemed as representative of the preferences, opinions, and responses of the total population. Please refer to Appendix D for the complete demographics of survey respondents.

                                                                                                               21 In general, as the size of a random sample increases, the standard error decreases because the sample becomes more likely to be representative. Formulaically, the standard error is SE = s/sqrt(n), where s is the standard deviation and n is the sample size. 22 ME = 1.96*sqrt[(p*(1-p))/n], where p is the sample proportion and n is the sample size. 23 Aside from being used in the calculation of response rates, partially completed calls were not included in the results. 24 See Appendix A for the order of survey questions. 25 The American Association for Public Opinion Research (2008). Standard Definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys. 5th edition. Lenexa, Kansas: AAPOR.

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Results For our preliminary analysis, we focused on the mean value of each variable, which measures the average value of a variable in the dataset. Please refer to Appendix E for the complete table of central tendency values including the standard error of mean for each of the variables in the 2014 survey. The following sections discuss the mean response values for the general satisfaction of primary services and of the Town, the importance of service departments, the Building Inspection Division, the Planning and Zoning Department, the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency, the Highway Division, and the Parks and Recreation Department for recreation passes and recreation sites. Each section is structured in the same way; each section includes the questions asked of respondents, a graph that depicts the averaged response for each question, and a brief analysis of the results presented. The graphs are formatted so that the 1-7 scale is on the vertical axis, of which 4.0 is the midpoint and is interpreted as the moderate value. The sample size (n) is provided for each section located at the bottom right-hand corner of the graph. The variables, or measures of interest, are laid out on the horizontal axis of the graph. The columns are the results of the variables, represented as the response mean. For the averaged response the mean is calculated by taking the sum of the values given by respondents divided by the total number of respondents.26

                                                                                                               26 The mean includes only respondents who answered 1-7 and excludes those who refused or responded “don’t know.”

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General Satisfaction The general satisfaction section measured responses to the following questions:

• In general, how satisfied are you with the services provided by Greenwich? • Overall, how satisfied are you with the local police protection? • Overall, how satisfied are you with the services provided by your local fire department? • Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of education provided by the local public

schools? • Now thinking about the Town of Greenwich, in general, how would you rate the value of

your tax dollars? The averaged responses with the general service questions on the survey, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who provided a response from 1 to 7, were: services provided by the Town of Greenwich (5.65), local police protection (6.05), services provided by local fire department (6.54), quality of education provided by the local public schools (5.49), and rating on the value of tax dollars (5.32). Figure 2 below, shows the average responses for the general satisfaction question on the survey. Figure 2: General Satisfaction Average Values

In general, residents have a favorable impression of their quality of life in Greenwich and were satisfied with primary town-provided services. Of the three primary services measured, residents were most satisfied with the services provided by the fire department. On a scale of 1 to 7, the

1.0  1.5  2.0  2.5  3.0  3.5  4.0  4.5  5.0  5.5  6.0  6.5  7.0  

Town  Services   Police     Fire     Public  Schools   Investment  of  Tax  Dollars  

General  Satisfaction  

Response  Mean   n=  1,002  

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local fire department averaged a perceived satisfaction rate of 6.54. Residents on average valued the quality of education at public schools lower than police protection and services of the fire department; however, residents were still satisfied with the quality of education at public schools. Of the five general questions, the average value of tax dollars to the Town was the lowest at 5.32 on a scale of 1 to 7.

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Importance of Service Departments The survey measured each respondent’s perceived importance of the five service departments by asking the following question: Please tell me how important each of the following town services are to you on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all important and seven is extremely important: (1) Building Inspection Division, (2) Planning and Zoning Department, (3) Highway Division, (4) Parks and Recreation Department, [and] (5) Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency. Figure 1: Importance of Service Departments

Figure 1 above, shows the average responses for the importance of the five service departments. On average, residents find these services as important. Most residents rated the importance of each department as a 5 or 6 out of 7. Of the five service departments, residents, on average, valued the Parks and Recreation Department as the most important. By contrast, residents, on average, valued the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency as the least important out of the five service departments. Logically, the Parks and Recreation Department is valued highly because most residents use services offered by this department. Due to the nature of its functions, the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency may not be valued as highly as the other service departments. The Agency primarily provides services to those who live near or on properties that contain wetlands, watercourse areas, or drainage systems meaning that only a very specific group of users would utilize services offered by the Agency.

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

Building Planning Highway Parks & Rec Inland

Importance of Service Departments

Response Mean n= 1,002

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Building Inspection Division The services under the Building Inspection Division are measured using the four factors time, accuracy, help, and information. The questions were asked in the following manner:

• TIME: How satisfied are you with the length of time spent obtaining building permits? • ACCURACY: To what degree did the Town Hall staff provide you with accurate

information on current building codes? • HELP: Overall, how satisfied are you with the Building staff in assisting you? • INFORMATION: How easy was it for you to find the information you needed from the

Building Division through the town’s website? Figure 3: Building Inspection Division Average Values

Figure 3 above, shows the average responses within the department. The averaged responses with the Building Inspection Division, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who had an opinion, were: TIME (3.54), ACCURACY (4.18), HELP (4.03), and INFORMATION (3.33). Compared to the general questions, residents were not as satisfied with service provisions under the Building Inspection Division. Ratings for the four factors were between 3.33 to 4.18. On a scale of 1 to 7, the average values for the four factors were around the midpoint or below. Residents on average valued the time spent obtaining permits and ease of finding information on the Town’s website as the lowest; both were below the midpoint value of 4.

