Section 2: Importance- Analysis ETC Institute (2009) 35
Overview Importance- Analysis Blue Springs, MO Today, city officials have limited resources which need to be targeted to activities that are of the most benefit to their citizens. Two of the most important criteria for decision making are (1) to target resources toward services of the highest importance to citizens; and (2) to target resources toward those services where citizens are the least satisfied. The Importance- (IS) rating is a unique tool that allows public officials to better understand both of these highly important decision making criteria for each of the services they are providing. The Importance- rating is based on the concept that cities will maximize overall citizen satisfaction by emphasizing improvements in those service categories where the level of satisfaction is relatively low and the perceived importance of the service is relatively high. Methodology The rating is calculated by summing the percentage of responses for items selected as the first, second, and third most important services for the City to emphasize over the next two years. This sum is then multiplied by 1 minus the percentage of respondents that indicated they were positively satisfied with the City's performance in the related area (the sum of the ratings of 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale excluding don't knows ). Don't know responses are excluded from the calculation to ensure that the satisfaction ratings among service categories are comparable. [IS=Importance x (1-)]. Importance Analysis Example of the Calculation. Respondents were asked to identify the major categories of maintenance services they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. Twenty-three percent (23) ranked the Maintenance and preservation of downtown Blue Springs as the fifth most important maintenance service to emphasize over the next two years. With regard to satisfaction, the Maintenance and preservation of downtown Blue Springs was ranked eighth overall with 44 rating the Maintenance and preservation of downtown Blue Springs as a 4" or a 5" on a 5-point scale excluding Don't know responses. The I-S rating for the adequacy of City street lighting was calculated by multiplying the sum of the most ETC Institute (2009) 36
important percentages by 1 minus the sum of the satisfaction percentages. In this example, 23 was multiplied by 56 (1-0.44). This calculation yielded an I-S rating of 0.1251, which was ranked fourth out of eleven maintenance service categories. The maximum rating is 1.00 and would be achieved when 100 of the respondents select an activity as one of their top choices to emphasize over the next two years and 0 indicated that they are positively satisfied with the delivery of the service. The lowest rating is 0.00 and could be achieved under either one of the following two situations: if 100 of the respondents were positively satisfied with the delivery of the service if none (0) of the respondents selected the service as one of the three most important areas for the City to emphasize over the next two years. Interpreting the Ratings Ratings that are greater than or equal to 0.20 identify areas that should receive significantly more emphasis over the next two years. Ratings from.10 to.20 identify service areas that should receive increased emphasis. Ratings less than.10 should continue to receive the current level of emphasis. Definitely Increase Emphasis (IS>=0.20) Increase Current Emphasis (0.10<=IS<0.20) Importance Analysis Maintain Current Emphasis (IS<0.10) The Importance- results for each individual service area are provided on subsequent pages. ETC Institute (2009) 37
Importance- Rating Blue Springs, MO OVERALL Category of Service Importance- Rating I-S Rating Very High Priority (IS >.20) Flow of traffic and congestion management 52 2 32 13 0.3502 1 Maintenance of City streets 54 1 35 12 0.3499 2 High Priority (IS.10-.20) Effectiveness of community planning 30 3 38 11 0.1832 3 Medium Priority (IS <.10) Enforcement of building and property maintenance 18 5 50 10 0.0894 4 Quality of police services/protection 26 4 78 3 0.0583 5 Effectiveness of communication between City and public 13 6 61 8 0.0506 6 Quality of City's storm water runoff/storm water management system 10 9 59 9 0.0393 7 Quality of City parks facilities 12 7 79 2 0.0257 8 Quality of City water/sewer utilities 9 10 73 4 0.0239 9 Maintenance of City buildings/facilities 7 11 66 7 0.0233 10 Quality of City recreation programs 7 13 68 6 0.0215 11 Quality of customer service by City employees 7 12 70 5 0.0204 12 Quality of fire & ambulance services 10 8 88 1 0.0118 13 Note: The I-S Rating is calculated by multiplying the " " by (1-'' ) : The " " percentage represents the sum of the first, second, and third most important responses for each item. Respondents were asked to identify the items they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. : The "" percentage represents the sum of the ratings "4" and "5" excluding 'don't knows.' Respondents ranked their level of satisfaction with the each of the items on a scale of 1 to 5 with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very dissatisfied. 2009 DirectionFinder by ETC Institute ETC Institute (2009) 38
