Council reviews CRAB recommendations and schedules final questionnaire edits for consent agenda

City advisory board recommendations to update the Greenbelt community questionnaire were discussed by the council, which approved a path to include several demographic questions and asked staff to bring revised wording back on the consent agenda for final sign‑off.

CRAB (Community Relations Advisory Board) recommended adding questions to capture racial and gender identity and suggested other changes to improve the survey’s usefulness to staff. Staff and the council discussed presentation, accessibility and whether the questionnaire — last used in its current form for years — would benefit from a more thorough, external review.

Council directions and edits: Council asked staff to make a few immediate edits for clarity (consistent use of "the city" versus "we," remove duplicate spaces and tighten phrasing), and suggested rewording one item that asks if respondents feel welcome at city events to make clear the question refers to events held in Greenbelt West, Center or East. Council agreed to place the revised questionnaire on the consent agenda for the next regular meeting so the packet and public notice can reflect final edits.

Why it matters: The community questionnaire feeds data into city planning and budgeting and helps staff identify neighborhood‑specific needs. Several council members urged a fuller review of the entire multi‑page instrument so results are more actionable and accessible, and suggested seeking outside professional help to modernize and streamline questions and format.

Next steps: Staff will update the questionnaire with the agreed edits and return it on the consent agenda at the next meeting. Council asked staff to plan a broader review and possible rewrite of the full survey for a future cycle, including testing for readability, accessibility and question sequencing.