Hannah (staff member) presented results from Davenport’s 2024 community survey at the council’s budget workshop, saying the city received 808 completed responses from 5,000 mailed questionnaires and that the sample is statistically significant.

Hannah summarized the top-rated services and priorities. ‘‘The highest-rated services this cycle were the overall quality of fire and paramedic services, the quality of library services, and the overall quality of garbage and recycling collection,’’ she said. The survey showed that public safety (75%), city infrastructure (69%) and retaining and attracting jobs (48%) ranked as the top community issues.

The survey provided more detail on perceptions of safety and city image. Hannah said 54% of respondents rated the overall quality of city services as very good or good, but only 40% were satisfied with the city’s overall image (down from 50% in 2022). While most respondents reported feeling safe in neighborhoods and city facilities, only 47% said they felt safe downtown; Hannah noted residents also asked for greater police visibility in retail areas and neighborhoods even though 80% expressed satisfaction with police response to emergency calls.

Other findings: residents value amenities such as public gardens, golf courses and libraries, but only 41% reported using a city recreational facility or program in the past year. Respondents also reported low satisfaction with access to city information and engagement: fewer than half rated access to information as good or very good, and only about a quarter said the city engages effectively with the public.

Hannah concluded the overview and invited questions from council members.