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

TIME ACCURACY HELP INFO

Building Inspection Division

Response Mean n= 140

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Planning and Zoning Department The services under the Planning and Zoning Department were measured using the four factors time, accuracy, help, and information. The questions were asked in the following manner:

• TIME: How satisfied are you with the length of time required to go through the planning and zoning process?

• ACCURACY: To what degree did the Town Hall staff provide you with accurate information on the planning and zoning process?

• HELP: Overall, how satisfied are you with the Planning and Zoning staff in assisting you?

• INFORMATION: How easy was it for you to find the information you needed from the Planning and Zoning Department through the Town’s website?

Figure 4: Planning and Zoning Average Values

Figure 4 above, shows the average responses within the department. The averaged responses with the department, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who had an opinion, were: TIME (3.26), ACCURACY (5.06), HELP (4.38), and INFORMATION (4.09). The range for factors under the Planning and Zoning Department were wider compared to the Building Inspection Division, and were between 3.26 to 5.06. The accuracy, help, and information factors were valued on average over the midpoint 4.0 and were valued higher when compared to the same measures under the Building Inspection Division. The satisfaction of time spent in the planning and zoning process is on average valued lower than the time factor under the Building Inspection Division. Similar to the Building Inspection Division, the time and information factors are the lowest values out of the four measures.

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

TIME ACCURACY HELP INFO

Planning and Zoning

Response Mean n= 119

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Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency The services under the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency were measured using the four factors time, accuracy, help, and information. The questions were asked in the following manner:

• TIME: How satisfied are you with the length of time required to go through the Agency’s regulatory and inspection process?

• ACCURACY: To what degree did the Town Hall staff provide you with accurate information on the process?

• HELP: Overall, how satisfied are you with the Agency staff in assisting you? • INFORMATION: How easy was it for you to find the information you needed from the

Agency through the Town’s website? Figure 5: Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency Average Values

Figure 5 above, shows the average responses within the Agency. The averaged responses with the Agency, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who had an opinion, were: TIME (2.24), ACCURACY (2.58), HELP (2.53), and INFORMATION (3.99). Unlike the other permitting departments, all four factors under the Agency are below the 4.0 midpoint. The four factors ranged from 2.24 to 3.99. Contrary to the other two permitting departments, the information factor of the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency has the highest average rating out of the four factors. Similar to the other two permitting departments, residents are not satisfied with the time spent on the permitting process.

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

TIME ACCURACY HELP INFO

Inland Wetland and Watercourses Agency

Response Mean n= 57

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Highway Division The services under the Highway Division were measured using factors that deviate slightly from the usual four factors time, accuracy, help, and information – only the time and information measures were applicable to this division. The Highway Division questions were asked in the following manner:

• Overall, how satisfied are you with the services provided by the Highway Division? • TIME: How convenient are the hours of road construction in Greenwich? • How satisfied are you with the effectiveness of snow and ice removal on the roads in

Greenwich? • How often does the division prioritize projects that are most important to you? • INFORMATION: How would you rate the division’s communication of road projects,

highway conditions, and work zones? Figure 6: Highway Division Average Values

Figure 6 above, shows the average responses within the department. The averaged responses with the Highway Division, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who had an opinion, were: overall satisfaction with the Highway Division (5.14), TIME (5.01), satisfaction on effectiveness of snow/ice removal on roads (5.44), prioritization of the department projects that are important to respondent (4.44), and INFORMATION (4.39). On average, residents were satisfied with the services provided by the Highway Division. The measures were valued above the 4.0 midpoint; the factors ranged from 4.39 to 5.44. Of the five factors (including overall satisfaction), communication of projects and conditions had the lowest average value.

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

Overall Satisfaction

TIME Snow/Ice Removal

Project Priority INFO

Highway Division

Response Mean n= 1,002

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Parks and Recreation Department —Recreation Passes The services concerning recreation passes under the Parks and Recreation Department were measured using the four factors time, accuracy, help, and information. The questions were asked in the following manner:

• TIME: How satisfied are you with the wait time at Town Hall for a recreation pass? • ACCURACY: To what degree did the department staff provide you with accurate

information on recreation passes? • HELP: Overall, how satisfied are you with the Parks and Recreation staff in assisting

you? • INFORMATION: How easy was it for you to find the information you need on recreation

passes through the Town’s website? Figure 7: Parks and Recreation Passes Average Values

Figure 7 above, shows the average responses within the department. The averaged responses with the department’s recreation passes, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who had an opinion, were: TIME (4.73), ACCURACY (5.88), HELP (5.71), and INFORMATION (5.49). Residents were in general satisfied with the services in regards to recreation passes; the factors ranged from 4.73 to 5.88. Residents were least satisfied with the wait time at Town Hall; this factor was the only measure under the value of 5.0.

