The majority of Madison residents are content with the quality of life in the city, according to a recent taxpayer survey.
The results from the second annual survey revealed 89 percent of respondents ranked the quality of life in Madison as “favorable” or “highly favorable.” Those giving Madison the highest rating also said the amount of property tax collected by the city is appropriate for the number of services the city provides, though 58 percent of all respondents said property taxes are too high.
“It is always a challenge to find the right balance between what people want in city services and what they can afford to pay for it,” Madison Mayor Sue Bauman said in a statement. “It’s going to get harder if the proposed cuts in shared revenues come to pass. Maintaining the quality of life in Madison will continue to be a critical goal.”
The survey went out to 64,455 residents in their property-tax bills. Of those, 6,883 completed surveys were submitted.
The survey asked residents to rank five of the most regularly discussed issues in city government, including increasing the supply of affordable housing, reconstructing State Street, improving race relations, promoting early-childhood education and providing rail transportation to downtown Madison.
Of these, respondents ranked early-childhood education as the highest priority, followed by improving race relations, increasing the supply of affordable housing and providing rail transportation to downtown Madison. Reconstructing State Street received the lowest rating.
The City Council has been debating aesthetics and finances for the State Street Redesign Plan for months; the Board of Estimates is meeting today to review funding for the proposal.
The survey also asked property owners to give opinions about basic services provided by the city and to express their level of satisfaction with police and fire protection, bus service, garbage collection, park maintenance, traffic enforcement, snow plowing and leaf collection.
Overall, residents said they were highly satisfied with fire and police protection, rated by 91 percent and 88 percent of respondents, respectively. Bus service received the lowest level of satisfaction, drawing a 60 percent rating.
“I am pleased with how well police and fire services fared in the survey,” Bauman said. “Public safety will always be a top priority of Madison residents. Municipal employees are the first responders to any emergency situation. Accordingly, they are among the most important services the city provides.”
