The results are in, and County of Grande Prairie residents overwhelmingly report a high level of satisfaction with the quality of life in the County, feel the region is safe, and that they receive good value for taxes. This year marks the first time the County has reached out to residents through an online Citizen Satisfaction Survey, after conducting telephone surveys in 2011, 2014 and 2021.
“The positive feedback from our residents reaffirms that the County of Grande Prairie is a great place to live,” says Reeve Bob Marshall. “Our residents have told us the County offers a safe, affordable lifestyle surrounded by friendly people in a quiet, beautiful setting.”
Highlights from the survey report include:
- Quality of Life: Overall, this area remains remarkably high in the County with 96% of residents believing their quality of life is good. A high percentage (86%) expressed pride in being a resident of the County.
- Value for Taxes: A growing number of residents (36%) indicate they are receiving good value for the municipal portion of their property tax bill when compared with 2021 results (28%). Key reasons include well-maintained and cleaned roads, as well as affordability and more reasonable taxes than other municipalities.
- Areas of Success: 75% of residents say the County has been successful at encouraging economic development, 74% note the County’s success in providing effective transportation networks such as roadways, and 65% for effective service delivery using innovative tools and a strong commitment to customer service.
- Safety: An increasing number of residents (89% versus 86% in 2021) agree that the County is a safe region.
- Services and Programs: General satisfaction with the overall level and quality of County of Grande Prairie services and programs remains high (76%).
- Top Priorities: The Fire Department; road and sidewalk maintenance and upgrading; waste management; and land use and community planning are the programs and services most important to County residents.
- Highest Levels of Individual Satisfaction: Following a record-breaking year of wildfires in the province, County residents continue to provide top marks to Fire Services (82%) with Waste Management (81%) closely ranked in second place.
- Inter-municipal Collaboration: A majority (80%) of residents did not suggest a program or service that could be delivered jointly by neighbouring municipalities. The County currently has several cost-sharing agreements in place to create efficiencies.
- County Operations: Overall satisfaction with County performance, for both Council and administration, remains stable with neither decreasing more than the other when compared with 2021 feedback.
Survey respondents reflected the growing interest in land use and community planning seen throughout the province over the past year, and the County has committed to ongoing engagement with the public both in person and through an online engagement portal, www.countygp.ab.ca/engage. County residents also highlighted road and sidewalk maintenance and upgrading; weed and pest management; and ditch maintenance and cleaning as additional areas of improvement for the County.
The report can be found on the County of Grande Prairie website at www.countygp.ab.ca/satisfaction.