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

TIME ACCURACY HELP INFO

Recreation Passes

Response Mean n= 837

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Parks and Recreation—Recreation Sites The services concerning recreation sites under the Parks and Recreation Department were measured using the four factors time, maintenance, help, and information. The questions were asked in the following manner:

• TIME: How satisfied are you with the recreational sites’ hours of operations? • MAINTENANCE: How satisfied are you with the maintenance of parks, trails, and open

spaces? • HELP: Overall, how satisfied are you with staff members at various recreational sites in

assisting you? • INFORMATION: How easy was it for you to find the information you need on

recreational sites and programs through the Town’s website? Figure 8: Parks and Recreation Sites Average Values

Figure 8 above, shows the average responses within the department. The averaged responses with the department’s recreation sites, based upon the mean of the responses among residents who had an opinion, were: TIME (6.03), MAINTENANCE (5.85), HELP (5.8), and INFORMATION (5.46). The factors measuring the satisfaction of the Parks and Recreation Department pertaining to recreation sites were valued higher compared to the factors measuring the recreation passes; the factors ranged from 5.46 to 6.03. Overall, residents were really satisfied with the services of the department’s recreation site. Of the four factors, the measure, ease of finding information on the Town’s website, was valued the lowest.

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

TIME MAINTENANCE HELP INFO

Recreation Sites

Response Mean n= 1,002

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Data Results Conclusion Our preliminary analysis provided an outlook into residents’ satisfaction and ratings with town-provided services. This analysis was conducted in request of the Office of the First Selectman to help determine focus areas that could be used to improve resident satisfaction. This preliminary analysis could also help department managers set priorities and included improvements to goals and customer satisfaction measures in the next Annual Department Operational Plan. Overall, examining the mean values of the four satisfaction factors assessed in each service department, there are common factors that were valued lower across the board. We suggest focusing on the following two factors for future resident satisfaction improvement: ● Time scored a lower satisfaction overall. Specifically, time spent in permitting processes

and the wait time for recreation passes were rated a lower average response to other factors.

● Information also scored a lower rating overall; in the survey the ease of gathering information from the Town’s websites scored low in each department assessed. Since technology is a large component of the Town’s Community First Initiative, the website is one area all departments could focus on improving to increase overall satisfaction with Town services.

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Re-administering the Survey To gauge improvement of resident satisfaction with the factors measured in service departments, we suggest the Town of Greenwich re-administer the 2014 resident satisfaction survey on a biennial or triennial basis. By re-administering the same survey, the Town is able to use the 2014 survey results as a benchmark to compare future renditions of the survey. After several rounds of data collection, the town will have trend data. Trends, good or bad, are best compared within the service departments themselves. For example, to measure resident satisfaction with the Parks and Recreation Department, the comparison should be made back to the 2014 benchmark survey, rather than comparing values to other departments in the survey. Because of the nature and function of certain service departments, it may not be accurate to compare across departments. Parks and Recreation Department provides leisure activities whereas departments such as the Building Inspection Division provides permitting services; comparing the results of these two departments would not give accurate conclusions because the Building Inspection Division is a regulatory service and is used to fulfill a specific function, whereas the Parks and Recreation Department is a service used in a resident’s free time and is viewed as an optional activity. To ensure future results yield a valid and accurate comparison to the 2014 resident satisfaction survey, we suggest the Town consider the following when re-administering the survey:

• Use the 2014 survey in the same format; do not change the wording, order, or skip-patterns within the survey instrument. Although the Town should not change the wording of existing questions, the Town, if desired, may add sections of additional service departments. Results will not be biased as long as these additional sections are included in the randomization of service departments. This will avoid biases in the comparison of results and will allow the results to be compared and measured against each other.

• Use a vendor to administer the telephone survey. For the most accurate comparison of results the Town should use the same vendor as in 2014, Castleton Polling Institute. Using the same vendor can provide a number of benefits including: (1) the vendor is already familiar with the survey instrument’s coding, randomization, and target sample; (2) the interview procedure will be conducted similarly to the 2014 benchmark survey; and (3) the data will be weighted, formatted, and produced in the same fashion allowing for a more accurate data comparison and analysis.

• It is important to re-administer the survey in the same general time frame of mid- to late- October. This is important due to the fact that the survey asks some seasonal-type questions. For example, the question in the Highway Division asks about the effectiveness of snow and ice removal; if the survey was to be conducted in January after a large snowstorm the rating for that measure may be significantly altered from the 2014 survey, but the change might not be indicative of the department’s overall change in performance.

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Conclusion Overall, residents expressed high satisfaction with Town-provided services. The 2014 resident satisfaction survey serves as a benchmark to provide unbiased, quantifiable metrics to manage and improve the services provided by the various departments. If the Town’s administration decides to implement future surveys, each service and satisfaction level captured by the benchmark 2014 resident satisfaction survey can be tracked over time to help administration recognize trends and note responses to policy and service changes made.

