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Hastings Community Survey Dashboard now available
Working with the ETC Institute, the City of Hastings has introduced the Hastings Community Survey Dashboard.
The dashboard can be accessible here.
The dashboard allows the public to analyze data from the Hastings Community Survey, conducted in fall 2023. The dashboard includes sections: City Performance, Who Responded, Mapping, Investment Priorities and Benchmarks.
City Administrator Shawn Metcalf said one of the most exciting things about the dashboard is that residents will be able to see how the city is performing.
“When we administer another survey a year from now, residents will be able to see our progress year over year,” he said. “I think residents will love the transparency and accountability.”
Metcalf said residents will like the “Benchmarks” section which enables them to compare Hastings to other similar communities.
“Specifically, they can compare us to the ‘Plains’ region states, cities with populations under 30,000 people, and much more,” he said. “I think residents will enjoy the ‘Investment Priorities’ section where the survey makes funding recommendations according to resident priorities. Lastly, I think residents will find the ‘Mapping’ section interesting. They can look at survey results based on the ward they live in and by demographics.”
This data allows residents to visually see the City’s progress from year to year, which in turn builds trust.
Several sections have ‘Cross Tabulation’ or ‘Correlation’ features to analyze data.
“For example, if residents indicated they are very satisfied with Hastings as a place to raise a family, you can then select another data set like ‘Overall quality of library services’ and learn how much of a factor the library plays in residents wanting to raise a family here,” he said. “It’s powerful data!
There are a lot of ways that city officials can use this dashboard, Metcalf said, but the “Investment Priorities” provides the most important data for Council.
“The findings help Council defend their decisions based on statistically reliable data,” he said. “The survey takes a lot of the guesswork out of decision making.”
Published Date: 01/29/2024