Headlines of the Week

UK Music Academy Expands with Oklahoma Branch
August 18
Yahoo
http://tinyurl.com/ldzqw5

At Tinker, a New Life for GM Plant
August 18
The Oklahoman
http://tinyurl.com/l4jfox

New Hospital Could Benefit Heart of Oklahoma City's South Side
August 21
The Oklahoman
http://tinyurl.com/lxle4n

Survey Says OKC Residents Pleased with Quality of Life
August 20
Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – Nearly 80 percent of Oklahoma City residents reported they are satisfied with their quality of life, recent survey results reveal.

That’s a 10-percent improvement over last year’s results, according to ETC Institute’s annual study on behalf of the Oklahoma City municipal government. Eight out of 10 residents who responded to the survey think their city is not only moving in the right direction but is also a good place to live, raise children and work.
Olathe, Kan.-based ETC mailed the six-page survey to a random sample of 3,000 Oklahoma City households in June. Of those, 1,393 residents responded. Results for the survey have a 95-percent confidence level with a precision rate of plus or minus 2.7 percent.

In the fourth year that Oklahoma City has conducted the survey, residents’ ratings of city services increased in 49 of the 50 areas assessed, results that bode well for the city, ETC President Chris Tatham told City Council members earlier this week.
“The city is definitely doing something right in regards to the quality of city services,” he said. “Oklahoma City is not only getting better at providing services, but exceeding citizens’ expectations.”

In comparison with peer cities of populations of 250,000 or more, Oklahoma City residents rated their services well above the national average, Tatham said. Benchmarking communities include Arlington, Austin and Dallas, Texas; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Tulsa.

For example, when asked about satisfaction with their city as a place to live, 88 percent of Oklahoma City respondents rated it a four or five on a five-point scale, compared with a national average of 75 percent.

More specifically, 88 percent of Oklahoma City respondents gave high marks to their wastewater services, compared with a 65-percent national average. And 92 percent of Oklahoma City residents approved of their fire protection services, compared with 80 percent nationally.

City Manager Jim Couch said, “We are pleased to see such high levels of citizen satisfaction with city services. … The significant increases in this year’s survey show we listen to our citizens and work hard to meet their service expectations.
“Citizen surveys not only tell us how citizens feel about city services but the results are invaluable in helping us identify emerging trends and plan where to direct city resources,” he said.

Respondents ranked the condition of city streets their highest priority for a fourth year in a row when asked which areas should receive the most emphasis over the next two years.