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Appendices APPENDIX A: SURVEY INSTRUMENT APPENDIX B: VENDOR CONTACT INFORMATION APPENDIX C: RESPONSE RATES APPENDIX D: DEMOGRAPHICS OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS APPENDIX E: CENTRAL TENDENCY MEASURES

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Appendix A. Survey Instrument 2014 Citizen Satisfaction Survey Field: October (2014) Length: 10-12 minutes Sample: Adult; Greenwich, CT Resident; n=1,002 Interviewer Note: Coding options in parentheses, for example (REFUSED), means volunteered. INTRO Hello. My name is ____________________ and I am calling from the Polling Institute at Castleton College on behalf of the University of Connecticut. We are conducting a short survey for the Town of Greenwich regarding town-provided services. Your responses will be kept confidential, and the results of this survey will go directly to the Selectman's Office. For this survey, we are looking to speak with someone who is at least 18 years or older. Is that you or someone else? 1 YES/ME → SKIP TO ZIPCODE 2 NO/SOMEONE ELSE → SKIP TO INTRO2 3 (REFUSED) → THANK AND TERMINATE (IF ASKED: The results to this survey will be posted on the Town’s website in early December.) (IF ASKED: This survey will take about 10 minutes to complete.) (IF ASKED: The results of this survey will be used to help the First Selectman’s Office make decisions regarding town services in Greenwich.) INTRO2 May I speak with someone at home who is at least 18 years or older? 1 YES → CONTINUE TO INTRO3 2 NO → SUSPEND CALL AND SET TIME TO CALL BACK (INTERVIEWER: please type in the name or the age/gender of the respondent who has been selected so that the callback can be directed to the appropriate person) 3 NO (CLEAR REFUSAL) → TERMINATE (IF NECESSARY, READ: So that we can reach this person more easily when we call back, can you please tell me this person's first name or initials?) (IF NECESSARY, READ: If you prefer to not give me their first name, could you tell me their age and gender so we know who to ask for when we call back?) (IF NO INFORMATION PROVIDED, ENTER: "18 + ")

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INTRO3 Hello. My name is ____________________ and I am calling from the Polling Institute at Castleton College on behalf of the University of Connecticut. We are conducting a short survey for the Town of Greenwich regarding town-provided services. Your responses will be kept confidential, and the results of this survey will go directly to the Selectman's Office. For this survey, we are looking to speak with someone who is at least 18 years or older. Is that you or someone else? 1 YES → CONTINUE TO ZIPCODE 2 NO → SUSPEND CALL AND SET TIME TO CALL BACK (INTERVIEWER: please type in the name or the age/gender of the respondent who has been selected so that the callback can be directed to the appropriate person) 3 NO (CLEAR REFUSAL) → TERMINATE (IF NECESSARY, READ: So that we can reach this person more easily when we call back, can you please tell me this person's first name or initials?) (IF NECESSARY, READ: If you prefer to not give me their first name, could you tell me their age and gender so we know who to ask for when we call back?) (IF NO INFORMATION PROVIDED, ENTER: "18 + ") (IF ASKED: The results to this survey will be posted on the Town’s website in early December.) (IF ASKED: This survey will take about 10 minutes to complete.) (IF ASKED: The results of this survey will be used to help the First Selectman’s Office make decisions regarding how and what services are delivered to residents.) QZIP This survey is only for residents in the Town of Greenwich, may I please have your zip code? (INTERVIEWER: Do not read; Match with list)

1 06807 → SKIP TO QUAILITY 2 06830 → CONTINUE TO ZIP830 3 06831 → SKIP TO QUAILITY 4 06870 → SKIP TO QUAILITY 5 06878 → SKIP TO QUAILITY 6 (OTHER) → THANK AND TERMINATE 7 (REFUSED) → THANK AND TERMINATE ZIP830 For further clarification, do you live in Belle Haven, Byram, Downtown Greenwich, or another neighborhood I have not mentioned?

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1 Belle Haven → CONTINUE TO QUALITY 2 Byram → CONTINUE TO QUALITY 3 Downtown Greenwich → CONTINUE TO QUALITY

4 (OTHER) (INTERVIEWER: Please specify) → CONTINUE TO QUALITY 5 (DK) → CONTINUE TO QUALITY 6 (REFUSED) → CONTINUE TO QUALITY

QUALITY I'd like to ask you about services provided by the Town of Greenwich to its residents. For each of these questions, please give a response on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being the least favorable and 7 being the most favorable. In general, how satisfied are you with the services provided by Greenwich? Please rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being "Not at all satisfied" and 7 being "Extremely satisfied". (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number)

8 (DK) → CONTINUE TO BLOCK A 9 (REFUSED) → CONTINUE TO BLOCK A

_________________BLOCK A: RANDOMIZE WITHIN BLOCK____________________

APOLICE Overall, how satisfied are you with the local police protection? Please rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied, and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

AFIRE Overall, how satisfied are you with the services provided by your local fire department? Please rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied, and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

SCHOOLS Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of education provided by the local public schools? Please rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied, and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

____________________END RANDOMIZATION WITHIN BLOCK A__________ TOWNSERVICES

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Please tell me how important each of the following town services are to you on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all important and seven is extremely important.

