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City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Citizen Survey 2014
5/3/2014
2
City of Oshkosh
Citizen Survey 2014
A survey of citizens in Oshkosh was undertaken by the Public Policy Analysis class at
the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh in cooperation with the City of Oshkosh in the Spring of
2014. This report will analyze the results of this survey and provide insight into the perspectives
of the citizens on a variety of issues. The 2014 Oshkosh Citizen Survey included twelve primary
sections and multiple sub-sections, along with a question requesting general demographic data as
well as an opportunity for comments from the respondents. Three hundred and twenty-eight
(328) surveys were returned and the resulting data has been entered into a statistical analysis
program. Depending upon the nature of the question, individuals were asked to respond to each
question based on four following possible rating options: 1.) excellent, good, fair and poor 2.)
very important, somewhat important, no opinion, somewhat unimportant, and very unimportant
3.) strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree/disagree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree
and no opinion or 4.) daily, weekly, occasionally, seasonally, and annually or less. The survey
was sent to 1,500 properties chosen randomly from the residential parcels provided from a data
base of utility customers in the City. The 328 responses constitute a 21.9 percent response rate
which is lower than the norm for citizen surveys. The survey response was 17.0 percent return in
2009, 22.5 percent return in 2010, 16.5 percent in 2011, 17.8 percent in 2012 and 19.5 in 2013.
The relationship between sample size and precision of the survey instrument at a 95 percent
confidence rate frequently used in surveys is shown below. The 328 responses create a margin of
error of approximately 5.4 percent. A level of 5 percent is considered acceptable for most survey
results. The confidence rate is 94.6 percent.
Sample Size Margin of Error
100 10%
300 5.5%
400 5.0%
800 3.5%
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Please indicate how frequently, if ever, you utilize the following City services. -
Question 1
The following table shows the responses on a percentage basis:
Daily Weekly Occasionally Seasonally Annually
Bike and Pedestrian Trials 5.54%9.77%20.85%23.45% 40.39%
Lake Shore Golf Course 1.03% 1.38% 13.79% 8.62% 75.17%
Pollock Aquatic Center 0.34%1.36%11.22%18.71% 68.37%
Leach Amphitheatre 0.00% 2.67% 39.67% 21.00% 36.67%
Oshkosh Public Museum 0.33%2.33%39.20%7.97% 50.17%
Senior Services Center 2.05% 6.14% 18.77% 3.07% 69.97%
Public Library Services 0.98%23.93%40.33%3.28% 31.48%
Police Services 1.02% 2.03% 21.02% 1.69% 74.24%
Fire 1.39%0.00%9.41%1.39% 87.80%
EMS 0.69% 0.00% 10.42% 0.00% 88.89%
Permits and Inspections 0.34%0.68%15.93%3.05% 80.00%
Enforcement of Codes 0.35% 2.10% 6.64% 1.75% 89.16%
City Parking Facilities 2.36%9.12%38.85%6.76% 42.91%
Community Media Services 2.39% 3.75% 20.14% 2.05% 71.67%
Transit System 2.14%4.27%6.76%1.42% 85.41%
Recycling Collection Svcs 2.52% 79.25% 11.32% 0.94% 5.97%
Refuse Collection Service 1.57%73.67%9.72%4.08% 10.97%
Leaf and Brush Pick up 0.00% 8.39% 25.48% 48.71% 17.42%
The frequencies of use did not dramatically change from 2013. The use of community media
services showed the largest decrease of use with a daily use in 2013 of 13.4% to 2014 of 2.39%.
City parking facilities have showed an increase in usage going from 13.4% in 2013 to 38.85% at
the occasional level.
Funding of City Services – Question 2
This section was designed to determine preferences for the manner in which city services
are funded, including raising or lowering taxes through grants and/or fees. The specific question
asked of respondents was:
Currently, the City of Oshkosh funds services through a combination of property taxes,
state aid, state and federal grants, and fees and charges. Please answer the
following questions by checking the box that best represents your opinions.
The responses are outlined in the graph below, which also contains data from the Oshkosh Citizen
Survey from 2009 through 2014. All data is displayed as a percentage of all answers for that particular year.
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When comparing the results for this question over a six-year period, several tendencies
and observations occur.
• 72.8% of residents somewhat or strongly agree that the city should reduce taxes and
maintain current services by being more efficient. In general, the responses are consistent
with the previous five years of responses. The exception was a stark increase (7.5%) in
those who somewhat agree that the city could reduce taxes and be more efficient. This
shift came from those who somewhat disagreed with the statement the previous year.
• 59.8% of the residents somewhat or strongly agree that the city should focus on reducing
taxes by pursuing grants (many of which require a local funding match).
Year of
Survey
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neither
Agree or
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
No
Opinion
1) The City could reduce taxes
and maintain current services by
being more efficient.
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
48.7
34.3
41.9
48.4
34.6
33.8
31.4
31.4
35.6
31.9
31.5
39.0
10.2
20
8.9
8.3
13.4
13.4
6.8
2.9
5.5
7.1
10.6
4.3
3.0
5.7
5.5
4.3
3.8
2.7
n/a
5.7
2.5
4.9
6.2
6.7
2) The City should focus on
reducing taxes by pursuing
grants (many of which require
local funding match).
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
27.2
23.8
20.4
31.4
18.5
18.9
44.2
45.1
39.6
40
38.7
40.9
18.3
18.4
23
22.9
24.7
20.4
8.5
9.0
7.7
0
6.8
6.7
1.8
3.7
3.8
5.7
1.7
3.7
n/a
8.6
5.5
0
9.6
9.5
3) The City should focus on
reducing taxes by increasing
service fees and charges.
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
7.4
0
7.2
6.7
4.8
7.3
19.9
14.3
25.5
29.6
18.2
15.2
20.3
40
19.6
20.2
18.2
18.3
28.6
25.7
19.6
20.2
23.3
22.6
23.8
20
25.1
23.3
29.8
31.7
n/a
0
3
5.2
5.8
4.9
4) I will support an increase in
taxes if it would maintain or
increase the services I value.
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
n/a
22.9
16.7
15.9
13.4
11.6
n/a
25.7
27.8
34.7
26.0
29.9
n/a
14.3
13.2
11.6
17.8
15.2
n/a
20
14.5
12.7
13.7
13.1
n/a
17.1
26.1
25.1
23.6
24.7
n/a
0
1.7
6
5.5
5.5
5
• 54.3% of the residents somewhat or strongly disagree that the city should focus on
reducing taxes by increasing service fees and charges.
• 41.5% of the residents somewhat or strongly agree that they will support an increase in
taxes if it would maintain or increase the services they value. 37.8% oppose an increase
in taxes. There is a similar distribution both in favor and in opposition to this increase.
Citizens who were surveyed have consistently disagreed with the idea of raising taxes or
fees. However, citizens who were surveyed, according to this data, have a stronger opinion to
increase taxes to maintain the services they value, as opposed to reducing taxes by increasing
service fees and charges.
Age, gender, years lived in Oshkosh, and number of children had no significant impact
on many of these questions. Evaluating the previous questions against the demographics shows
that those respondents who own their residence favored reducing taxes and maintaining current
service levels by becoming more efficient more so than did those respondents who rent their
residence. The sampling size for those who rent in comparison to those who own is much
different and may atone for the differences in opinion. However, the difference in opinion is
likely attributed to amnesty from taxation when renting. There was a small difference in opinions
regarding reducing taxes and maintaining services when evaluated against income. There was
less support from those respondents making between $50,000-$74,999 and S100,000-$149,000
in reducing taxes and maintaining services in comparison to the other wage categories.
