Calgarians’ satisfaction with city services declining ahead of budget talks: survey

Calgarians are increasing further dissatisfied with city services, with much questioning the worth they get for their taxation dollars according to a caller metropolis survey.

According to the City of Calgary’s Fall Research Results, 63 per cent of Calgarians are satisfied with metropolis services, which is simply a diminution of six per cent since past fall’s survey.

However, conscionable 42 per cent of Calgarians are satisfied with “how things are going” successful the city, a driblet of 12 per cent since 2023.

Positive perceptions from Calgarians astir however the metropolis is tally are besides down 14 per cent from past year, to conscionable 43 per cent.

“I’m not surprised,” Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp told reporters Friday. “The nationalist sentiment close present astir the City of Calgary and assembly successful wide is precise low.”

Thirty-five per cent of respondents felt infrastructure, postulation and roads topped the database of issues Calgarians recovered astir important, followed by the system astatine 18 per cent and homelessness and poorness astatine 17 per cent.

Water proviso and h2o infrastructure registered astatine 13 per cent, with zoning and maturation identified arsenic a apical precedence amongst 13 per cent of respondents.

“Obviously each of america were shocked by the h2o main break,” Debbie MacNaughton told Global News. “But I deliberation it’s a increasing metropolis and we’ve got a batch to set to here.”

Public safety, transit and lodging were besides listed arsenic apical priorities, but saw declines successful “issue prioritization” since the city’s outpouring survey.

“Calgarians person shared with america what matters astir to them astir their metropolis and their concerns,” Calgary’s main administrative serviceman David Duckworth said successful a statement. “We person heard this large and clear. Our enactment continues to absorption connected these priorities arsenic good arsenic code concerns and feedback crossed each survey results.”

The bi-annual survey results volition beryllium presented to metropolis assembly adjacent week, and are meant to assistance pass fund deliberations successful November.

Calgary politician Jyoti Gondek said she felt it’s important to “understand what’s connected people’s minds” up of those fund talks.

“If Calgarians are saying infrastructure investments are important and we cognize we person underfunded things similar roads, that’s a superior speech assembly needs to have,” Gondek said.

However, Calgarians stay divided erstwhile it comes to paying for those priorities done spot taxes. Forty-six per cent of respondents noted they would beryllium successful favour of expanding spot taxes, portion 45 per cent preferred taxes to beryllium chopped oregon stay the same.

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The upcoming fund accommodation volition beryllium the past earlier Calgarians spell to the polls adjacent October, and experts suggest it’s an important awesome for metropolis council.

Marc Henry, who heads ThinkHQ Public Affairs and served arsenic main of unit to erstwhile politician Dave Bronconnier, said it volition beryllium “pretty tough” for assembly to crook astir the increasing dissatisfaction amongst Calgarians.

“You’ve got to remember, that’s going to benignant of beryllium the past content radical person of your fiscal absorption and whether you’ve got your hands connected the reigns astatine metropolis hall,” Henry told Global News.

“You ever effort to marque definite that past fund earlier the predetermination is delivering connected what you said it was going to be.”

Sixty-six per cent of Calgarians judge their prime of beingness is “good,” a 10-point driblet from past fall’s survey, portion 70 per cent considered Calgary a large spot to marque a life, dropping 5 per cent from 2023.

Nearly six successful 10 Calgarians are optimistic astir the economy, an summation of 9 per cent from the city’s outpouring survey, but respondents who judge Calgary is connected the close way to beryllium a amended metropolis 10 years from present person declined to 61 per cent.

The survey showed the fig of Calgarians reporting spot successful the metropolis is 41 per cent, 5 per cent little than this clip past year.

It’s an contented metropolis officials noted is simply a taste displacement reflected successful the section data.

“There’s a batch of radical successful truly pugnacious times close now,” Gondek said. “When you’re successful a pugnacious time, your absorption is to say, ‘I request my authorities to bash more.'”

The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs implicit the telephone from Aug. 8, 2024 to Sept. 3, 2024 with 2,500 Calgarians.  The survey has a borderline of mistake of ± 2.0 percent points,19 times retired of 20.