City Controller Annise Parker today released the results of the 2009 City-wide Citizens Survey. The survey, the first of its kind for Houston , was conducted to assess satisfaction with city services. “We found citizens are most satisfied with the fire department and least satisfied with streets, drainage and air quality,” said Controller Parker. The police department and airport operations also received high satisfaction ratings. However, when asked which of eight specific areas should receive the most emphasis from city leaders over the next two years, respondents ranked drainage number one and the police department number two. “These results indicate what we are doing right, what we can do better and what needs more attention. It's valuable information at a time when we are working hard to maximize every tax dollar.”

More than 1200 randomly selected citizens in each of the nine geographical City Council districts were surveyed by telephone. Another 4,339 respondents completed a Web-based version of the questionnaire. Phone respondents were generally more satisfied than Web respondents with city services, its offerings and its overall image. The survey was modeled after a similar poll performed annually by the City of Kansas City for the last nine years. Controller Parker believes it would be beneficial for the city to follow Kansas City 's lead and repeat the survey on a regular basis.

The survey was conducted by Jefferson Wells International and Decision Information Resources, Inc. Jefferson Wells is a worldwide professional services firm with a local presence. DIR is a minority-owned business and certified Historically Underutilized Business. Since 1984, the company has provided government, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations the research, evaluation, and technical support that they require for making informed decisions, measuring the effectiveness of programs, and planning strategies. The company's previous clients include the City of Houston , the State of Texas , several federal agencies and M-D Anderson Cancer Center .

The survey results may be viewed electronically at www.houstoncontroller.org .

###