Some area residents in St. Joseph and Buchanan County are being asked for their opinion on community matters by one local agency.

The Community Alliance of St. Joseph is sending out 1,800 surveys to randomly selected households over the next week.  Steve Johnston with the Community Alliance said this is the fourth survey since it started in 2010.  The surveys are sent out every two years.

“We get an amazing response in St. Joseph,” Johnston said. “In 2014 we had a 37-percent response rate.”

Johnston said results from the survey will help give community leaders input in making important decisions.  The results are seen by leaders from the city, school district and businesses.  Results will also be compared to the survey results from 2010, 2012 and 2014 to see how the community has progressed

“We ensure that our residents from north to south, east to west, midtown, and also Buchanan County have the opportunity to participate in the survey,” Johnston said. “That information is conveyed back to council members, city administrators and also two years ago the folks that assisted with the CIP tax.”

Many of the questions are steered toward city issues.

“The survey is probably 55, maybe 60-percent city driven,” Johnston said. “In other words, city services…Those can be things such as our parks and recreation department, our public works department which includes streets and other important elements, it includes information on our public schools; the St. Joseph School District, also Missouri Western State University, economic development. So lots of things go into the survey because we want it to be well rounded.”

The survey can be completed and returned in a postage-paid envelope or online.  Johnston said selected residents can expect to see the surveys in the mailbox Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Results are expected in late June. The Community Alliance plans to discuss the findings in presentations to the public.