Importance- Rating Blue Springs, MO Public Safety Services Category of Service Importance- Rating I-S Rating High Priority (IS.10-.20) Visibility of police in neighborhoods 44 1 55 12 0.1989 1 City's efforts to prevent crimes 35 2 60 10 0.1366 2 Visibility of police in retail areas 24 3 49 14 0.1227 3 Medium Priority (IS <.10) City's efforts to keep you informed about public safety issues 18 4 50 13 0.0905 4 Quality of animal control 15 7 56 11 0.0641 5 Enforcement of local traffic laws 15 6 61 9 0.0568 6 Responsiveness of police investigation of criminal offenses 13 8 62 7 0.0504 7 Quick response to emergencies by police 16 5 72 4 0.0465 8 City's Youth Outreach and DARE services 11 9 70 6 0.0336 9 Competence of City police 9 10 70 5 0.0276 10 Quick response to emergencies by ambulance service 8 11 76 1 0.0201 11 Professionalism of City police 7 12 73 3 0.0182 12 The City's municipal court 4 14 62 8 0.0162 13 Quality of 9-1-1 services 5 13 75 2 0.0131 14 Note: The I-S Rating is calculated by multiplying the " " by (1-'' ) : The " " percentage represents the sum of the first, second, and third most important responses for each item. Respondents were asked to identify the items they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. : The "" percentage represents the sum of the ratings "4" and "5" excluding 'don't knows.' Respondents ranked their level of satisfaction with the each of the items on a scale of 1 to 5 with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very dissatisfied. 2009 DirectionFinder by ETC Institute ETC Institute (2009) 39
Importance- Rating Blue Springs, MO Maintenance Services Category of Service Importance- Rating I-S Rating Very High Priority (IS >.20) Maintenance of major City streets 55 1 43 10 0.3112 1 Maintenance of neighborhood streets 45 2 43 9 0.2562 2 High Priority (IS.10-.20) Maintenance of sidewalks in the City 31 3 39 11 0.1879 3 Maintenance and preservation of downtown Blue Springs 23 5 44 8 0.1251 4 Medium Priority (IS <.10) Snow removal on neighborhood streets 24 4 59 7 0.0965 5 Cleanliness of City streets and public areas 14 6 67 2 0.0482 6 Maintenance of City traffic signals/street signs 13 7 65 3 0.0435 7 Maintenance of storm water drainage system 11 10 61 6 0.0408 8 Maintenance of City's water and wastewater systems 11 8 65 5 0.0391 9 Snow removal on major City streets 11 9 76 1 0.0256 10 Maintenance of City buildings 6 11 65 4 0.0193 11 Note: The I-S Rating is calculated by multiplying the " " by (1-'' ) : The " " percentage represents the sum of the first, second, and third most important responses for each item. Respondents were asked to identify the items they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. : The "" percentage represents the sum of the ratings "4" and "5" excluding 'don't k Respondents ranked their level of satisfaction with the each of the items on a scale of 1 to 5 with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very dissatisfied. 2009 DirectionFinder by ETC Institute ETC Institute (2009) 40
Importance- Rating Blue Springs, MO Transportation Category of Service Importance- Rating I-S Rating Very High Priority (IS >.20) Traffic flow on Highway 7 during rush hours 51 1 19 14 0.4149 1 Traffic flow on Woods Chapel Road during rush hours 34 2 21 13 0.2724 2 High Priority (IS.10-.20) Traffic safety on Highway 7 30 3 40 8 0.1800 3 Traffic safety on Woods Chapel Road 21 4 32 11 0.1446 4 Medium Priority (IS <.10) Bus transportation 14 7 31 12 0.0948 5 Traffic flow on Highway 40 during rush hours 14 6 45 6 0.0791 6 Availability of bicycle lanes 12 9 34 10 0.0785 7 Pedestrian walkways in neighborhood 17 5 56 2 0.0748 8 Traffic flow on Highway 7 at non-peak times 14 8 49 3 0.0695 9 Pedestrian walkways in commercial areas 11 10 47 5 0.0599 10 Connected trail system 9 12 34 9 0.0599 11 Traffic safety on Highway 40 10 11 49 4 0.0492 12 Traffic flow on Woods Chapel Road at non-peak times 8 13 45 7 0.0448 13 Traffic flow on Highway 40 at non-peak times 1 14 64 1 0.0044 14 Note: The I-S Rating is calculated by multiplying the " " by (1-'' ) : The " " percentage represents the sum of the first, second, and third most important responses for each item. Respondents were asked to identify the items they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. : The "" percentage represents the sum of the ratings "4" and "5" excluding 'don't k Respondents ranked their level of satisfaction with the each of the items on a scale of 1 to 5 with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very dissatisfied. 2009 DirectionFinder by ETC Institute ETC Institute (2009) 41
