+ 2-3 Minutes of Custom Deep Dive Questions!

One thing that wasn’t covered in the videos that city leaders love is the ability to add custom deep dive questions on topics specific to the city’s current needs.

Examples include: City Events, New Investments, Small Town Feel, Traffic, Communications, and more!

See examples below:

Keeping Small-Town Feel

As the city grew, it became more and more difficult to retain the small town feel that people loved. City leaders thought they could accomplish it with more city events and celebrations. However, citizen feedback made it clear that what would really help it feel like a small town again was more sidewalks, trails, and walking paths.

Traffic Focus

A limited budget made it difficult for this city to address traffic concerns. A well designed question with a map made it simple for residents to show city leaders where focus would make the biggest impact. The city manager and city council focused on the top 3 intersections with confidence.

New Investment Priority

Sidewalks? Pool enhancement? Updated Fire Station? New Library? Park Improvements? Golf Course Upgrades? No city has an unlimited budget. New investments and developments must be prioritized by importance. This question has helped many city leadership teams to align with their residents on what should be done first.

Hours of Operation

A city manager wanted to make it easier for working residents to visit city hall at a convenient time. If they extend their opening hours, should they do weekends? early mornings? later in the evenings? This well designed question gave them clarity to meet the needs of residents while minimizing the burden on the city.

Importance of City Events

Movies in the park? 4th of July parade? Christmas events? Fishing tournament? Community egg hunt? Most cities put on more than a dozen events each year. Which ones do residents feel are most important to them? This proven question has helped many cities evaluate the appeal and importance of their events with more clarity.

Communications

When thinking of communications, how much do citizens want? What topics interest them? What communication channels will be most effective? This question has helped several cities refine their communications approach. It turns out that most citizens want more communication from their city.

Community Center

Would residents support a proposed community center? What features would residents care about most? Would they be willing to use city resources to develop and maintain it? Would they support a bond issue to fund it? These were the questions that concerned the city manager and council. The clarity that citizens were in full support of the community center brought alignment among the city leadership team.