Interestingly, males are 10% more likely to agree that the city should pursue grants to
reduce taxes. Those who own their own residence believe more strongly, about 16%, that the city
should pursue grants to reduce taxes. There was less support from those respondents making less
than $24,999 per year and the greatest support to reduce taxes by those making in excess of
$150,000.
Men more strongly agreed than women that the city should reduce taxes by increasing
service fees. Both genders were similarly situated and represented as the majority in firmly
disagreeing with this approach. Interestingly, those who rent are more ambivalent to either
supporting or disagreeing with reducing taxes and increasing service fees -- although there was
more disagreement with this approach of reducing taxes than support.
Females were less likely to disagree than males in regards to the concept of increasing
taxes if it will maintain or increase service levels. Again, those who rent support an increase in
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taxes as opposed to those who own. Those with an income of $75,000 or greater supported an
increase in taxes to maintain or increase services more than those who earned less.
Safety in Neighborhoods - Questions 3, 4, and 5
3) How safe or unsafe you feel in your neighborhood after dark?
There were 328 valid responses to the feeling of safety after dark rating. 79.2 % of responses
rated feeling “safe” (151) or “very safe” (109) after dark, compared to less than 6.4 % who feel
“unsafe” (16) or “very unsafe” (5). The remaining 14% (46) of responses reported feeling
“Neither Safe or Unsafe”. With over 93.2% of respondents rating the City of Oshkosh above
“unsafe” and only one response of “very unsafe,” there is a clear majority indicating that most
residents feel safe in their neighborhood after dark. 0.3% of survey respondents did not answer
this question or put “Don’t Know”. When compared to the 2012 survey results, the general
consensus of those that responded felt safer in 2013.
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafe Don’t Know
2012 68 122 37 22 21 18
2013 109 151 46 16 5 1
Percentage by year
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Very Safe Safe Niether Unsafe Very Unsafe Don't Know
2012
2013
7
3A. How safe based on Gender
Males had a tendency to feel safer (either Very safe or safe) at 84% than females at 73%.
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafe Don’t Know
Male 71 87 22 8 0 0
Female 37 60 23 7 4 1
Not Specified 1 4 1 1 1 0
3B. How safe you feel by where you live.
Those respondents that live South of the Fox River and West of Hwy 41 felt safer (either Very
Safe or Safe) at 88% than those that lived South of the Fox River and East of Hwy 41 at 80% and
North of the Fox River at 76%.
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafe Don’t Know
North of Fox 40 62 23 7 2 0
South of Fox/East of 41 34 51 14 5 2 0
South of Fox/West of 41 33 32 5 3 0 1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafedon't Know
Male
Female
No Gender given
8
3C. How safe you feel by income level.
Respondents that have a higher income level felt safer (Very Safe or Safe) than those that had a
lower income. Those that made less than $50,000 reported a 60% to 70% felling of being safe,
where those above $50,000 had an 80% or higher rating of their safety.
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafe Don’t Know
Less than $24,999 7 15 7 3 1 0
$25,000 - $49,999 20 24 18 7 0 0
$50,000 - $74,999 27 39 8 2 2 0
$75,000 - $99,999 19 28 6 0 1 0
$100,000 - $149,999 20 20 3 2 0 1
Above $150,000 11 10 2 0 0 0
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very
Unsafe
Don't
Know
North of Fox
South of Fox/East of 41
South of Fox/West of 41
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very
Unsafe
Don't
Know
Less than $24,999
$25,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 - $99,999
$100,000 -$149,999
Above $150,000
9
4) During the past 12 months, were you or anyone in your household the victim of a crime?
There were 328 valid responses to the victim of a crime question: 89% responded “No”, 10% of
respondents answered “Yes”, and 1% of survey respondents did not answer this question. It is
unknown whether the crimes occurred in the City of Oshkosh, or if the perpetrator was an
Oshkosh resident. When compared to the 2012 survey results the percentage of people that were
victims of crimes was very similar to the 2013 survey, even though the percentage of people who
felt safe in Oshkosh increased (see question 3).
Yes No No Response
2012 25 237 5
2013 34 292 2
Percentage households
4A. Victim of crime by gender.
Of those that responded that they had been a victim of a crime and gave their gender, males had a
tendency to feel safer than females; however, they were almost as likely to be a victim of a
crime.
Male Female
Yes 17 15
No 167 113
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Yes No No Response
2012
2013
10
4B. Victim of crime based on where you live
Residents’ feeling of safety base on location correlates well with whether or not they were a
victim of a crime. South of the Fox River and west of hwy 41 had the lowest percentage of
people who responded that they were victims of crimes (7%), while those that live in that same
corridor responded with the highest feeling of safety (88%).
North of the Fox South of the Fox/East of 41 South of the Fox/West of 41
Yes 16 13 5
No 118 92 68
No Response 0 1 1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Yes No
Male
Female
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Yes No No Response
North of the Fox
South of the Fox/East of 41
South fo the Fox/West of 41
11
4C. Victim of crime by income level.
Respondents that had income levels of $25,000 to $75,000 were more likely to be victims of a
crime than the other reported income levels. Of the two income levels in that bracket, those that
made above $50,000 reported a higher feeling of safety, but were most often the victim of a
crime.
Less than
$24,999
$25,000 -
$49,999
$50,000 -
$74,999
$75,000 -
$99,999
$100,000 -
$149,999
Above
$150,000
Yes 1 11 14 2 4 1
No 32 57 64 52 41 22
5) If “Yes”, did you report all of these crimes?
When compared to the previous question if “anyone in their household had been the victim of a
crime”, there was an unexplained increase in responses to whether the respondent reported all
these crimes (six more people claimed that they reported a crime than those that reported that
they were a victim). Despite the unexplained increase, 58% of households that were a victim of
a crime reported those crimes, 33% did not report. From 2012 to 2013 there was slight increase
in those that reported crimes instead of not reporting crimes. We believe that in 2012 people
mistakenly reported “don’t know” instead of having the proper “no response”.
Yes No Don’t Know No Response
2012 19 12 227 4
2013 23 13 4 288
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Yes No
Less than $24,999
$25,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 - $99,999
$100,000 -$149,999
Above $150,000
12
5A. Crime reported based on gender.
Of those that responded, males were slightly more likely to report crimes than females.
Male Female
Yes 12 11
No 4 6
Don’t 1 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Yes No Don't Know No Response
2012
2013
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Yes No Don't Know
Male
Female
13
5B. Crime reported by where you live
People were more likely to report crimes if they lived south of the Fox River and east of Hwy 41
at 73% than other areas of Oshkosh. This corridor represents the median area that felt safe, but
had the lowest percentage of crime. For those that felt safest and reported the least crime (south
of the Fox River and west of Hwy 41), they were also least likely to report a crime if it occurred.
North of the Fox South of the Fox/East of 41 South of the Fox/West of 41
Yes 11 8 4
No 6 3 3
Don’t Know 2 0 2
5C. Crime reported by income level
Approximately 66% of those with income levels between $25,000 and $75,000 reported crimes
when they occurred. Respondents with income levels between $75,000 and $100,000 were more
likely to report crimes when they occurred than other income levels though they had the least
amount of crimes to report.