Importance- Rating Blue Springs, MO PARKS and RECREATION Category of Service Importance- Rating I-S Rating High Priority (IS.10-.20) Availability of walking and biking trails 29 2 56 10 0.1286 1 Current condition of Centennial Swimming Pool Complex 20 3 50 12 0.1023 2 Medium Priority (IS <.10) Maintenance of City parks & park equipment 33 1 71 3 0.0954 3 Publicity of Special Events & Recreation Programs 18 4 54 11 0.0826 4 Public artworks and exhibits throughout City 10 7 49 13 0.0527 5 Concession operations at City parks 9 10 44 14 0.0503 6 City's youth athletic programs 15 5 67 6 0.0499 7 Athletic fields other than at Hidden Valley Sports Complex 10 9 59 9 0.0404 8 Performing arts programs 8 11 62 7 0.0304 9 Vesper Hall/50+ programs 10 8 71 4 0.0295 10 Number of City parks 12 6 77 1 0.0278 11 Quality of Parks and Recreation Activities Guide 6 12 67 5 0.0201 12 Quality of Adams Pointe Golf Course 5 14 59 8 0.0199 13 Appearance of Hidden Valley Sports Complex 6 13 77 2 0.0125 14 Note: The I-S Rating is calculated by multiplying the " " by (1-'' ) : The " " percentage represents the sum of the first, second, and third most important responses for each item. Respondents were asked to identify the items they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. : The "" percentage represents the sum of the ratings "4" and "5" excluding 'don't k Respondents ranked their level of satisfaction with the each of the items on a scale of 1 to 5 with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very dissatisfied. 2009 DirectionFinder by ETC Institute ETC Institute (2009) 42
Importance- Rating Blue Springs, MO Code Enforcement Category of Service Importance- Rating I-S Rating Very High Priority (IS >.20) Cleaning up of litter and debris 50 1 45 6 0.2748 1 Mowing and trimming on private and public property 44 2 46 5 0.2386 2 Maintenance of residential property in neighborhood 39 3 48 4 0.2037 3 High Priority (IS.10-.20) Maintenance of business property 26 5 53 2 0.1188 4 Overall appearance of the City 30 4 61 1 0.1168 5 Medium Priority (IS <.10) Enforcing sign regulations 16 6 53 3 0.0752 6 Note: The I-S Rating is calculated by multiplying the " " by (1-'' ) : The " " percentage represents the sum of the first, second, and third most important responses for each item. Respondents were asked to identify the items they thought should receive the most emphasis over the next two years. : The "" percentage represents the sum of the ratings "4" and "5" excluding 'don't k Respondents ranked their level of satisfaction with the each of the items on a scale of 1 to 5 with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very dissatisfied. 2009 DirectionFinder by ETC Institute ETC Institute (2009) 43
Importance- Matrix Analysis. The Importance- rating is based on the concept that public agencies will maximize overall customer satisfaction by emphasizing improvements in those areas where the level of satisfaction is relatively low and the perceived importance of the service is relatively high. ETC Institute developed an Importance- Matrix to display the perceived importance of major services that were assessed on the survey against the perceived quality of service delivery. The two axes on the matrix represent (vertical) and relative Importance (horizontal). The I-S (Importance-) matrix should be interpreted as follows. Continued Emphasis (above average importance and above average satisfaction). This area shows where the City is meeting customer expectations. Items in this area have a significant impact on the customer s overall level of satisfaction. The City should maintain (or slightly increase) emphasis on items in this area. Exceeding Expectations (below average importance and above average satisfaction). This area shows where the City is performing significantly better than customers expect the City to perform. Items in this area do not significantly affect the overall level of satisfaction that residents have with City services. The City should maintain (or slightly decrease) emphasis on items in this area. Opportunities for Improvement (above average importance and below average satisfaction). This area shows where the City is not performing as well as residents expect the City to perform. This area has a significant impact on customer satisfaction, and the City should DEFINITELY increase emphasis on items in this area. Importance Analysis Less (below average importance and below average satisfaction). This area shows where the City is not performing well relative to the City s performance in other areas; however, this area is generally considered to be less important to residents. This area does not significantly affect overall satisfaction with City services because the items are less important to residents. The agency should maintain current levels of emphasis on items in this area. Matrices showing the results for the City of Blue Springs are provided on the following pages. ETC Institute (2009) 44
2009 City of Blue Springs DirectionFinder Importance- Assessment Matrix -Overall- (points on the graph show deviations from the mean importance and satisfaction ratings given by respondents to the survey) Rating Exceeded Expectations lower importance/higher satisfaction Quality of customer service by City employees Quality of City recreation programs Lower Importance Less lower importance/lower satisfaction Source: ETC Institute (2009) Quality of fire & ambulance services mean importance Quality of police services/protection Quality of City parks facilities Quality of City water/sewer utilities Maintenance of City buildings/facilities Effectiveness of communication between City and public Quality of City's storm water runoff/storm water management system Enforcement of building and property maintenance Importance Rating Effectiveness of community planning Continued Emphasis higher importance/higher satisfaction Maintenance of City streets Flow of traffic and congestion management Opportunities for Improvement higher importance/lower satisfaction Higher Importance ETC Institute (2009) 45 mean satisfaction
