Help direct plans for the future of Jefferson County
Just how happy are you with the direction Jefferson County and its cities are headed? Do you feel the biggest local issues are being addressed? What kind of activities, public facilities or programs do you wish you could access in your neighborhood, but can’t?
These are all questions you can answer for your elected leaders in a short 21-question survey available right now online that will them in developing this community’s joint comprehensive plan that will steer the use tax-payer dollars and grant applications for the next five years.
“This is a strategic planning process required by the state every five years. We are asking the public and all Jefferson County employees to complete the survey,” said Jefferson County Commission Administrator Jerry Coalson. “It only takes about five or six minutes to complete. We need your help. Your ideas and perspective are extremely valuable in shaping the future of the county.”
Survey begins by collecting some basic demographic data including the respondent’s age and whether they are a property owner, renter or if they are employed or own a business in the county.
It asks for help identifying the county’s greatest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and external threats in and to the community.
All local government has recognized the importance of expanding broadband communications coverage throughout the area. The survey asks residents what type of internet they have at home and what issues they have with that service. It also asks about the issues with cellular service throughout the county.
The survey asks respondents to rank housing issues in the order of importance, specifically listing issues such as preserving historic character, removing dilapidated buildings, building new housing and beautifying existing neighborhoods.
There is also a section of questions on public transportation, which asks which of the following services you would like to see improved: public transit, sidewalks, bike lanes, multi-use trails, widened roads and additional lanes.
The survey asks for satisfaction rankings on public services such as parks and recreation facilities, amount of sidewalks, street and road signage, condition of streets and sidewalks, cleanliness of public spaces and code enforcement.
Respondents are asked to list services they would like to access but cannot, to describe areas of the community that are in need of revitalization or improvement and to list ways that local government can improve the quality of life in your neighborhood or the community as a whole.
The survey can be reached at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/79TPN2P or by scanning the QR code on the county’s website or Facebook page.
“We have gone through part of the comprehensive plan where we lay out what our goals are. We want to promote economic development and promote housing,” Coalson said. “By the end of June we will start taking the data from the public and start synthesizing that into specific projects for the county and each city and writing the report. We will need to have that done by the end of July.”
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Help direct plans for the future of Jefferson County
