It’s an admittedly small sample, but Kyle city leaders are taking what they can from a recent survey of residents.
Tatum Trout, a management intern with the city, briefed members of the council at its May 19 meeting. The 549 responses represent about 4 percent of households assuming one respondent per household; or about 1 percent assuming more than one response per household.
Topics covered included how satisfied residents are with current city services, how they rank those services and
what council priorities should be over the coming year.
AMONG THE FINDINGS:
• Project and expenditures priority. Respondents said their top concern (56 percent) is resurfacing streets; next (47 percent) is repairing sidewalks. Old City Hall renovations came in at the bottom with only 11 percent of respondents.
• Public safety. Adequate lighting was mentioned by 57 percent of respondents. Keeping traffic low was mentioned by 51 percent. Lowest on the list of priorities was maintaining a strong relationship with the
offices of Hays County Sheriff and constables.
• infrastructure and capital improvements. Developing additional water resources headed up the list at 52 percent. Exploring multiple modes of transportation like pedestrian and bike lanes drew 51 percent. The third most mentioned area was green and environmental infrastructure at 44 percent.
• Business growth. Some 58 percent of respondents ranked developing quality jobs locally first; with developing a mixture of dining and retail options second at 54 percent. Revitalization of Kyle’s downtown came in with 36 percent.
• Community development and image. Maintaining a clean and beautiful community topped the list with 60 percent of respondents. Next was education and quality schools at 54 percent. Community pride drew only 25 percent.
• Quality of life. Most respondents (67 percent) listed an affordable lifestyle first. Next was maintaining a family-friendly feeling at 57 percent. Providing senior housing opportunities drew 20 recent of respondents.
The survey also included some open-ended questions. Regarding recreational activities or events residents would like to see, mentions were for trails, parks, cultural events, a recreation center, skate park and an enhanced farmers market.
The top retail or dining operations residents would like to see are local “sit-down” restaurants with less fast food,
diverse culinary options like Indian, Chinese and Italian, a healthy grocery store and book and activity stores.