Less than
$24,999
$25,000 -
$49,999
$50,000 -
$74,999
$75,000 -
$99,999
$100,000 -
$149,999
Above
$150,000
Yes 2 7 6 3 3 1
No 2 5 2 0 2 1
Don’t Know 1 1 1 0 0 1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Yes No Don't Know
North of the Fox
South of the Fox/ East of 41
South of the Fox/West of 41
14
* Though we did a cross comparison of respondents race with how safe they felt, we chose not to
include the data because the sampling size was very low and would not in our opinion give valid
results.
** In future surveys we believe there should be a comments section or an additional question
added that gives reasons why crimes were not reported. A multiple choice answer could have
general statements such as “I don’t think the police would do anything about it anyway” or “I
didn’t have time to report it”.
City of Oshkosh Importance of Services - Question 6
The 2014 Oshkosh citizen survey data helps provide city officials with insight into
changes within the Oshkosh community in the time since the previous year’s survey.
Furthermore, it offers a deeper insight into the general opinions of the area’s citizens. This
information could give this city manager and elected officials a clearer picture of what services
the general public sees as being of greater importance, and what services the general public sees
as being of lesser importance, and furthermore, how their opinions on these services has changed
over time. In order for services to improve, stay relevant or change altogether, the city of
Oshkosh polls its citizens. Moreover, from this data city officials are able to infer what the
citizens they serve value most in the community’s policies and services.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Yes No Don't Know
Less than $24,999
$25,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 - $99,999
$100,000 -$149,999
Above $150,000
15
6. We would like you to rate the importance of city services. For each service listed
below, please check the box that best reflects your opinion of the importance to you
of each City service.
Importance of City Services Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Somewhat
Unimportant
Very Un-
important
No Opinion/
Neutral
Community Services
Support for Neighborhood Revitalization Programs 21.0 46.3 12.8 6.7 13.1
Oshkosh Public Museum 21.3 50.3 16.2 3.4 8.8
Oshkosh Community Media Services 10.7 35.7 22.6 10.4 20.2
Public Library Services 54.9 31.7 7.6 .6 5.2
Senior Services Center 34.5 36.9 14.0 4.6 10.0
Transit System 31.8 34.9 13.1 9.2 11.0
Appearance of City-Owned Buildings 21.0 50.6 14.9 6.4 7.0
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 36.9 37.5 10.1 5.5 10.1
Lake Shore Golf Course 11.3 30.8 21.3 20.1 16.4
Appearance of City Parks & Greenways 36.6 49.7 7.3 1.8 4.6
Pollock Aquatic Center 20.7 47.3 9.8 9.1 13.1
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 25.0 46.0 11.0 7.3 10.6
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 22.6 48.2 12.8 6.4 10.0
Building Permits and Inspections 17.7 43.0 18.0 5.5 15.8
Enforcement of Property Maint/Nuisance Codes 21.6 45.1 15.9 6.1 11.3
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 23.5 40.9 17.1 5.2 13.4
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 50.3 34.1 8.5 2.7 4.3
Recycling Collection Services 68.0 24.4 3.4 1.5 2.7
Refuse Collection Service 69.2 22.9 3.4 1.5 3.0
Protective Services
Police Services 81.1 14.6 1.5 1.5 1.2
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 79.6 15.9 2.4 1.2 .9
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 79.0 15.9 1.8 .6 2.7
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 25.6 47.3 16.5 3.7 7.0
City’s Sidewalk System 38.8 46.5 10.1 2.4 2.1
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 69.8 26.8 1.8 .3 1.2
Traffic Signs and Signals 62.2 30.5 4.3 .6 2.4
Street Lighting 58.5 32.9 5.8 1.2 1.5
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 45.7 40.5 7.9 3.0 2.7
Street Repair 75.3 22.3 1.5 .3 .6
Storm Drainage
Storm Drainage Systems 66.5 28.0 2.1 .3 3.0
16
The following services were rated most important by the respondents: Police Services at 81.1%,
EMS at 79.6%, Fire Protection, 79%, Street Repair at 75.3%, and Snow and Ice Removal at
69.8%. A noticeable difference from the 2013 survey was the recycling collection services which
were rated important or very important by 71.3% of the respondents in the 2014 survey. This is a
increase from the 2013 citizen survey in which recycling collection was rated important or very
important by only 68% of respondents.
The five lowest rated services according to the respondents were: Community Media at
10.7%, Lakeshore Golf Course at 11.3%, Permits and Inspections 17.7%, The Pollock Aquatics
Center at 20.7% and City Buildings at 21% tied with Neighborhood Revitalization at 21%. Two
notable differences can be seen in the 2014 survey. The first is the perceived importance of the
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00 80.00 90.00
Police
EMS
Fire
Street repair
Snow and ice removal
Refuse_collection
Recycling
Storm drainage
Traffic signs
Street lighting
Library
Leaf_brush_pick up
Street maintenance
Sidewalks
Bike_pedestrian_trails
City parks_greenways
Senior center
Transit
Parking facilities
Economic_development
Land_use
Housing
Enforcement_of_codes
Museum
Neighborhood_revitalization
City buildings
Aquatic_center
Permits_inspections
Golf course
Community media
Least-to- Most important services by percentage
17
Pollock Aquatic Center, rising from only 4% to 20.7%. The second is the Lakeshore Golf Course
which was at 19.8% in the 2013 survey, but dropped significantly to 11.3% in the 2014 survey. It
is clear that the perceived importance of several of these services has changed considerably since
last year’s survey; therefore, future allocation of funding for these services should be addressed
accordingly. The chart above better demonstrates the rankings of the previously discussed
services.
Quality of Services – Question 7
Alongside the importance of the services offered by the city, it is also important for the
administrative staff to hear the citizens’ opinions on whether the quality of the services is
meeting their standards. Citizens, as tax payers, rightfully hold high expectations for the services
being provided to them by the city. Understanding which services are regarded as high quality as
well as which ones need improvement is essential to the cities future plans.
Aside from the high percentage of “Don’t Know” responses, the majority of services
received a fair, good, or excellent rating. The percentages illustrate that 15% of total responses
rate the quality of all serves as excellent, 36% rated them as good, 20% rated them fair and 5%
rated them poor. There were 19% of responses who answered don’t know and 5% had no
response at all. Comparing this year’s survey response numbers to the 2013 results shows
similarity although there are slight changes. When combining fair, good, and excellent ratings,
the 2014 results total to 71% which is a 4% drop from last year’s 75%. Also, this year’s overall
poor quality increased 2 percentage points from 3% to 5%.
The services that rated the highest quality in combined good and excellent categories
over 60% are Public Library Services, Street Lighting, Oshkosh Public Museum, Traffic Signs
and Signals, Refuse Collection Services, Recycling Collection Services, Leaf and Brush Pick up,
Police Services, Emergency Medical Services, and Fire Protection and Prevention Services. The
two highest quality rated services Recycling Collection Services and Refuse Collection Services
at 85% and 84% in combined good and excellent responses. Areas that residents responded the
most as poor quality based on the survey results are Street Repair, Snow and Ice Removal,
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance Codes, Storm Drainage, and Land Use. Street
Repair received the most responses of poor quality at 32%.
18
7. We would like you to rate the quality of city services. For each service listed below,
please check the box that best reflects your opinion of the quality to you of each City
service.
