THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEEK OF APRIL 20, 2008
How's Village Doing?
Glenview officials began a village satisfaction survey on Thursday, Apr. 17.
Results for the 2006 survey found that in general, residents are pleased with village services although residents with children tended to be more critical than those without. Village officials are concerned over whether or not residents will answer the phone to take the survey.
"If your phone rings, and you see 'Northern Illinois University' in the caller ID, pick it up," said Village President Kerry Cummings at the Tuesday, Apr. 15 Village Board meeting. The university is conducting the survey.
Results from the 2006 survey are on the village's Web site. Some key findings of that survey were:
* Two out of three residents rated Glenview as a 'very good' place to live.
* As was the case in 2005, only one in 20 rated Glenview less than a 'good' place to live.
* Families with children under 18 were somewhat more critical of Glenview as a place to live than families without children at home.
* Just over 60% of respondents had no children under age 18.
According to the survey, the village's fire department and commuter parking made the best impressions. Health inspections, code enforcement, and community planning, made the worst.
Confidence in village officials to take action was down from the previous year. The survey found two out of three respondents felt confident a village official would take action if called about a neighborhood problem or complaint, down a bit from last year.
The survey said that the common complaint of those critical of the village was that village officials were not honest with them or did not listen.
The survey questioned 452 residents, the majority of whom, 209, were over 55 years of age. The smallest sample group was for residents 18 to 34. Only 28 people from that category answered the survey. Females outnumbered males 252 to 200. The majority of respondents, 419, were either homeowners or in the process of buying a home.
The survey found that 128 of the residents or 40% earned between $100,000 and $250,000 per year. Over 70% of respondents had a four-year or postgraduate college degree.