POST FALLS - Mikayla Rose enjoys living in Post Falls, but believes changes and additions could be made to make it even better.

"It's a great place to live and raise a family, but it would sure be nice to have more shopping and more of a variety of places to eat," Rose said while at the Post Falls Library on Thursday.

Her thoughts mirrored a just-released citizen survey conducted by the National Research Center and funded by the city for $9,900.

The survey will be included in the city's strategic plan that's being developed and will help determine budget decisions and priorities for the next five years.

It can also be used for marketing purposes to help attract new companies to the area and is shared with agencies such as the school district, fire department and chamber of commerce.

The survey included 22 questions about what citizens like or don't like about the city, including services, quality of life, appearance, transportation and more.

Of the 1,200 random households that were mailed a survey in February, 391 (34 percent) responded, which City Administrator Eric Keck called "fantastic."

"This is right in the ballpark of being significant statistically," Keck said. "We would obviously like to have a higher rate, but this is great in the polling world."

The city also funded a similar survey in 2010 that generated a 36 percent response. The two surveys featured mostly different respondents.

Eighty-one percent of the respondents in this year's survey rated the overall quality of life as either "good" or "excellent." The mark is up from 74 percent two years ago.

"It shows we've made progress with the public," Keck said.

Resident Alan Bane agrees that the city is making progress and doing what it can during tough times. But there's always room for improvement, he said.

"I'm glad they've improved the recycling program (switching to single-stream recycling) because more needed to be done with that," Bane said. "I think Post Falls also remains a relatively safe place to live.

"Areas that could be improved, in my opinion, are street repairs and bike paths."

Two community characteristics that received the most favorable ratings in the survey were air quality and the quality of the natural environment. On the other end of the spectrum, the least positive ratings were employment and shopping opportunities and opportunities to attend cultural activities.

"In light of the poor economy, I wasn't surprised that people don't think we have adequate job and business opportunities," Keck said.

Keck said the city has tried to be more proactive with code enforcement, specifically with cleaning up eyesore spots, by working with residents and offering a free spring clean pickup.

Those efforts are reflected in the survey with a slightly better score than two years ago, but he admits there's still work to be done.

"(Eyesores) are still a problem," he said.

Of the 31 community characteristics for which comparisons were available, nine were above the national benchmark, 11 were similar and 11 were below.

Of the 35 city services, 15 were above the benchmark, 14 were similar and six were below.

Among the four services that are most important to the respondents, police and public information was above the benchmark and preservation of natural areas and snow removal were below.

Keck said he plans to present the survey results at a City Council meeting in the near future. He hopes the city can fund the survey every few years to ensure it is acting on the citizens' desires and suggestions.

With turnouts for city meetings generally sparse - only 16 percent of respondents had attended a local public meeting in the past year - the survey is critical to receive citizen input.

The results, along with those from a current community assessment survey open to any resident and non-resident, will assist the city as it moves to a priority-based budget, Keck said.

"It gives us alignment of the community's priorities with the community's resources and tax dollars," he said. "It's not a shotgun approach, but more of a sniper rifle in terms of what people want."

Plan on rating Post Falls

• The city of Post Falls is conducting a community assessment survey for developing its five-year strategic plan. Residents and non-residents are welcome to fill out the two-page survey. The survey is separate from the recent random National Citizen Survey that was mailed to some city residents. The survey can be printed or filled out at www.postfallsidaho.org. Hard copies should be returned to City Hall by May 15. Information and copies will also be available at the Community Business Fair at the Greyhound Park on April 19 from 4-7 p.m. at the Greyhound Park. For more information, contact Hilary Anderson, planning manager, at 773-8708 or handerson@postfallsidaho.org.