Republic continues to be a great place to live, work, and play. That's the opinion expressed by a majority of residents during a recent community survey.
To gather ideas on how to better serve citizens, the City of Republic sent out the 2018 Citizen Survey earlier this year. Opinion Research Specialists, LLC of Springfield was commissioned to conduct the research. During April and May 2018, 3,000 surveys were mailed to households selected at random. The inquiries asked residents their thoughts about the quality of life, neighborhood issues, perceptions of safety and crime, city government, community services and amenities, as well as economic and employment factors. Of the surveys sent out, 1,065 were completed and submitted via mail or online- a response rate of 37.4%.
After compiling the data, Opinion Research Specialists released its findings to the City of Republic. According to the research, people scored the community highly on a number of issues.
94% of respondents said the town is a good place to raise children
87% claimed they felt their neighborhood was a good place to live
93% of people say they feel safe from violent crimes in their neighborhood
73% feels safe from property crime
83% said they view the schools in a favorable light.
Overall, 70% gave positive reviews of city government, including a 90% favorability rating for fire services and parks/recreation offerings, as well as 83% for police protection.
Overall, 91% of people said their quality of life as "good" or "very good." Furthermore, people say the community's smaller-town charm, affordable housing, friendly people, and proximity to Springfield make it an attractive place to be. Compared to five years ago, 61% of respondents think the city is a more desirable place, 33% think it has stayed the same, while 6% say it has become less desirable.
While the community scored well on the majority of issues, there were some areas residents expressed concerns. For instance, when it comes to whether Republic is a good place to work, just 46% said they agreed, while 38% said they were neutral. Residents also expressed desires to see improvements made to traffic flow, and improved options when it comes to retail, dining, and entertainment. Among other findings:
Speeding on city streets was pointed out as a concern by 61%
Unkempt and nuisance properties were a concern mentioned by 51%
Noisy animals is a problem according to 42% of individuals
Just 35% gave a positive rating regarding the cost of sewer and water services
Only 48% believe the city does an adequate job with snow removal
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For additional questions or media inquiries, contact Michael Landis Public Information Officer for the City of Republic, at MLandis@RepublicMo.com.