Quality of City Services Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t Know No
Response
Community Services
Neighborhood Revitalization Programs 1.8 25.6 27.7 5.2 34.5 5.2
Oshkosh Public Museum 15.9 44.8 17.4 .6 17.4 4.0
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet
Services
5.2 27.1 22.0 1.5 39.0 4.9
Public Library Services 30.8 43.6 11.6 1.5 9.1 3.4
Senior Services Center 15.2 30.8 14.6 .3 35.1 4.0
Transit System 6.7 36.0 19.8 4.9 28.4 3.7
Appearance of City-Owned Buildings 5.2 46.3 29.3 3.0 11.3 4.6
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 15.2 39.3 16.8 3.0 20.4 4.9
Lake Shore Golf Course 7.9 29.3 9.5 1.5 47.0 4.9
Appearance City Parks & Greenways 12.2 51.5 21.3 3.0 7.3 4.6
Pollock Aquatic Center 13.1 37.2 9.1 .9 34.5 5.2
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 3.0 16.5 20.1 4.9 49.1 6.4
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 1.5 16.5 25.6 7.6 42.7 6.1
Building Permits and Inspections 2.1 21.3 24.1 8.8 37.8 5.8
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance
Codes
1.8 16.8 22.9 11.6 40.5 6.4
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 1.2 21.0 22.9 10.1 39.3 5.5
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 25.3 47.0 15.2 4.0 4.6 4.0
Recycling Collection Services 43.6 40.9 9.5 1.2 1.2 3.7
Refuse Collection Service 42.7 41.2 8.5 .6 3.7 3.4
Protective Services
Police Services 36.3 39.3 9.5 2.4 8.2 4.3
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 37.2 33.8 4.6 .3 19.8 4.3
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 41.5 34.1 5.5 0.0 14.0 4.9
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 5.8 42.4 26.5 4.6 16.5 4.3
City’s Sidewalk System 7.9 46.3 32.3 4.6 3.7 4.9
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 12.8 43.6 27.4 11.9 .6 3.7
Traffic Signs and Signals 13.4 59.8 18.9 2.7 1.2 4.0
Street Lighting 9.8 53.0 25.9 6.4 1.5 3.4
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 11.3 43.6 32.6 7.9 1.5 3.0
Street Repair 5.2 19.8 36.6 32.3 1.8 4.3
Storm Drainage Systems 5.8 35.1 33.8 11.6 9.1 4.6
19
When looking at the some of the areas of concern in the 2009 Oshkosh Citizen Survey
and comparing them with the 2014 results, improvement is shown on behalf of the city. In 2009,
Snow and Ice Removal scored only 42.5% in combined good and excellent quality. That
increased up to 56.4% in 2014. Although Storm Drainage System still remains an area of
concern to the citizens, there has also been a 14.3% increase in combined excellent and good
quality scores. Another example of an area that still received a response rate in poor quality in
2014 is Street Repair. Street Repair received a 50.8% poor quality score and just a 16%
combined good and excellent quality score in 2009. In 2014, the poor quality response has
decreased to 32.3% and the good and excellent quality responses have increased to 25%. The
last example is Bike and Pedestrian Trails. In 2009, Bike and Pedestrian Trails received 19.2%
poor quality responses and that has decreased to just 3% in 2014.
The survey revealed very slight change of the quality of services from 2013 to 2014 but
major change over the course of the last 5 years. Overall, the Oshkosh citizens are fairly pleased
with the quality of services provided to them. The areas that received poor quality responses
have seen improvement since 2009.
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20
Analysis of Importance and Quality of Services
It is encouraging that three of the top five “very important” services, Police Services,
Emergency Services, and Fire Protection and Prevention Services, also were in the top five of
“excellent quality” responses. Other promising areas that received “very important” responses
from over half of the survey participants include Leaf and Brush Pick up, Public Library
Services, Recycling Collection Services, Refuse Collection Services, Street Lighting, and Traffic
Signs and Signals. These areas were also amongst the top of high quality responses with
receiving over 60% of combined excellent and good quality scores from the survey respondents.
Areas that received overwhelming responses for “very important” services but did not
score as highly in quality include Snow and Ice Removal, Street Repairs, and Storm Drainage
Systems. Although these areas remain of strong importance to the community and did not score
as high in quality, we have seen steady quality improvement since the 2009 Oshkosh Citizen’s
Survey. Overall, the services that are most important to the citizens are either being provided in
satisfactory quality or are seeing improvement.
Budget Priorities – Questions Eight and Nine
Continuing with tradition established the previous few years, question eight and nine ask
survey respondents to determine dollar amount for surplus and reduction of a hypothetical one
million dollars for specific services provided by the city. The nine service areas listed for
consideration include: Community Services, Economic Development, Refuse and Recycling,
Finance and Administration, Police Protection, Fire Suppression and Prevention, Parks, Storm
Water Management and Road Maintenance. When comparing responses for question eight and
nine, 2014 experienced an increase from 2013. Last year, 2013, the amount of responses equaled
237 for question eight and 210 for question nine. While this year, 2014, there were 274 responses
for question eight and 233 for question nine. Overall response rates for the survey totaled 328
while the overall total from 2013 was 292.
Budget Surplus
Question eight of the survey asked participants to allocate a hypothetical surplus of one
million dollars amongst the nine categories that were given. Road Maintenance, much like last
21
year, continues to be the category where the most money is allocated with an average of
$270,292 of the one million dollars (Figure 1). Finance and Administration, just like last year, is
the category where the least amount of money was filtered to. Finance and Administration only
averaged $32,388 when citizens where given a surplus of one million dollars. While the lowest
ranking of the nine categories have not changed from 2013, there has been a shift amongst the
priorities in the top four rankings from what was seen in 2013. Road Maintenance and Storm
Water Management continue to rank as the number one and two priorities but the change from
2013 is what comes after. Police Protection and Economic Development rank as the third and
fourth, respectfully, priorities when looking at the mean average from all categories.
Furthermore, when examining the responses for all nine categories, only three received at least of
one survey response allotting the full excess amount of one million dollars: Economic
Development, Storm Water Management and Road Maintenance.
Figure 1: 2014 Mean Allocation of Hypothetical Budget Surplus
Comparing the rankings of 2014 to that of 2013, the only identical slots are the first two
and last two. Road Maintenance and Storm Water Management continue to be the two highest
priorities among citizens with Finance Administration and Refuse and Recycling being the
lowest (Figure 2). This year’s results included fluctuation in the rankings for third through
seventh range. There have been both increases and decreases in mean allocation for categories in
this range. The two categories that sustained the biggest decrease in mean allocation were Storm
Water Management by $24,735 and Economic Development by $7,726. Conversely, the two
$270,292
$138,646
$113,631 $107,467 $100,504 $99,318 $91,285
$46,584 $32,388
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
2014
22
areas with the highest increase of mean allocation were Road Maintenance by $29,572 and
Police Protection by $14,623. Interestingly, all four of these categories rank in the top four
overall when it comes to mean allocation of a hypothetical surplus of one million dollars.
Figure 2: 2014 Mean Surplus Allocation Compared to Previous Years
An analysis of question eight can be further dissected when given the survey responses
from question six – Importance of services and question seven – Quality of services. When
focusing on the two highest recipients of the hypothetical one million dollars, Road Maintenance
and Storm Water Management, both are viewed with high importance but lack the quality of
services from survey respondents. With a response of “Very” or “Somewhat” important, Street
Maintenance received an 86.3% response rate where Street Repair received a 97.6% response
given the same parameters. Comparing these responses to the responses of quality of services, a
discrepancy is created. Oshkosh citizens only believe that 54.9% of Street Maintenance is of
“Excellent” or “Good” quality. Given the same two responses, “Excellent” or “Good” quality,
Street Repair only received 25%, implying that the quality of street repair in the City of Oshkosh
is sorely lacking. Both Street Maintenance and Street Repair fall under the category of Road
Maintenance. These two responses are a major reason that Road Maintenance ranks as the top
recipient of the hypothetical one million dollars.