RANDOMIZE THE FOLLOWING LIST OF SERVICES SERVICES_OPTION_1 – Building Inspection Division SERVICES_OPTION_2 – Planning and Zoning Department SERVICES_OPTION_3 – Highway Division SERVICES_OPTION_4 – Parks and Recreation Department SERVICES_OPTION_5 – Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency

(INTERVIEWER: Code actual number for each services) 8 (N/A)

END RANDOMIZATION OF LIST

RANDOMIZE BLOCKS B to E

_______________________________BLOCK B____________________________________

BUSEBUILD The Building Inspection Division, located at town hall, issues construction permits in compliance with State and local building codes. In the last 5 years have you or your contractor been to the building inspection division to obtain a permit?

1 YES → CONTINUE TO BDIRECT1 2 NO → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 3 (DK) → (PROBE: Have you ever built an exterior deck, a shed, a swimming pool, or replaced wall sidings or roof shingles?) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK

BDIRECT1 Did you obtain a permit yourself or did you use a contractor? 1 MYSELF → SKIP TO BTIME1 2 CONTRACTOR → CONTINUE TO BCONTRACTOR1 3 (BOTH) → SKIP TO BTIME1 4 (DK) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 5 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK BCONTRACTOR1 Did your contractor express any difficulties working with the Town Hall Building Division? 1 YES → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 2 NO → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK

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3 (DK) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK BTIME1 How satisfied are you with the length of time spent obtaining building permits? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to BACCU1)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

BACCU1 To what degree did the Town Hall staff provide you with accurate information on current building codes? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all accurate information and seven is completely accurate information. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to BHELP1)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

BHELP1 Overall, how satisfied are you with the Building staff in assisting you? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to BINFO1)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

BINFO1 How easy was it for you to find the information you needed from the Building Division through the Town’s website? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all easy and seven is extremely easy. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to next block)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

_________________________________BLOCK C___________________________________

CUSEPLAN The Planning and Zoning Department, at Town Hall, is responsible for the regulations of land use and property rezoning throughout the town. In the last 5 years have you or your contractor been to the Planning and Zoning Department to obtain a permit?

1 YES → CONTINUE TO CDIRECT2 2 NO → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 3 (DK) → (PROBE: Have you ever built a house or enlarged properties such as converting a single family residence into a two-family residence?) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK

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CDIRECT2 Did you obtain a permit yourself or did you use a contractor? 1 MYSELF → SKIP TO CTIME2 2 CONTRACTOR → CONTINUE TO CCONTRACTOR2 3 (BOTH) → SKIP TO CTIME2 4 (DK) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 5 (REFUSED) → CONTINUE TO NEXT BLOCK CCONTRACTOR2 Did your contractor express any difficulties working with the Town Hall Planning and Zoning Department? 1 YES → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 2 NO → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 3 (DK) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK CTIME2 How satisfied are you with the length of time required to go through the planning and zoning process? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to CACCU2)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

CACCU2 To what degree did the Town Hall staff provide you with accurate information on the planning and zoning process? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all accurate information and seven is completely accurate information. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to CHELP2)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

CHELP2 Overall, how satisfied are you with the Planning and Zoning staff in assisting you? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to CINFO2)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

CINFO2 How easy was it for you to find the information you needed from the Planning and Zoning Department through the Town’s website? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all easy and seven is extremely easy. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to next block)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

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________________________________BLOCK D _______________________________

DUSEHIGHWAY The Highway Division is responsible for the evaluation and maintenance of roadway surfaces, sidewalks, traffic and pedestrian signals, and leaf, snow, and ice removal. Please use your experiences within the last 12 months to rate the services provided by this division. Overall, how satisfied are you with the services provided by the Highway Division? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to DTIME4)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

DTIME4 How convenient are the hours of road construction in Greenwich? Please rate the convenience on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all convenient and seven is extremely convenient. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to DACCU4)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

DEFFECT4 How satisfied are you with the effectiveness of snow and ice removal on the roads in Greenwich? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is completely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to DEXPERT4)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

DEXPERT4 How often does the division prioritize projects that are most important to you? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is never and 7 is almost always.(INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to DINFO4)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

DINFO4 How would you rate the division’s communication of road projects, highway conditions, and work zones? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is extremely poor communication and seven is excellent communication. (IF ASKED: Communication means visible signs referencing future road construction projects, signs anticipating road work ahead, or notifications of construction in your neighborhood.) (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to next block)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

________________________________BLOCK E _______________________________

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EPARKS The following questions pertain to the services the town provides through the Parks and Recreation Department.

RANDOMIZE BLOCK E5 AND BLOCK E6 WITHIN BLOCK E _________________________________BLOCK E5_________________________________ E5INTERNALPARK Beach cards, daily beach passes, and tennis passes are required during peak seasons at recreational sites. For the purposes of this survey we will refer to all of these as recreation passes. In the last 12 months, have you or someone in your household applied for, or renewed, a recreation pass?

