Over 350 people completed the City of Castlegar’s first-ever Communications and Engagement Survey, expressing their concerns and ideas on how the City shares information with the public.
“At the City of Castlegar, we’re not perfect and that’s why we asked the community how we can improve,” said the City. “Improving communications and engagement is a priority in our Strategic Plan.”
Castlegar staff teamed up with the Selkirk College’s Applied Research and Innovation Centre to gather feedback from residents through online and mail-in surveys to get a better understanding of how residents gather information from the city, and what they would like to see change.
Below are some of the keys points the City took away:
- Over half of the respondents are informed about City activities
- Most people get information from social and print media or word of mouth
- Residents want more information on City projects, events, emergency alerts, snow removal, and garbage collection.
- Quicker information as residents feel announcements aren’t always on time
- Many want information via email, which isn’t currently provided
- The younger residents want to engage with the city through Instagram
- The best options for engagement are online surveys, the City’s Facebook page, and pop-up events
- One in five have had a hard time finding what they want on the City’s website and find it hard to navigate
“We’re having fun reviewing everything we heard and plan to make changes to the way we share information,” said the City of Castlegar. “Think email newsletter and more information on the topics you care about, sooner.”
The City released a YouTube video on the survey results and also released a full 32-page report on the Communications and Engagement Survey which can be viewed below as well.
City of Castlegar Communication and Community Engagement Survey Report