Responses of importance and quality of service for Storm Water Management, which
ranks as number two, are similar to that of Road Maintenance. Oshkosh citizens see Storm Water
as important with 94.5% responding with either “Very” or “Somewhat” important. Oshkosh
citizens also see the quality of service for Storm Water as lacking with only 40.9% responding
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2012
2013
2014
23
with “Excellent” or “Good” quality. This gap between what Oshkosh citizens think of the quality
and the importance for Storm Water is a factor when deciding upon which areas receive funding
from the hypothetical one million dollars.
Although there is widespread agreement of the importance of Police Protection, which
95.7% of survey respondents felt was either “Very” or “Somewhat” important, there is no
representation of this high importance when it relates to mean allocation. Police Protection ranks
as third in mean allocation but is considerably behind both Road Maintenance and Storm Water.
This is also comparable to Fire Suppression, as it ranks even further down at sixth but has a
94.8% survey response rate of “Very” or “Somewhat” important. The responses of “Excellent”
or “Good” for quality of service for Police Protect and Fire Suppression are both at 75.6%. This
could imply that respondents of the Oshkosh survey believe that both Police and Fire are
important but are unwilling to give more money because they already feel the quality of service
is sufficient.
Budget Deficit
Next in the Oshkosh Citizen Survey, respondents were given a hypothetical situation
where one million dollars needed to be cut and they were asked to choose amongst the same nine
categories of how to allocate this shortage. Just as in 2013, the four areas that that received the
biggest cuts remain unchanged for 2014. Those areas in terms of ranking are: Finance and
Administration, Economic Development, Community Services and Parks. The mean allocation
for this reduction provided a slight variation from 2013 in each of the categories but did not
disrupt the overall ranking (Figure 3). Finance and Administration, with a mean allocation of
$266,870, is by far the highest category for funding cuts when compared to all other eight.
Economic Development ranks second, at $187,008, creating a 30% difference between the first
and second areas receiving the hypothetical amend. Road Maintenance ranks as the lowest
category to receive cuts based on mean allocation at $51,689. Of the nine categories, five
received at least one response for all one million to be designated to their area. They include:
Community Services, Economic Development, Finance and Administration, Parks and Road
Maintenance, interestingly enough.
24
Figure 3: 2014 Mean Allocation of Hypothetical Budget Deficit
Although the first four rankings did not change from 2013 to 2014, there was a change in
order for rankings five through nine. Road Maintenance ranked as the category least likely to see
a reduction in their budget. There was a decrease in the mean allocation for the bottom two areas,
Road Maintenance and Police Protection. Road Maintenance went from $62,639 in 2013 to
$51,689 this year, whereas Police Protection went from $68,605 in 2013 to $62,181 this year.
Conversely, the two most likely to receive budget cuts, Finance and Administration and
Economic Development, both increased in mean allocation. Finance and Administration was
only allocated $250,322 in 2013 compared to $266,870 in 2014. Economic Development had a
mean allocation of $169,720 last year while in 2014 experienced an increase of that amount to
$187,008.
Figure 4: 2014 Mean Budget Deficit Allocation Compared to Previous Years
266,871
187,009
107,595 104,112 80,272 74,983 65,571 62,181 51,690
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2014
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2012
2013
2014
25
Finance and Administration continues to be the category where survey respondents focus
the biggest reduction of budgets. This can be interpreted in a variety of ways. First, citizens can
have a skewed vision of governmental work. An unwillingness to allocate additional funds or
being the area with the biggest cuts can be a negative reflection of citizen’s view on bureaucracy.
Citizens may feel that channeling such funds to government may not be the most efficient
manner. Secondly, Finance and Administration tends to be an area where citizens cannot see an
immediate difference when allocating funding. Finance and Administration is usually the behind
the scenes work where Road Maintenance is something that an average Oshkosh citizen will
experience every day. It becomes easier to take funding away from an area that few rarely see,
no matter the actual importance, compared to areas that are more noticeable on a daily basis.
Net Increase or Decrease
Another interesting way to look at responses from the hypothetical addition and
subtraction of the one million is to combine the two numbers so that they reflect citizen opinion
of a budget with neither a shortfall nor surplus (Figure 5). This provides a great representation
for the respondents in regards to their priorities of the nine different categories. Being the
difference between the two questions, eight and nine, it is only possible to use the surveys that
responded to both questions (230 of the total 328 responses).
Figure 5: 2014 Net Surplus or Deficit of City Budget
Road Maintenance, Storm Water Management, Police Protection and Fire Suppression
were the only categories to receive a net positive allocation. These categories reflect the feelings
-300,000
-200,000
-100,000
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
26
toward high importance (Street Repair, Police and Fire), favorable level of quality (Police) and
unfavorable quality (Street Repair and Storm Drainage).
Survey Data – Question Eight and Nine
# 8 – Extra $1 Million 2013 Rank 2013 Mean*2014 Rank 2014 Mean*
Road Maintenance 1 240.72 1 270.29
Storm Water Management 2 163.38 2 138.64
Police Protection 5 99.00 3 113.63
Economic Development 3 115.19 4 107.47
Community Services 4 103.02 5 100.50
Fire Suppression/Prevention 7 90.25 6 99.31
Parks 6 94.36 7 91.28
Refuse and Recycling 8 57.31 8 46.58
Finance and Administration 9 36.76 9 32.39
*In thousands
#9 – Reduce $1 Million 2013 Rank 2013 Mean* 2014 Rank 2014 Mean*
Finance and Administration 1 250.32 1 266.87
Economic Development 2 169.72 2 187.01
Community Services 3 113.87 3 107.59
Parks 4 113.06 4 104.11
Storm Water Management 6 78.79 5 80.27
Refuse and Recycling 5 82.95 6 74.98
Fire Suppression/Prevention 9 60.04 7 65.57
Police Protection 7 68.61 8 62.18
Road Maintenance 8 62.64 9 51.69
*In thousands
Section Eight and Nine – Net Change
2014 Add* 2014 Subtract* Difference*
Road Maintenance 270.29 51.69 218.6
Storm Water Management 138.64 80.27 58.37
Police Protection 113.63 62.18 51.45
Fire Suppression/Prevention 99.31 65.57 33.74
Community Services 100.50 107.59 -7.09
Parks 91.28 104.11 -12.83
Refuse and Recycling 46.58 74.98 -28.4
Economic Development 107.47 187.01 -79.54
Finance and Administration 32.39 266.87 -234.48
*In thousands
27
Should City Relocate Utility Lines Underground? – Question 10
This purpose of this section was to determine what percentage of citizens believes the
city should relocate more utility lines like electrical, cable and phone underground. Respondents
were asked to answer the following question below and provide further information on their
beliefs:
Do you believe the City should relocate more utility lines (i.e. electrical, cable, phone)
underground? If yes, why?
328 people answered this survey question, with the results showing a near-split in
opinion. Just over 45% (149 people) said they thought the city should relocate more utility lines
underground, while 44% (145 people) said no.
In looking at gender, there was clear support among men in moving utility lines
underground, with 55% of men in support. Women were less likely to support the idea, with
only 36% of women in support.
Interestingly, the percentage was almost split in the residence category. Over 45% of
those who have been living in Oshkosh for at least five years supported moving more utility lines
underground, while 44% of those in the same category did not support moving utility lines
underground.