1 YES → CONTINUE TO E5APASS 2 NO → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 3 (DK) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK

E5APASS How did you submit your application for a recreation pass? Did you visit Town Hall or did you mail in your application? 1 TOWN HALL → CONTINUE TO E5TIME5 2 MAIL → SKIP TO E5ACCU5 3 (OTHER) → SKIP TO E5ACCU5 4 (BOTH) → CONTINUE TO E5TIME5 5 (DK) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK 6 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO NEXT BLOCK E5TIME5 In general, how satisfied are you with the wait time at Town Hall for a recreation pass? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to E5ACCU5)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

E5ACCU5 To what degree did the department staff provide you with accurate information on recreation passes? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all accurate information and seven is completely accurate information. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to E5HELP5)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

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E5HELP5 Overall, how satisfied are you with the Parks and Recreation staff at Town Hall in assisting you? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to E5INFO5)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

E5INFO5 How easy was it for you to find the information you needed on recreation passes through the Town’s website? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all easy and seven is extremely easy. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to next block)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

________________________________BLOCK E6________________________________ E6TIME6 The Parks and Recreation Department operates programs and activities. These leisure opportunities include: playgrounds, beaches, athletic fields, parks, community centers, a municipal golf course, and other recreational programs. How satisfied are you with the recreational sites’ hours of operation? Please rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue E6MAINTENANCE)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

E6MAINTENANCE How satisfied are you with the maintenance of parks, trails, and open spaces? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to E6HELP6)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

E6HELP6 Overall, how satisfied are you with staff members at various recreational sites in assisting you? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (IF ASKED: Staff members include lifeguards, maintenance, rangers, program directors, etc.) (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to E6INFO6)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

E6INFO6

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How easy was it for you to find the information you needed on recreational sites and programs through the Town’s website? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all easy and seven is extremely easy. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to the next block)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

___________________________________________________________________________

END RANDOMIZATION OF BLOCKS _________________________________BLOCK F ___________________________________

FUSEAGENCY The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency determines the permitted use of wetlands and regulates development within these areas. (IF ASKED: Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and water areas.) In the last five years, have you owned or lived near a property with wetlands?

1 YES → CONTINUE TO FAGENCYDEV 2 NO → SKIP TO INVESTMENT 3 (DK) → SKIP TO INVESTMENT 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO INVESTMENT

FAGENCYDEV Have you done any development projects on the wetland property, such as clearing or construction? 1 YES → CONTINUE TO FDIRECT3 2 NO → SKIP TO INVESTMENT 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO INVESTMENT FDIRECT3 Did you obtain a permit yourself or did you use a contractor? 1 MYSELF → SKIP TO FTIME3 2 CONTRACTOR → CONTINUE TO FCONTRACTOR3 3 (BOTH) → SKIP TO FTIME3 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO INVESTMENT FCONTRACTOR3 Did your contractor express any difficulties working with the Agency at Town Hall? 1 YES → SKIP TO INVESTMENT 2 NO → SKIP TO INVESTMENT 3 (DK) → SKIP TO INVESTMENT 4 (REFUSED) → SKIP TO INVESTMENT FTIME3

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How satisfied are you with the length of time required to go through the Agency’s regulatory and inspection process? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to FACCU3)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

FACCU3 To what degree did the Town Hall staff provide you with accurate information on the process? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all accurate information and seven is completely accurate information. (IF ASKED: The process covers regulation, application, and permit.) (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to FHELP3)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

FHELP3 Overall, how satisfied are you with the Agency staff in assisting you? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all satisfied and seven is extremely satisfied. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to FINFO3)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

FINFO3 How easy was it for you to find the information you needed from the Agency through the Town’s website? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is not at all easy and seven is extremely easy. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number and continue to INVESTMENT)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

____________________________________________________________________

INVESTMENT Now thinking about the Town of Greenwich, in general, how would you rate the value of your tax dollars? Please rate this on a scale of 1 to 7, one is extremely poor value for my tax dollars, and seven is excellent value. (INTERVIEWER: Code actual number)

8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED)

SERVICE What is one service that would make Greenwich a better place to live? This could include improving an existing service or providing a new service. (INTERVIEWER: Record Answer) (PROBE: What is something the town could do to make a good use of your tax dollars?) GENDER Finally, I have a few demographic questions for classification purposes only. (INTERVIEWER: RECORD GENDER, BUT DO NOT ASK)

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1 MALE 2 FEMALE

3 (DK) AGE What is your age? (INTERVIEWER: Open ended and code actual age) 999 REFUSED

