March 1997

Assessment of Community Opinions Regarding Tallahassee's Stormwater Management Program

by

Curtis Watkins, John Buss, Prasad Inmula and
Sam Amantia Stormwater Management Department, City of Tallahassee

Tallahassee's city government, in its efforts to economize and better serve its citizens, initiated a broad strategic review of how it conducts the public's business. Several programs are undergoing review to ensure they are focused on the needs and issues the public wants addressed. The City's stormwater program is one of these programs.

The stormwater program was selected for review for several reasons. First, implementation of the City's overall stormwater program involves four City Departments, each having a different focus and perspective on stormwater program priorities. Goal clarity and role clarity was needed to yield a more effective overall program. Secondly, there is a wide range in community expectations for a stormwater program. The range of opinions on program content is exceeded only by the range of opinions on how much such a program should cost and who should pay for it. For all of these reasons, it was felt that a strategic review was needed to evaluate, define and document program objectives.

Such a review involves multiple steps. These include conducting internal and external assessments; defining key business success factors; and developing operating plans and benchmarks to achieve them. This article focuses only on the City's methods and results of assessing customer needs and expectations.

Methods

The Stormwater Management Department contracted with the Communication Research Center in the Department of Communication at Florida State University to conduct a survey of customers in Tallahassee. Development of this survey included discussions with stormwater staff, pre-survey focus group meetings, developing the telephone interview and mail survey, data analysis, and preparing a final report.

The survey design involved segmenting the stormwater utility customers into three categories: residential, commercial, and institutional. These three categories represent the major customer groups who pay stormwater fees. These three groups were surveyed separately during July-August 1996. Four hundred ten residential customers were interviewed by telephone with an error margin of plus or minus five percent at the 95% level of confidence. Commercial and institutional customers were sent a mail survey which included a cover letter from the mayor and City manager. Two hundred and fifty one commercial customers were interviewed with an error margin of plus or minus 6.3%, and 11 of the 18 institutional customers responded to the survey. Because of the small sample size, computation of error estimates is not meaningful.

Findings

The survey findings provide insight into the characteristics of our customers as well as specific customer opinions regarding major aspects of stormwater management. Customer characteristics of interest include: 1) demographics; 2) issues they deem most important; and 3) their knowledge of stormwater treatment. The major aspects of stormwater management investigated include: flooding, pollution, regulation, maintenance, planning and construction of new flood control projects and utility fees. These findings are discussed for each customer group (i.e. residential, commercial and institutional). Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percent in tables, and as such, do not always equal 100%.

Customer Characteristics

1. Demographics
   The demographic questions asked of our customers requested information about the length of time they were in Tallahassee and at their present location. Most residential customers have lived in Tallahassee either more than 20 years (36%) or fewer than 5 years (28%) and most (61%) have lived in their present residence five years or less. Almost one-half (48%) of commercial customers surveyed have been in Tallahassee more than 20 years and one third (33%) have been at their present location five years or less. Approximately two-thirds (64%) of all institutional customers have been in Tallahassee and at their present location for more than 20 years.
2. Most Important Issues
   Respondents were asked what issues they believed were most important facing Tallahassee. Crime, traffic, and education were the three most frequently mentioned by residential customers. Only 2% mentioned flooding and pollution as the most important issues. Traffic, crime, and growth were the three most frequently mentioned by commercial customers. Three percent mentioned pollution and 2% mentioned flooding as the most important. Traffic and growth were the two most frequently mentioned by institutional customers. Flooding was mentioned by one respondent.
3. Knowledge of Stormwater Treatment
   Respondents were asked how stormwater runoff was treated and disposed. Just under one-half (43%) of all residential customers surveyed indicated stormwater is treated and disposed in a storm sewer system while 32% did not know. Forty-seven percent of commercial customers surveyed indicated runoff was treated in the storm sewer system while 44% did not know. Seven of the 11 institutional customers also indicated runoff was treated in the storm sewer system while two did not know.

Major Stormwater Management Aspects

1. Flooding
   Survey questions pertaining to flooding ranged from personal experience to the adequacy of the City's functions in controlling flooding. Approximately one-third (31%) of all residential customers surveyed have experienced flooding in streets. One-fifth of them experienced flooding in their neighborhood, 15% in their yards, and 6% in their current home. Another 10% experienced flooding in a previously occupied structure. Just over one-third (36%) of all commercial customers surveyed experienced flooding in streets. Twenty-two percent have had floods in their business neighborhood, 17% in the yards where their business is located, and 12% in their occupied structures. Ten percent experienced flooding in a previous structure. All institutional customers experienced flooding in the yards where their facility is located, 46% in the streets, and 27% in the neighborhoods of their facility.
   
   Respondents were asked if they believed it was likely that flooding would pose a significant threat to people in the community in the future. Forty-five percent of all residential customers indicated others in the community are very likely to experience flooding sometime in the future. Forty-two percent of commercial and 18% of institutional customers surveyed indicated flooding is a very likely threat to the community in the future.
   
   The survey inquired about the relative concern of customers to flooding within the City. Forty-eight percent of residential, 32% of commercial and 36% of institutional customers surveyed thought flooding was a major concern.
   