In the income category, nearly 59% of those making less than $50,000 did not support
moving utility lines underground. However, when looking at those making greater than $50,000,
there was a near even split in support, with 49.5% against and 50.5% supportive.
The survey results also show that those respondents who either work full-time or part-
time, are unemployed or are retired are more likely to support having utility lines underground,
while students and the self-employed do not. See table below for percentages.
Occupation Supportive Against No Response
Full-Time 46% 43% 11%
Part-Time 58% 31% 11%
Retired 49% 42% 9%
Unemployed 50% 38% 12%
Self-employed 28% 67% 5%
Student 0% 100% 0%
28
Another interesting result is that those respondents who have at least an associate’s
degree or higher (56.4%) are supportive, while those with a high school diploma or less (53.4%)
do not want utility lines underground.
Finally, a majority of respondents did not provide additional information about why they
support moving utility lines underground. Of those who did, the primary reasons for supporting
the initiative were safety concerns, beautification, service reliability during storms, and long-
term service maintenance. Some common opinions against were predominately related to the
costs associated with the project.
Tax Increase to Move Utilities Underground – Question 11
This purpose of this question was to determine the level of interest of citizens to increase
taxes in order to pay for moving utilities underground. The specific question asked of
respondents was:
How much of an annual tax increase would you be willing to incur
to move utilities underground, assuming a $100,000 home?
322 people responded to the question, with nearly 45% answering they were not willing
to pay any amount for this initiative. However, a majority (55%) indicated they would be willing
to pay some amount to pay for moving utilities underground. 18% were willing to pay a $25
increase assuming a $100,000 home, while 15% were willing to pay a $50 increase. 22%
indicated they were willing to pay between $75 and $999 of an increase to pay for this initiative.
Amount of Increase Percentage of
respondents in support
0.00 45%
$25 18%
$50 15%
$75 to $999 22%
Please check the box that comes closest to your opinion for each of the
following questions – Question 12
The first chart shows the responses in percentage form followed by a bar graph of the same data
in stacked form.
29
Excellent Good Fair Poor
No
Opinion
Oshkosh as a place to live? 24.31% 55.38% 17.23% 2.77% 0.31%
Feeling a part of the community? 11.49% 44.10% 32.61% 8.07% 3.73%
Your neighborhood as a place to live? 37.54% 44.00% 15.38% 2.15% 0.92%
Oshkosh as a place raise children? 24.22% 50.31% 16.77% 3.42% 5.28%
Oshkosh as a place to retire? 14.29% 31.99% 30.75% 18.01% 4.97%
Community openness and acceptance of
diversity? 9.91% 37.15% 34.98% 10.53% 7.43%
The overall quality of life in Oshkosh? 13.17% 60.50% 22.26% 3.13% 0.94%
Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly city? 11.32% 47.80% 30.82% 5.66% 4.40%
Oshkosh as a place to work? 11.32% 46.23% 24.53% 11.95% 5.97%
The direction Oshkosh is moving in the future? 7.01% 41.40% 29.30% 13.38% 8.92%
Affordability of living in Oshkosh? 13.31% 47.06% 28.17% 10.22% 1.24%
The availability of entertainment/events? 16.62% 46.15% 26.77% 6.77% 3.69%
The quality of entertainment/events? 12.96% 47.84% 27.78% 6.17% 5.25%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00% 120.00%
Oshkosh as a place to live?
Feeling a part of the community?
Your neighborhood as a place to live?
Oshkosh as a place raise children?
Oshkosh as a place to retire?
Community openness and acceptance of diversity?
The overall quality of life in Oshkosh?
Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly city?
Oshkosh as a place to work?
The direction Oshkosh is moving in the future?
Affordability of living in Oshkosh?
The availability of entertainment/events?
The quality of entertainment/events?
Stacked Bar Graph of Opinions
Excellent Good Fair Poor No Opinion
30
Oshkosh as a place to live
Feeling a part of the community
Your neighborhood as a place to live
Your neighborhood as a place to live seems to differ on location. In the excellent and good
answers, north of the Fox River was 74%, south of the Fox River/East of US Highway 41 was
83%, and south of the Fox River/West of US Highway 41 was 92%. The higher the current
household income also showed a trend of the higher the income, the greater their neighborhood
was an excellent or good place to live.
70%
75%
80%
85%
Male Female
Oshkosh as a place to
live and gender
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Home ownership and feeling
part of the community
84% of males responding rated
Oshkosh as an excellent or good
place to live opposed to 77% of
females.
Over the past six
surveys, home owners
feeling part of the
community has risen
from 2009 to 2012 and
has since declined.
31
Oshkosh as a place to raise children
For all respondents, 74.53% of citizens thought Oshkosh was an excellent or good place to raise
children. This compares to how many children under 18 live in the household as follows: none
72%, one 72%, two 82%, and three or more 88%.
Oshkosh as a place to retire
79% of people that responded and are over 60 believe Oshkosh is an excellent or good place to
live while 54% of those people think it is an excellent or good place to retire. There was not a
significant difference between how long a respondent lived in Oshkosh compared to if Oshkosh
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
North of the
Fox River
South of the
Fox River/East
of US Highway
41
South of the
Fox
River/West of
US Highway 41
Location of residence
and Your neighborhood
as a place to live
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Annual Income and
Your neighborhood as a
place to live
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
80.00%
100.00%
Overall None One Two Three or
more
How many children under 18 live in
household and Oshkosh as a good
place to raise children
32
was an excellent or good place to retire: 5 years of less – 44%, 6 to 20 years – 50%, and 20 +
years – 45%.
Community openness and acceptance of diversity
Over the past four years, the answer to this question has trended fairly the same. Other than a
slight dip in 2013, the percentage of excellent and good answers has stayed around 50%. A vast
majority of the respondents identified as white.
The overall quality of life in Oshkosh
Where a respondent lived in Oshkosh showed the largest variance in the opinion about the
quality of life. 74% of respondents living north of the Fox River rated the quality of life as
40%
45%
50%
5 years or less 6 - 20 years 20 + years
Place to Retire and how long lived
in Oshkosh
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Trend for Openness and Acceptance
of Diversity
33
excellent or good compared to 67% living south of the Fox River/east of US Highway 41 and
82% living south of the Fox River/west of US Highway 41.
Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly city
Since 2011, Oshkosh has been trending up as people see Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly
city. From 2011 to 2014 the percent of respondents that replied excellent or good was 54%,
58.3%, 55.2%, and 59.1% respectively.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
North of Fox River South of Fox River/East of
US Highway 41
South of Fox River/West
of US Highway 41
Quality of Life and location of
residence
50%
52%
54%
56%
58%
60%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Oshkosh as an environmentally
friendly city
34
Oshkosh as a place to work
The following graphs compare how residents responded compared to household income,
employment status, profession, and highest education degree completed in the responses of
excellent and good.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Less than $24,999
$25,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 or more
Oshkosh as a place to
work and annual
household income
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Employed Full-time
Employed Part-time
Self-Employed
Presently Unemployed
Student
Retired
Oshkosh as a place to
work and employment
status
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Other
Production, etc.
Construction, etc.
Farming, etc.
Mangement, etc.
Education
Sales
Service
Homemaker
Oshkosh as a place to
work and profession
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Less than high school
High School/GED
Associate
Bachelor's Degree
Masters Degree of
Oshkosh as a place to
work and highest
education degree
completed
35
The direction Oshkosh is moving for the future
Since 2009, the opinions of the respondents have shown a favorable shift in excellent and good
responses for the opinion of how Oshkosh is moving for the future.