RACE What is your race or ethnicity? (INTERVIEWER: Do not read, please code all that apply) 1 White (Caucasian) 2 Black or African-American 3 Hispanic 4 Asian 5 American Indian or Alaska Native or 6 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 7 Other 8 (DK) 9 (REFUSED) MARITAL What is your current marital status? (INTERVIEWER: Do not read, please code all that apply) 1 Single/Never been married 2 Married 3 Separated 4 Divorced 5 Widowed 6 Domestic partnership/Living with partner (not legally married) 7 (DK) 8 (REFUSED) CHILDREN In your household, how many children are there under the age of 18? (INTERVIEWER: Open ended and code actual number) YEARS How long have you lived in Greenwich? (INTERVIEWER: Do not read, please code actual number) 1 Includes up to a year 2 Up to 2 years … 999 (REFUSED) INCOME

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Please estimate the TOTAL income that you and your household received in 2013, not just from wages or salaries but from ALL sources -- that is, before taxes and other deductions were made. (INTERVIEWER: do not read categories, code appropriate income range)

1 Less than $50,000 2 $50,000-$99,999 3 $100,000-$149,999 4 $150,000-$199,999 5 $200,000-$249,999

6 $250,000 and over 7 (DK) 8 (REFUSED)

CONCLUSION That concludes our survey. The Town of Greenwich truly values your input. Thank you very much for your time.

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Appendix B: Vendor Contact Information Vendor: Castleton Polling Institute of Castleton College Dr. Richard Clark Director Polling Institute Rich.Clark@castleton.edu (802) 468-1306 Christopher Becker Operations Manager Polling Institute Christopher.Becker@castleton.edu (802) 770-7041

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Appendix C. Response Rates The following response rates used AAPOR’s standardized equations where response rate 1 is viewed as the most conservative and response rate 6 is viewed as the least conservative. More information about the different kinds of response rates are available at: http://www.aapor.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Standard_Definitions&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=1273. Response Rate Legend RR = Response rate I = Completed interview P = Partially completed interview R = Refusal and break-off NC = Non-contact O = Other UH = Unknown if household/occupied HU UO = Unknown, other E = Estimated proportion of cases of unknown eligibility that are eligible Response Rate Formulas RR1 = I

(I +P) + (R + NC + O) + (UH + UO)

RR2 = (I + P)(I +P) + (R + NC + O) + (UH + UO)

RR3 = I(I +P) + (R + NC + O) + e(UH + UO)

RR4 = (I + P)(I +P) + (R + NC + O) + e(UH + UO)

RR5 = I(I +P) + (R + NC + O)

RR6 = (I + P)(I +P) + (R + NC + O)

Greenwich Survey Response Rates RR1 = 5.1% RR2 = 5.6% RR3 = 8.7% RR4 = 9.6% RR5 = 40.7% RR6 = 44.7%

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Disposition/Dialing Summary The following disposition summary identified each call unit as a type of call such as completed calls and ineligible calls. The team used a response rate calculator excel spreadsheet offered by AAPOR to calculate the 6 types of response rates. AAPOR has a standardized list of final disposition codes in which the disposition of the Greenwich survey was matched to. Castleton multiplied the AAPOR disposition codes by 1,000 in their disposition summary. Furthermore, Castleton included two temporary disposition codes, 5100 and 5200, representing callbacks. These callbacks were treated like any other non-contact with unknown eligibility. In calculating response rates, the team identified the callbacks as disposition code 3.21 (no screener completed) under unknown eligibility, non-interviewer. A copy of AAPOR’s response rate calculator excel file was made available to Greenwich. However, the file can also be downloaded from AAPOR’s website at http://www.aapor.org/Standard_Definitions2.htm#.VG1S8ZPF-Qc. Table 2. Disposition Summary of the Greenwich Survey

Code Disposition # Of Attempts 1100 Complete 1,002 1200 Partial 98 2100 Refusal 1,301 2111 Eligible: Household Refusal 1 2120 Eligible: Break Off 7 2210 Eligible: Respondent Never Available 15 2332 Language Problem 38 3120 Busy 343 3130 No Answer 2,878 3140 Answering Machine 11,964 3150 Technical Phone Problems 69 4000 Ineligible 126 4200 Fax/Data line 245 4310 Nonworking number 1,637 4410 Number Changed 14 4510 Business/Government/Other Org 237 4520 Institution 2 4700 No eligible respondent 8 4800 Quota filled 0 5100 Call back, indefinite 1,571 5200 Callback 506

TOTAL ATTEMPTS 22,062

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Appendix D. Demographics of Survey Respondents Table 3. Zip Code Composition of Survey Respondents Zip Code Frequency Percent

06807 122 12.9 06830 373 36.0 06831 236 22.0 06870 129 13.6 06878 141 15.5 Total 1,001 100.0

Table 4. Breakdown Composition of Zip Code 06830 06830 Frequency Percent Belle Haven 13 2.5 Byram 50 10.1 Downtown Greenwich 170 49.2 Other 133 36.6 Don’t Know/Refused 7 1.6 Total 373 100.0

Table 5. Race/Ethnicity Composition of Survey Respondents Race/Ethnicity Frequency Percent White (Caucasian) 866 84.5 Black/African-American 7 0.5 Hispanic 17 2.9 Asian 16 3.0 Other 11 4.1 Don’t Know/Refused 64 5.0 Total 1,001 100.0

