LEONARDTOWN, MD – St. Mary’s County Government (SMCG) has launched a new public survey to better understand local priorities and concerns on a wide range of county services and the local quality of life.
The survey will enable SMCG to understand local neighborhood issues and enhance their responsiveness to community priorities more holistically. The survey asks residents to rate their experience with different aspects of life in St. Mary’s County, Maryland including affordable housing, education, transportation, and public safety.
The survey will be circulated and promoted through online digital advertisements. Community members may also access the survey directly at: stmaryscountymd.gov/survey.
“We always strive to get feedback and input from our citizens,” said Commissioner President, James Randy Guy. “This partnership with Zencity is a great step toward better understanding the needs and concerns of our community, so that we can make the best decisions for our future.”
“Forward-thinking leaders like the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County understand that effective local government must leverage data on the needs and priorities of residents,” said Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO of Zencity. “We are proud to provide a platform for counties like St. Mary’s County to reach more voices in the community and turn that input into action.”
The launch of the new community survey is in partnership with Zencity, the community input platform used by local governments to hear from more residents and get meaningful and actionable insights. In addition to helping SMCG get proactive feedback from residents through surveys, Zencity will help the County understand the feedback residents are already voicing about the issues that matter to them the most—whether on publicly available social media channels, comments on traditional news sources, or through official channels—helping the SMCG to hear from all corners of the community. This information will help SMCG stay on top of emerging local issues; better understand the challenges and priorities of those less likely to participate in traditional civic forums, and meaningfully contribute to the local conversation with timely and informative communications.
Zencity works with hundreds of municipalities across the U.S. including Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, and San Diego on issues ranging from public safety to American Rescue Plan Act implementation.
Survey Methodology
Zencity’s community survey tool incorporates voices from every corner of the community. To do so, Zencity sets response targets based on U.S. Census data about the municipality. Zencity ensures the security and privacy of its data and survey respondents. Survey responses are anonymous unless a respondent chooses to share their email address for follow-up purposes. Regardless, survey responses are kept confidential. Zencity does not collect a respondent’s name, address, or any other personally identifying information. Zencity’s weighting accounts for the responses of every single person who answered a question. The responses give a proportional voice to all demographics (e.g., by age, sex, race, education level, and income level) based on the makeup of the municipality.