Affordability of living in Oshkosh
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Trend of direction Oshkosh is moving
for the future
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
Own Rent
Affordability of living
in Oshkosh and own or
rent
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
North of the
Fox River
South of the
Fox
River/East of
US Highway
41
South of the
Fox
River/West of
US Highway
41
Affordability of living
in Oshkosh and
location of residence
70% of respondents that rent
believe Oshkosh is an
affordable place to live
opposed to 59% of respondents
that own.
72% of respondents that live
south of the Fox River/West
of US Highway 41 believe
Oshkosh is an affordable
place to live.
36
Availability of entertainment/events
Comparing the availability of entertainment/events against age showed respondents under 60
rated this category in excellent and good 66% and over 60 at 58%. As income increased, so did
the satisfaction of availability of entertainment/events.
Quality of entertainment/events
The quality of entertainment/events followed the same trend as the availability of
entertainment/events. 66% of respondents under 60 rated the quality at excellent or good and
55% of respondents over 60 did the same. The opinion of the quality also increased as income
increased.
52%
54%
56%
58%
60%
62%
64%
66%
68%
Over 60 Under 60
Availability of
entertainment/events
and age
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Availability of
entertainment/events
and income
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Over 60 Under 60
Quality of
entertainment/events
and age
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Quality of
entertainment/events
and age
37
The City of Oshkosh is interested in any additional comments or suggestions
you may have regarding the city budget or city government. – Question 13
Each year the Oshkosh Citizens Survey has given its participants a chance to provide additional
written comments. Of the three hundred and twenty-eight respondents to the survey this year,
58% chose not to make any additional written comments, while 42% did provide additional
feedback. Over the past 5 years common themes have been identified in the written comments of
the survey:
2010 2011 2012 2013
Poor Road Conditions Poor Road Conditions Poor Road Conditions Poor Road Conditions
Business/Economic
Development
Business/Economic
Development
Business/Economic
Development
Business/Economic
Development
High Taxes High Taxes High Taxes High Taxes
*
Development of
Bike/Walking Paths
Development of
Bike/Walking Paths
Development of
Bike/Walking Paths
* Unknown if comments were made in 2010 regarding bike/walking paths.
2014 – Additional Comments
Included in the 2014 Citizen Survey responses for the City of Oshkosh were one hundred
and thirty-seven additional written comments. These comments varied in their content: some
were detailed in nature while others made generalizations, some were positive while others were
negative, and some respondents commented on only one concern while others commented on
several concerns.
The main themes for 2014 mirrored previous years. The topic with the most comments
this year was regarding the poor road conditions, with high taxes as a very close second. Even
though the issue of making Oshkosh a more bike friendly city did not make the top five themes
of this year, there were still many citizens who felt this issue, along with trail development, was
important.
As stated above, the city roads and infrastructure received the most comments. The
reconstruction of Main Street was brought up many times. Some comments were positive
regarding the change, but many felt it was not reconstructed appropriately. There were also
several remarks regarding the poor lighting on Main Street. Overall the citizens of Oshkosh
would like to see continued improvement in their roadways throughout the city.
High taxes were also a hot topic for the residents of Oshkosh. Many felt that their
property taxes were extremely high. It should also be noted that approximately 8% of the
38
respondents who made comments were also displeased with city charges such as: water, gas,
electric, recycling fees, etc. A few complained that obtaining building permits for simple
household repairs/improvements was unwarranted. There was also concern on how taxes were
spent in regards to the Oshkosh School System. Some respondents stated that there was not
enough money or support for education, while others commented that too much money was
going to the city’s educational system.
It should also be mentioned that some of the comments on high taxes was also linked to
comments regarding the high cost of living for senior citizens in the area. The lack of support
for the retirement community was another issue included in the top five themes of the survey.
Some raised concerns over the effects of high property taxes on the older residents of Oshkosh.
Others felt that Oshkosh would not be an ideal city to retire in and would like to see city
incentives geared towards senior citizens to make it more affordable. One respondent stated that
Oshkosh has “an older population that is unable to shop out of town,” and would like to see a
Kohl’s Department Store brought into the area.
Approximately 26% of the additional comments made were regarding the lack of
business/economic development combined with the possible misuse of the city budget. There
was an expectation from the City of Oshkosh survey respondents to bring in new businesses,
shopping and restaurants into the area, such as the example above of the Kohl’s department
store. People had many concerns regarding the lack of attention brought towards growing
business and economic development, although one person commended Oshkosh for the new
downtown hotel. Citizens also wanted to see more jobs created in Oshkosh. Respondents had
many doubts about how the city was handling the current budget and felt that there was a great
deal of waste. There was some unhappiness with the decision to build a new City Garage and
the fact that many buildings were being torn down instead of maintained or renovated. There
were others who also complained that nothing was being done about the Buckstaff property.
Concerns regarding public safety, police protection, and crime prevention made the top
five list of 2014. Uneasiness was expressed in the written survey results about the recent rise in
crime in Oshkosh and that there has not been enough police protection. The citizens of Oshkosh
want to feel safe in their community.
Other comments that can be found in the results are complaints about bus routes, unfair
overnight parking tickets, poor snow removal, city flooding, problems with traffic lights, and
39
lack of affordable entertainment. On the flip side, many also believed that Mark Rohloff and the
city employees were doing a great job and that improvement has been made over the past few
years. There were also many comments stating that the City of Oshkosh was wonderful to live in
and had much to offer. One person even felt that the city was extremely affordable and stated
Oshkosh is one of the upper Midwest “best kept secrets.”
40
The City will compare the demographics of the responding citizens to the
overall Census figures for Oshkosh. It is important to affirm that the
responding citizens represent the community. – Question 14
Household Demographic Information
Type of
Demographic
Demographic Breakdown Survey
Responses
Survey
Response
Percentage
s
US Census
2010
Percentages
Gender Male 188 57.3 51.2
Female 132 40.2 48.8
No Response 8 2.4 0
Age Under 60 178 54.3 58.4
Over 60 126 38.4 16.7
No Response 24 7.3 24.9
Marital
Status
Married 214 65.2 49.9
Not Married 83 25.3 33.4
Widowed 24 3 6.25
No Response 7 2.1 9
Time Lived
In Oshkosh
(in years)
5 or less 32 9.8 6.8
6 to 20 81 24.7 24
More than 20 208 63.4 67
No Response 7 2.1 2.2
Number of
Children
None 237 72.3 71
1 36 11.0 9.7
2 33 10.1 11.5
3 or More 16 4.9 5.7
No Response 6 1.8 2.1
Location of
Residence
North of Fox 134 40.9 42.7
South of Fox/East of 41 106 32.3 37.6
South of Fox/West of 41 74 22.6 14.3
No Response 14 4.3 5.4
Income Less than 24,999 33 10.1
25k to 49,999 69 21.0
50k to 74,999 78 23.8
75k to 99,999 54 16.5
100k to 149,999 46 14.0
More than 150k 23 7.0
No Response 24 7.3
Employment
Status
Employed Full Time 158 48.2 59
Employed Part Time 19 5.8 2.5
Self Employed 21 6.4 2.3
Presently Unemployed 8 2.4 3.8
41
Student 3 .9 1.1
Retired 109 33.2 37.3
No Response 10 3.0
Profession Homemaker 6 1.8 2.2
Service Occupations 21 6.4 9.7
Sales 22 6.7 4.7
Education 25 7.6 8.2
Professional/ Management 84 25.6 15.4
Farming/ Fishing/ Forestry 0 0 .4
Construction/ Maintenance 11 3.4 2.2
Production/Transportation 21 6.4 6.5
Other 28 8.5 10.4
No Response 109
Education Less than HS 5 1.5 12.6
HS/GED 73 22.3 36.1
Associates/Some College 88 26.8 6.6
Bachelors 100 30.5 15.3
Masters or Higher 53 16.2 7.2
No Response 9 2.7 22.3
Race White 308 93.9 90.5
Native Hawaiian 0 0 0
Hispanic or Latino 3 .9 2.7
Asian 3 .9 3.2
African-American 0 0 3.1
American Indian 1 .3 .8
Two or More Races 2 .6 1.7
Other 0 0 0
No Response 11 3.4
• Gender – The sample replying to the survey is representative of the population in
Oshkosh.