Table 6. Marital Status Composition of Survey Respondents Marital Status Frequency Percent Single/Never Married 94 17 Married 671 69.9 Separated 4 0.3 Divorced 69 4.9 Widowed 130 6.3 Domestic Partnership 2 0.3 Don't Know/Refused 31 1.3 Total 1,001 100.0

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Table 7. Survey Composition of # of Children in Household Under the Age of 18 # of Children Frequency Percent

0 591 47.8 1 94 19.8 2 104 19.1 3 49 9.3 4 15 2.8 5 5 1.2

Total 858 100.0 Table 8. Survey Composition of Total Income Income Range Frequency Percent Less than $50,000 58 4.3 $50,000-$99,999 127 10.1 $100,000-$149,000 83 7.5 $150,000-$199,999 66 7.5 $200,000-$249,999 50 5.2 $250,000 or more 205 26.3 Don’t Know/Refused 412 39.1 Total 1,001 100.0

Table 9. Average Median Age of Survey Respondents Type Years Whole Population 50 Female Population 50 Male Population 50

Table 10. Gender Composition of Survey Respondents Type % Female Population 52.4 Male Population 47.6 Total Population 100.0

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Appendix E. Central Tendency Measures The team utilized measures of central tendency to analyze the data, specifically the variables with a 7-point scale. Central tendency measures are values that describe the middle positions of a variable. We used three measures of central tendency: mean, median, and mode. Mean is the most well-known measure of central tendency and measures the average value of a variable in the dataset. The mean for the following variables includes only responses of values 1 to 7. A standard error of mean is provided under each mean. The standard error of mean (presented in parentheses below the mean value) is a measure of how much the value of the mean may vary from sample to sample taken from the same distribution. Median is the middle value for a variable in which half of the values are above and half are below. The median for the following variables includes only responses of values 1 to 7. Mode is the most frequent value within the values of a variable. The mode for the following variables includes values 1 to 7, as well as “Don’t Knows,” which is represented by “DK” in the table. If “DK” is the mode, the second most frequent response is also provided under the “DK.” DEPARTMENT Variable Measured Mean Median Mode

Gen

eral

Overall Satisfaction with Services 5.65

(0.040) 6 6

Police Protection 6.05 (0.045) 6 7

Fire Department 6.54 (0.026) 7 7

Quality of Education at Public Schools

5.49 (0.053) 6 6

Investment of Tax Dollars 5.32

(0.046) 5.5 6

Bui

ldin

g

Importance of Services Provided by Department

4.93 (0.056) 5 5

Time Spent Obtaining Permits 3.54

(0.156) 4 1

Degree of Accurate Info by Staff 4.18

(0.177) 5 1

Satisfaction of Staff Assistance 4.03

(0.171) 5 1

Ease of Finding Info on Website 3.33

(0.184) 4 DK 1

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DEPARTMENT Variable Measured Mean Median Mode

Plan

ning

& Z

onin

g Importance of Services Provided by Department

5.29 (0.053) 5 7

Time of the Planning & Zoning Process

3.26 (0.147) 3 1

Degree of Accurate Info by Staff 5.06

(0.150) 6 6

Satisfaction of Staff Assistance 4.38

(0.143) 5 5

Ease of Finding Info on Website 4.09

(0.153) 5 6

Hig

hway

Importance of Services Provided by Department

5.53 (0.048) 6 7

Overall Satisfaction with Highway Department

5.14 (0.052) 5 6

Convenience of Road Construction Hours

5.01 (0.051) 5 6

Effectiveness of Snow/Ice Removal 5.44

(0.044) 6 6

Priority of Projects 4.44 (0.066) 5

DK 5

Communication of Projects & Road Conditions

4.39 (0.062) 5 5

Park

s and

Rec

reat

ion:

R

ecre

atio

n Pa

sses

Importance of Services of Parks & Recreation Department

6.16 (0.035) 6 7

Satisfaction with Wait Time at Town Hall

4.73 (0.120) 5 7

Degree of Accurate Info by Staff 5.88

(0.059) 6 7

Satisfaction of Staff Assistance 5.71

(0.058) 6 7

Ease of Finding Info on Website 5.49

(0.071) 6 7

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DEPARTMENT Variable Measured Mean Median Mode

Park

s and

R

ecre

atio

n:

Rec

reat

ion

Site

s Satisfaction of Site Hours

6.03 (0.037) 6 7

Satisfaction with Maintenance of Sites

5.85 (0.042) 6 6

Satisfaction of Staff Assistance 5.8

(0.042) 6 6

Ease of Finding Info on Website 5.46

(0.058) 6 DK 6

Inla

nd W

etla

nd a

nd

Wat

erco

urse

s Age

ncy Importance of Services Provided by

Department 4.73

(0.059) 5 5

Satisfaction with Time in Process 2.24

(0.268) 1 1

Degree of Accurate Info by Staff 2.58

(0.316) 1 1

Satisfaction of Staff Assistance 2.53

(0.316) 1 1

Ease of Finding Info on Website 3.99

(0.300) 5 5