Survey: Minneapolis residents mostly satisfied with city services

A survey shows Minneapolis residents are not as satisfied with their police, parks, schools and snow plowing as residents of some other cities.

The survey, conducted in the fall, found that 80 percent of Minneapolis residents were satisfied with snow plowing but that the measure fell below a national benchmark. The survey also shows residents are not as satisfied with police, parks and schools as residents of some other cities, but are satisfied with city services overall by an overwhelming 96 percent.

Results in several key areas lag national benchmarks. Snow removal is one of them, said City Council member Robert Lilligren. He said Minneapolis needs to heed the survey if it wants to keep taxpayers happy.

"Snow plowing is just one of those bellwether services," Lilligren said. "If people feel their streets are getting cleared in a good and timely way, it seems like they're a little more willing to pay for all city services."

The survey shows satisfaction with snow removal has increased over the last two years. But researchers say that could be because of last year's mild winter.

"I think with this long-term feedback that we've got from a decade or more of resident surveys, maybe we can be a little more strategic on where we deploy those taxes," Lilligren said.

The city commissioned the survey, costing approximately $70,000, from the National Research Center in Boulder, Colo.

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