Since 1992, the city has conducted a survey of residents every two years to take the pulse of the community on city services and local policy. Earlier this year, the 2020 community survey was mailed to 4,000 households with an accompanying online version.
In our community, the opinions on the topics were diverse, but there was a general consensus on common values, such as an appreciation for the city’s recreation centers and that the city is a good place to raise children.
8 in 10 respondents gave favorable evaluations to the overall quality of life in the city and the overall quality of their neighborhoods.
About 9 in 10 residents felt “beautiful parks/open spaces” described the image of the city. This has been in the top 10 statements about the city since 2012.
83% of residents agreed that the city’s vision statement should include “a community that embraces the outdoors.”
At least 88% of residents felt fire and police protection, EMS, drinking water quality, and emergency preparedness were essential or very important services. Quality evaluations of these services ranged from 61% of residents giving a rating of “very good” or “good” for emergency preparedness to 89% for fire protection.
There was also general consensus on some challenges facing our community. The high cost of housing was a major or moderate problem for 7 in 10 respondents. The single action most frequently mentioned by respondents that could improve quality of life for the community was affordable housing with 17% writing about it in a related comment.
Additional concerns included growth. Only 53% of respondents agreed that the city’s vision statement should include “the next Urban Center of the Colorado Front Range.” Similarly, 6 in 10 cited too much growth as a concern.
Interestingly, this was an example of statistically significant, divergent views within different populations in the community. Younger residents (18 to 34) and attached unit dwellers (apartments or condominiums) were more likely to agree with including “the next Urban Center of the Colorado Front Range” in the vision statement (68% and 62% respectively).
Similarly, younger residents (18 to 34) were more likely to feel that commercial and retail growth in Westminster has had a positive impact on their quality of life compared to those age 55 or over (68% vs. 52%) and those who have lived in the city for four years or less were more likely to view commercial and retail growth in the city as positive (72%) compared to those who had lived here 5-9 years or 20 or more years (55%). Those whose tenure in the city was 10 years or more were more likely to feel too much growth was a problem compared to those who lived in the city for four years or less. (66-72% vs. 43%)
Attached unit dwellers felt a stronger connection to the city as visionary and progressive (80% vs 66%) and were more likely to agree that the city is moving in the right direction (93% vs. 76%).
Respondents living in the city less than four years were more likely to feel the city is moving in the “right direction” compared to those living in the community for 20 or more years (89% vs. 74%). Respondents who had lived in the city for 10-14 years tended to give lower ratings to a number of services compared to their counterparts.
We appreciate all who responded to the survey. We are committed to continue listening to the diverse voices in our community. One way you can continue to engage and ensure your voice is heard is by signing up for the Westminster Digital Sounding Board. All residents are invited to join the panel and provide feedback to the city on a range of topics such as parks, roads, policing and more.