Jackson residents given community surveys to fill out

Jackson's city government is picking the brains of its constituents in the form of a community survey.

The city has sent a four-page document to every household in the city, seeking opinions on various topics, including, for the first time, the idea of a tax increase to support an additional fire station.

The survey asks the resident how long he or she has lived in Jackson, how satisfied he or she is in living in Jackson. It asks to identify likes and dislikes of the city, what kind of growth residents expect, how satisfied residents are with police and fire protection, street conditions, traffic flow, water quality and sanitation.

The survey was created by the city's community outreach board, a committee formed last year by the mayor. The outreach board reports directly to the Jackson Board of Aldermen.

"It will be a launching place for more discussion," said Desma Reno, the chairwoman of the committee. "We looked at several surveys other towns had done and with those the outreach board selected questions reflective of the city of Jackson."

City officials will no doubt be particularly interested in Question 10, which states: "Due to current Insurance Service Office (ISO) ratings a second fire station will be necessary to prevent a significant increase in homeowner insurance rates. Would you support a sales tax to add a fire substation that would maintain homeowners' insurance rates and that would provide residents more equal fire protection?"

City administrator Jim Roach said that city staff asked the outreach board to put that question on the survey.

"We're going to have to deal with that somehow," said Roach of the fire station situation. "We thought it would be good to get a little feedback."

Because Jackson's city limits have expanded, various parts of the city are beyond ideal distances from the centralized fire station at Hope and West Jackson Boulevard. The ISO warned that at its next inspection 10 years from now, the town's fire rating could drop from a 5 to 6 if a fire station isn't added on the city's east side.

The city had to make several adjustments, including hiring three new firefighters and moving a ladder truck to a temporary location on East Jackson Boulevard to maintain the rating from the ISO's most-recent visit last year. Fire chief Brad Golden said the ISO will visit again within the next six months to check the recent changes.

The survey cost the city $1,600 to send to every household. Reno said, based on previous surveys, the outreach board expects about a 30 percent return.

Jackson residents may mail the surveys back to city hall or drop them off with their electric bill.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635