Kemmerer City Administrator Andrew Nelson presented the results of the Kemmerer Resident Satisfaction Survey to the city council and the public at the city council meeting on Monday, June 12.

Residents could complete the survey online or on a paper copy from late April until the end of May this year. Nelson reported that 224 people completed the survey, which had about 100 questions concerning all aspects of life that the City of Kemmerer is responsible for.

“I want to do more analysis on these responses, but for now here are the raw numbers from the survey,” Nelson said. “The survey really did inform the budget, and we’re trying to meet the core things people want to improve. The dilemma of money is still there, however, but we intend to do this survey annually.”

Mayor Tomassi commended Nelson and the city department heads for their work in preparing and conducting the survey.

“It was a lot of work, but I think it was worth it, because it helps us address the key issues in our community,” Tomassi said.

Nelson presented the results of each survey question.

When asked about the quality of life in Kemmerer, 48 percent of survey respondents said it was good, and 5.9 percent said it was excellent.

Survey-takers said Kemmerer’s financial stability was poor, but responses about community safety and the community as a good place to raise children were very positive. 

Residents responded that Kemmerer was a great place to work, but responses were negative concerning Kemmerer as a great place to own and operate a business.

At least 80 percent of survey respondents said that property cleanliness was an issue in town, and 90 percent said dilapidated buildings were a problem.

Fifty-one percent of respondents said they don’t know if Kemmerer is headed in the right direction, and 37 percent said it is not. Nelson said responses to this question were further discussed in residents’ written comments in the survey.

The survey questions asked residents whether they used various city facilities in the past 12 months. Sixty-three percent said they use the Events Center, only 18 percent said they used the golf course, 71 percent had used the parks, and 51 percent said they used the rec center.

Respondents said the overall quality of city services was high.

Survey respondents said the Kemmerer Police Department employees were professional and displayed integrity. A quarter of respondents said the department is too large for the community.

Overall, the Kemmerer Recreation Center was highly rated because of its quality of classes and range of activities.

“Whether people use the rec center or not, they think it’s important,” Nelson said.

Ninety-one percent of respondents said Kemmerer’s streets are in poor condition. No one said the streets were in excellent condition, and responses were mixed on the quality of snow removal.

“The quality of our streets and the need to improve our streets is critical,” Nelson said.

Nelson concluded his presentation with a quick analysis of who took the survey.

“We got a pretty good cross-section of the community,” Nelson said. “Forty-four percent of respondents have lived in Kemmerer for more than 20 years, and 25 percent have lived in Kemmerer for less than 5 years.”

“We got lots of comments. It’s clear that what’s important for this year is roads and streets, and what’s important for the next five years is bringing in more businesses,” Nelson said.