North DSM News

Results of the fifth community survey and second business survey were presented at the June 20 City Council meeting by ETC Institute. The first community survey was conducted in 2013, and the first business survey in 2020. The overall results of both surveys were positive and certainly reflect city leaders' important decisions to ensure residents' and businesses' tax dollars are spent wisely. 

“City leaders work hard every day to improve the quality of life for our businesses and residents within our community and these survey results certainly help with input during our strategic planning process," said Mayor Paula Dierenfeld. "The results show an increase in satisfaction with customer service and communications, reflecting the great staff we have in the city and their commitment to delivering quality services. Thanks to the residents and businesses who filled out this year's survey, as it helps identify areas of improvement and focuses on needed resources.”

Residents continued to give Johnston high marks for the overall feeling of safety, quality of life and quality of services, as follows:

• 95%  said they feel safe in the city (up 1% from 2020)
• 90% are satisfied with their quality of life   (up 3% from 2020)
• 90% are satisfied with the quality of city services (up 4% from 2020)
• 95% are satisfied with the quality of fire and EMS (up 1% from 2020)
• 90% are satisfied with the quality and maintenance of city parks (up 4% from 2020)
• 69% are satisfied with the city’s website (up 6% from 2020)
• 68% are satisfied with the rate of growth (up 6% from 2020)

Businesses continued to give Johnston high remarks for the overall feeling of safety, image of the city and quality of life, as follows:

• 96% are satisfied with police services (up 6% from 2020)
• 95% are satisfied with fire services (up 7% from 2020)
• 94% rated Johnston as a good place to do business (up 8% from 2020)

Over the past few years, many events have occurred, so it was important to understand how residents within the Johnston community felt about their local government. As in previous years, the City of Johnston contracted with ETC Institute to conduct the 2022 surveys. A random sample of residents and businesses were selected. A total of 632 community surveys and 80 business surveys were completed. 

A complete report of the business and community survey is available by visiting the following links:

• www.cityofjohnston.com/1051/Business-Survey-Results
• www.cityofjohnston.com/742/Community-Survey-Results

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