2009 City of Blue Springs DirectionFinder Importance- Assessment Matrix -Public Safety- (points on the graph show deviations from the mean importance and satisfaction ratings given by respondents to the survey) Rating Exceeded Expectations mean importance lower importance/higher satisfaction Quick response to emergencies Quality of 9-1-1 by ambulance service services Competence of City police The City's municipal court Professionalism of City police City's Youth Outreach and DARE services Responsiveness of police investigation of criminal offenses Quick response to emergencies by police Enforcement of local traffic laws Quality of animal control Continued Emphasis higher importance/higher satisfaction City's efforts to prevent crimes Visibility of police in neighborhoods mean satisfaction Less City's efforts to keep you informed about public safety issues lower importance/lower satisfaction Lower Importance Importance Rating Visibility of police in retail areas Opportunities for Improvement higher importance/lower satisfaction Higher Importance Source: ETC Institute (2009) ETC Institute (2009) 46
2009 City of Blue Springs DirectionFinder Importance- Assessment Matrix -Maintenance Services- (points on the graph show deviations from the mean importance and satisfaction ratings given by respondents to the survey) Rating Exceeded Expectations lower importance/higher satisfaction Maintenance of City's water and wastewater systems Maintenance of City buildings lower importance/lower satisfaction Lower Importance Less Source: ETC Institute (2009) Snow removal on major City streets Cleanliness of City streets and public areas mean importance Maintenance of City traffic signals/street signs Snow removal on Maintenance of storm neighborhood streets water drainage system Maintenance and preservation of downtown Blue Springs Importance Rating Maintenance of neighborhood streets Maintenance of sidewalks in the City Continued Emphasis higher importance/higher satisfaction Maintenance of major City streets Opportunities for Improvement higher importance/lower satisfaction Higher Importance ETC Institute (2009) 47 mean satisfaction
2009 City of Blue Springs DirectionFinder Importance- Assessment Matrix -Transportation Services- (points on the graph show deviations from the mean importance and satisfaction ratings given by respondents to the survey) Exceeded Expectations lower importance/higher satisfaction Traffic flow on Highway 40 at non-peak times Pedestrian walkways in neighborhood mean importance Continued Emphasis higher importance/higher satisfaction Rating Traffic flow on Woods Chapel Road at non-peak times Less lower importance/lower satisfaction Lower Importance Source: ETC Institute (2009) Traffic safety on Highway 40 Connected trail system Traffic flow on Highway 7 at non-peak times Pedestrian walkways in commercial areas Traffic flow on Highway 40 during rush hours Availability of bicycle lanes Bus transportation Traffic safety on Woods Chapel Road Importance Rating Traffic safety on Highway 7 Traffic flow on Woods Chapel Road during rush hours Traffic flow on Highway 7 during rush hours Opportunities for Improvement higher importance/lower satisfaction Higher Importance ETC Institute (2009) 48 mean satisfaction
2009 City of Blue Springs DirectionFinder Importance- Assessment Matrix -Parks and Recreation- (points on the graph show deviations from the mean importance and satisfaction ratings given by respondents to the survey) Rating Exceeded Expectations lower importance/higher satisfaction Appearance of Hidden Valley Sports Complex Less lower importance/lower satisfaction Lower Importance Source: ETC Institute (2009) mean importance Number of City parks Vesper Hall/50+ programs Quality of Parks and Recreation Activities Guide Performing arts programs Quality of Adams Pointe Golf Course Athletic fields other than at Hidden Valley Sports Complex Public artworks and exhibits throughout City Concession operations at City parks Importance Rating Continued Emphasis higher importance/higher satisfaction Maintenance of City parks & park equipment City's youth athletic programs Publicity of Special Events & Recreation Programs Current condition of Centennial Swimming Pool Complex Opportunities for Improvement higher importance/lower satisfaction Availability of walking and biking trails Higher Importance ETC Institute (2009) 49 mean satisfaction
2009 City of Blue Springs DirectionFinder Importance- Assessment Matrix -Code Enforcement- (points on the graph show deviations from the mean importance and satisfaction ratings given by respondents to the survey) Exceeded Expectations lower importance/higher satisfaction Overall appearance of the City mean importance Continued Emphasis higher importance/higher satisfaction Rating Enforcing sign regulations Maintenance of business property Maintenance of residential property in neighborhood Mowing and trimming on private and public property mean satisfaction Cleaning up of litter and debris Less Opportunities for Improvement lower importance/lower satisfaction Lower Importance Source: ETC Institute (2009) Importance Rating higher importance/lower satisfaction Higher Importance ETC Institute (2009) 50