   Finally, respondents were asked if they believed the City did an adequate job of controlling flooding in the community. Residential customers split about equally on how adequate they thought the City functions in controlling flooding. Forty-four percent thought the City does an adequate job while 42% indicated the City does an inadequate job. One-half of all commercial customers surveyed thought the City does an adequate job while 33% indicated the City does an inadequate job. Only one institutional customer thought the City did an adequate job.
2. Pollution
   The survey questions pertaining to stormwater pollution inquired about the threat of pollution, its effect on recreation, and the adequacy of the City functions in controlling pollution The majority of all customer groups (residential 82%; commercial 60%; and institutional 55%) indicated that stormwater pollution currently poses a significant threat to fish and animals. A greater percentage of all three customer groups (residential 86%; commercial 66%; and institutional 73%) believed stormwater pollution will pose a significant threat to fish and animals in the future. Regarding humans, a greater percentage of residential customers (61%) than either commercial (27%) or institutional (36%) customers believed stormwater pollution currently poses a threat.
   
   The residential customer group responded differently than did the commercial and institutional customer groups when asked if pollution of any local lake or stream kept them from enjoying six different types of recreation: viewing the water, hiking near water, fishing, swimming, boating, and skiing. Residential customers indicated the most negative effect of pollution is associated with viewing the water, hiking near water, fishing and swimming (38%, 30%, 30% and 28%, respectively). Commercial customers indicated the most negative effect of pollution is associated with swimming and fishing (38% and 33%, respectively). Similarly and to a stronger degree, institutional customers indicated the most negative effect of pollution is associated with swimming and fishing (55% each).
   
   Regarding the protection of lake and stream quality, the majority of all customer groups expressed the opinion that the City is doing an inadequate job. Nearly 50% of both residential and commercial customers indicated the City is doing an inadequate job protecting the quality of our lakes and streams. More than 50% of institutional customers also shared this same opinion.
3. Regulation
   Survey questions pertaining to the regulation of stormwater runoff included questions about flood prone areas, purchasing structures, cost to development, and the adequacy of regulations in flood and pollution control. When asked whether the City should permit houses to be built in flood prone areas in the future, most residential and commercial customers surveyed (87% each) do not believe the City should permit houses to be built in these areas. All but one institutional customer also agreed that structures should not be built in these areas.
   
   When asked whether it was an acceptable practice for the City to purchase existing structures when no other flood control solution was available, just over half of all residential customers (58%) indicated it was. Fifty-two percent of commercial and 55% of institutional customers surveyed also believed purchasing these structures is an acceptable solution.
   
   Regarding the impact of regulations on development costs, about one-half of the residential (44%), 65% of commercial, and 73% of institutional customers surveyed thought stormwater regulations increase development cost and could cause businesses to relocate to other communities. However, the majority of those indicating such a belief (73% residential, 74% commercial, and 91% institutional), did not favor reducing stormwater regulations to enhance the City's economic vitality.
   
   Finally, a respectable percentage of respondents indicate the City is doing an inadequate job of regulating and enforcing both flooding and surface water pollution regulations. Regarding flooding regulations, 38% of residential, 23% of commercial and 55% of the institutional customers believe regulations for flood control exist but are not enforced. Regarding pollution, 43% of residential, 35% of commercial and 46% of institutional customers believed the City does an inadequate job of enforcing surface water pollution control.
4. Maintenance
   Forty-nine percent of all residential, 48% of commercial, and 27% of all institutional customers, thought the City does an adequate job of removing trash and limbs from drainage ditches. Forty-three percent of residential, 44% of commercial, and 18% of institutional customers rated the City "adequate" in controlling erosion in ditches. Thirty-five percent of residential, 33% of commercial, and 27% of institutional customers give the City an "adequate" rating for removing trash and limbs from retention ponds, while about one-third of commercial (35%) and residential (31%) customers, and 46% of institutional customers, indicated the City does an inadequate job controlling erosion in these ponds.
5. Planning and Construction
   Regarding planning and constructing new projects that address flooding problems, residential customers were about equally divided. Approximately one-third (34%) of the residential customers think the City does an adequate job in planning and constructing new projects, while 38% thought planning and constructing inadequate. Commercial customers' opinions generally mirrored those of residential customers, while institutional customers were more likely (55%) to say the City does an inadequate job in flood control construction projects.
6. Paying for Stormwater Management
   Respondents were asked if they thought the stormwater utility fee they paid was too much, about right, or not enough. Most residential respondents (60%) thought the amount of stormwater utility fee they pay per month is about right. While the majority of both commercial and industrial customers responded "don't know", 25% of commercial customers responded "about right" and 36% of institutional customers thought they paid too much per month in fees.
   
   Respondents were also asked how they would budget or divide an imaginary dollar of revenue among three primary uses: controlling flooding, controlling pollution, and maintenance. All three customer groups indicated they would divide it approximately equally among these primary uses.

Conclusion

This survey provided insight regarding community expectations and priorities for the City's stormwater management program. While respondents expressed concerns about various stormwater issues, the respondents did not consider them to be the most critical issues facing the community. Because one survey in itself is not conclusive, future assessments will be conducted as Tallahassee continues its efforts to economize and form its programs on the needs and issues the public desires.

This paper provides only highlights of information provided in the report "Assessment of Community Opinions Regarding Tallahassee's Stormwater Management Program", dated December 1996. Additional information on the methods, design, survey instrument, and results is included in the final report. A copy of this report may be obtained by calling the City's Stormwater Management Department at (904) 891-8073.