Every two years, Brighton residents get the opportunity to tell their elected and appointed officials how they feel about their community by filling out the Brighton Biennial survey. Two years have elapsed since the last survey, and — with many new residents, and changing community conditions with the passage of time — another survey has been drawn up for the public to fill out.

The city has been doing the surveys since 2009, making this year the fifth time. The last survey, done in 2015, resulted in 230 responses, a major improvement over the 139 surveys in 2013 that were completed and returned. City Manager Nate Geinzer says although some of the questions are similar, others are different this time around. He says that with many new personnel on staff, city officials “wanted to put a fresh twist on it and start a new baseline. A number of the questions are designed to gather feedback on current initiatives and issues.” Geinzer says that way, officials “can find guidance on the community’s priorities and preferences.”

A sampling of the questions in the new survey involve such issues as the quality of city services, quality of police services, condition of streets, ease of downtown parking, downtown walkability, overall appearance of the city and its downtown, recreational opportunities, appearance of Mill Pond Park and neighborhood safety. The surveys are online and accessible via the city’s website (link below).

Postcards with the city’s web address will also be mailed out in the next week. Residents who would like a hard-copy survey may obtain one at city hall, 200 N. First St., during regular office hours (8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday). In such cases, the completed survey must be returned to city hall. (TT)