Haines Borough Planning Commission members last week narrowed to 50 the number of questions adult residents will be asked during a phone survey to be conducted of 200 local households April 21-23.
The borough is funding the survey to help direct its planning efforts.
Residents with cell phones or unlisted numbers who would like to be included in a pool of eligible respondents should contact consultant Barb Sheinberg at 907-586-3141 or at [email protected].
The survey includes questions aimed at defining the local population, including numbers of seasonal residents, sources of income and hours worked.
It also probes attitudes about quality of life and respondents’ sense of the community’s future, as well as local amounts of volunteerism and philanthropic giving. Other questions about attitudes are aimed at various potential development projects, historic properties, and existing industries like cruise ship visitation and helicopter skiing.
Some questions will get at residents’ views on borough spending priorities, although most questions that specifically addressed local government were deleted during the narrowing process. The commission started with 85 questions submitted by borough staff and community leaders.
Sheinberg said the scientific survey will serve multiple uses including providing a snapshot of the local population, serving as a guide for work on the borough’s comprehensive plan and aiding borough assembly decision-making.
“It gets at what does the town – as a whole — think. It’s pretty interesting stuff,” Sheinberg said.The survey’s results should be available by late May.
Discarded local government questions included asking if residents would pay more in taxes to support new or expanded community services and whether respondents thought local laws and codes are administered fairly.