POST FALLS - About 1,600 random households in Post Falls will be asked to participate in a survey in early February intended to help the city prioritize its budget and services.

"This really helps focus our attention on the city's performance," said Eric Keck, city administrator. "If people see areas that are deficient, we hope the citizens tell us. We want to allocate our money in the best possible way."

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

"We really hope people take the time to fill it out as soon as possible if they get a survey," Keck said. "It only takes about 15 minutes."

Those being surveyed will receive a pre-notification post card from Mayor Clay Larkin later this month.

The results will be available in early april and are shared with other agencies such as the school and fire districts, libraries and chamber of commerce. The data will also be used in the city's strategic plan that is being developed this year.

The city paid $9,900 for the survey, conducted by the National Research Center.

It had a similar survey done with 1,200 random homes and the same cost two years ago. The response rate for the survey was about 30 percent, which Keck believed was good.

In that survey, the library and parks and recreation programs drew high praise, but aesthetics, street maintenance and recycling needed to be improved.

Keck said the city has tried to make strides on all of those latter areas as a result, and part of the reason for the second survey is to see if citizens agree.

The survey also said the city needs to do more with job creation.

"We don't create jobs, but we can create an environment where jobs can come to," Keck said. "So we can't control that area as well as we'd like. The economy hasn't gotten better since early 2010, so we'll probably see the same results there."

Keck said 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, the survey is critical for input.

"People have busy lives, but we need to know what's on our residents' minds so we can spend their taxes efficiently," Keck said. "This ensures that the voice of the people is heard."