FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS

Tanisha Jumper, Media and Communications, tjumper@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5152
Maria Lee, Media and Communications, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054

City Conducts Survey in November and December to Evaluate Community’s Perceptions of Services 

-- Survey to be Conducted Primarily by Telephone From (877) 392-0956 With an Option for Online Completion --

TACOMA, Wash. -- The City of Tacoma wants to hear from community members in its upcoming community survey to be conducted from November 11, 2021 – December 10, 2021. The survey is conducted every two years in preparation for the biennial budget. A total of 750 randomly sampled households – 150 from each Councilmanic District – across Tacoma will have the opportunity to identify which services they feel are important, which service areas have improved over time, and which service areas could improve in the future. The community survey, administered by MDB Insight, will assess the City’s performance in its major service areas, and help the City better understand community members’ perceptions of these service areas. The survey findings will also help define the community’s current priorities and aid the City’s ongoing planning and improvement processes. 

Delivered in English – and in Tacoma’s five primary languages other than English, which are Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean and Khmer – the community survey will be conducted through calls from the telephone number (877) 392-0956 to randomly sampled Tacoma landlines and cellphone numbers. Those called can choose to take the community survey at that time or schedule a later time to speak to an interviewer in their preferred language. If a call is missed, no messages will be left, but another call back may be received later. Alternatively, those called can also choose to complete the community survey online in their preferred language. 

The community survey will ask for general demographic information including age (but not date of birth), gender, race, annual family income, monthly housing costs, and whether their residence is rented or owned. While specific residential addresses will not be provided to the City of Tacoma as part of the dataset and report, general location information at the Councilmanic District level will be used to help in an analysis of differences in service levels. The community survey will not ask for one’s social security number or banking/credit card information. 

More information about the community survey is available on the City’s website or by contacting Reid Bennion from the City’s Office of Management and Budget at rbennion@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5116. 

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