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The 2011 Citizen Survey results were released by the Town of Florence this week. The survey asked Florence residents to comment on their perception of the community, Town services, Town policy, and provide information on their demographics. The survey was mailed out to 1,100 Florence households in March and 486 surveys were returned to the Town by the April 15th deadline. The survey results have a margin of error of +/- 4%.
The survey indicated that Florence is a great place to live. More than 72% of those responding to the survey identified Florence as an “excellent” or “good” place to live, while 5% stated that Florence is a “poor” or “very poor” place to live. Residents also feel very safe in the community. 82% said that they feel “very safe” or “safe” in their neighborhood, and only 1% said they felt “unsafe” or “very unsafe” in their neighborhood.
The characteristics of Florence that citizens like most include: “historical character” (79%), “small town feel” (78%), the “climate” (76%), “friendly people” (75%), and “quiet” (72%). The top dislike of Florence is the available “shopping opportunities” (76%). Another area that residents would like to see improvement is in the number of “unkempt buildings” in Florence. 51% of Florence residents view unkempt buildings as a problem.
The satisfaction or dissatisfaction of Town services was gauged by the respondents. The Town services that received the highest satisfaction scores were in the fire, senior center and garbage pick-up categories. The lowest score was “water taste”.
Residents were asked to gauge the level of service they received based on the last Town employee they had contact with. 83% of the respondents stated that overall they received “excellent” or “good” service from the last Town employee they interacted with.
Citizens were asked to answer a number of policy-type questions in the survey. Based on the results, 39% of Florence residents stated that the Town of Florence should allow Curis Resources LTD to open and operate a copper mine on Hunt Highway. 32% indicated that Town should not allow the operation to open, and 28% were “not sure” and needed more information before making that decision.
The results for this question were further broken down into geographic categories. Residents who indicated that they live in the “Downtown Area” (45% yes, 19% no, and 36% not sure) or “Florence Gardens Area” (46% yes, 30% no, and 25% not sure) indicated their approval of the Town allowing the operation to move forward. Residents in the “Anthem Area” (28% yes, 48% no, 24% not sure) indicated their disapproval of the mining operation.
Other policy-type questions asked residents if they want the Town to provide curbside recycling services and if the Town should support the incorporation of San Tan Valley. 62% of Florence residents stated they want curbside recycling service and 15% indicated that the Town should not provide this service. 23% of the respondents indicated that they are “not sure” and need more information.
When residents were asked if the Town should support the incorporation of San Tan Valley, 20% said yes, 35% said no, and 45% said they were “not sure” and needed more information.
Some general information about the Florence residents who responded to the survey was collected. The results of the survey show that 28% of the respondents use Facebook or Twitter, 61% are registered to vote in Arizona, 61% live in Florence year-round, and 21% are employed full-time or part-time.
38% of the residents live in Florence part time and the average length of stay for the part time residents is 5.5 months. 42% of the respondents live in the Florence Gardens area, 29% live in Anthem area, and 18% live in the Downtown area.
The full report and PowerPoint presentation is available for view at www.florenceaz.gov/survey. Contact Jess Knudson, Town of Florence Public Information Officer, at 868-7541 or by email with any questions or comments about the survey.