• Year Born – The response rate almost 54 percent of citizens are in a range of 18-60
years of age.
• Marital Status – The percentage of married respondents (65%) to the census population
(49.9%) data is higher which may result in different views on child related services,
public safety needs, and more vested interest in the community.
• Years Lived in Oshkosh – The percentage of individuals that have lived in Oshkosh for
over 20 years has the highest percentage of responses at 63 percent whereas those that
have live in the city 5 years or less has the lowest percentage of survey responses at 9.8
percent. Longer term residents may have more vested interest in the community overall.
42
• Number of Children – The number of respondents without children is at 72 percent of
those that responded which is fairly close to the census number of 71 percent.
• Location in City – In 2009 the percentage of survey respondents on both sides of the
river seem to be equal, but the 2014 survey indicates that more residents live south of the
Fox River at 54 percent.
• Household Income Level – In 2009 survey the lowest and highest income brackets are
disproportionately represented. This year’s survey shows that those two demographics
are still the lowest represented. Of the respondents 23 percent make between $50,000 and
$74,999.
• Employment Status – The survey results show that 48 percent work full time and that 33
percent are retired.
• Profession –There appears to be a higher response rate in this survey that indicate most
respondents work in the professional/management category.
• Level of Education – The overall education level of respondents indicate that most
residents have some college at 26.8 percent or a bachelor’s degree at 30.5 percent.
• Race – The majority of the participants in this survey were of white decent by 93.9
percent.
43
Appendix A – Internet Survey Results- 2014 – 189 Responses
1. Frequently of utilization of the following City services – percentages.
Frequency of City Services Daily Weekly Occasionally Seasonally Annually
Or Less
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 6.2 14.0 22.5 24.2 33.1
Lake Shore Golf Course 0 1.2 8.7 13.4 76.7
Pollock Aquatic Center 1.2 4.6 11.6 23.1 59.5
Leach Amphitheatre 0 7.2 35.6 29.4 27.8
Oshkosh Public Museum .6 1.1 38.4 5.1 54.8
Senior Services Center 0 3.6 12.6 1.2 82.6
Public Library Services .6 24.9 44.8 5.0 24.9
Police Services 1.8 0 21.8 1.8 74.7
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 1.2 0 7.3 .6 90.9
Emergency Medical Services
(ambulance) .6 0 3.6 .6 95.2
Building Permits and Inspections 0 1.2 9.0 2.4 87.3
Enforcement of Property
Maintenance/Nuisance Codes 0 2.5 8.6 1.2 87.7
City Parking Facilities Building 3.0 8.9 36.7 8.3 43.2
Community Media Cable TV, Radio,
Internet Services 3.6 7.8 28.7 .6
59.3
Transit System 5.4 4.8 13.2 1.8 74.9
Recycling Collection Services 3.3 68.9 13.3 4.4 10.0
Refuse Collection Service 1.7 68.7 5.0 5.0 19.6
Leaf and Brush Pick up 0 5.1 9.6 62.7 22.6
2. Funding of City services – percentages.
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neither
Agree/
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
No
Opinion
The City could reduce taxes and
maintain current services by being more
efficient.
28.3 29.5 13.3 14.5 11.6 2.9
The City should focus on reducing taxes
by pursuing grants (many of which
require local funding match)
21.1 35.4 24.0 10.9 4.0 4.6
The City should focus on reducing taxes
by increasing service fees and charges.
4.6 22.3 12.6 25.1 32.6 2.9
I will support an increase in taxes if it
would maintain or increase the services I
value.
22.3 34.9 11.4 7.4 22.3 1.7
3. How safe or unsafe you feel in your neighborhood after dark - percentages.
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafe Don’t Know
24.6 45.1 16.0 12.0 2.3 0
4. Were you or anyone in your household the victim of a crime – percentages.
Yes No
9.7 90.3
44
5. If “Yes”, did you report all of these crimes- percentages.
Yes No Don’t Know
55.6 38.9 5.6
6. Importance of services – percentages.
Importance of City Services Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Somewhat
Unimportant
Very
Unimportant
No Opinion/
Neutral
Community Services
Support for Neighborhood Revitalization
Programs
32.1 40.0 13.6 6.4 7.9
Oshkosh Public Museum 27.7 45.3 13.1 7.3 6.6
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet
Services
18.4 42.6 19.1 8.1 11.8
Public Library Services 64.0 25.2 5.0 3.6 2.2
Senior Services Center 36.8 41.2 2.2 2.9 16.9
Transit System 50.7 33.3 8.7 3.6 3.6
Appearance of City-Owned Buildings 31.1 40.7 16.3 5.9 5.9
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 42.8 38.4 7.2 7.2 4.3
Lake Shore Golf Course 6.8 22.6 21.1 27.8 28.1
Appearance of City Parks & Greenways 50.4 42.3 3.6 1.5 2.2
Pollock Aquatic Center 29.1 36.6 15.7 8.2 10.4
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 34.8 46.2 3.8 3.8 11.4
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 43.7 35.6 11.9 3.0 5.9
Building Permits and Inspections 26.2 50.8 12.3 3.1 7.7
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance
Codes
41.2 39.7 9.2 4.6 5.3
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 31.3 44.3 6.9 3.8 13.7
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 38.8 47.0 9.7 .7 3.7
Recycling Collection Services 68.9 28.0 .8 0 2.3
Refuse Collection Service 70.2 21.4 2.3 0 6.1
Protective Services
Police Services 87.3 10.4 1.5 .7 0
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 84.7 10.7 0 0 4.6
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 85.6 11.4 0 0 3.0
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 25.4 50.0 12.3 6.9 5.4
City’s Sidewalk System 48.1 39.7 7.6 3.1 1.5
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 77.2 19.1 2.9 0 .7
Traffic Signs and Signals 71.0 25.2 1.5 .8 1.5
Street Lighting 57.7 37.7 .8 3.1 .8
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 32.6 56.8 6.8 3.8 0
Street Repair 75.2 24.1 .8 0 0
Storm Drainage
Storm Drainage Systems 72.0 24.2 3.0 0 .8
45
7. Quality of service –percentages.
Importance of City Services Excellent
Quality
Good
Quality
Fair
Quality
Poor
Quality
Don’t
Know
Community Services
Support for Neighborhood Revitalization
Programs
4.7 22.5 34.1 15.5 23.3
Oshkosh Public Museum 22.0 48.8 18.7 2.4 8.1
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet
Services
11.2 31.7 31.7 5.8 19.2
Public Library Services 41.7 44.1 9.4 1.6 3.1
Senior Services Center 14.3 42.0 5.9 .8 37.0
Transit System 12.0 40.8 17.6 12.8 16.8
Appearance of City-Owned Buildings 4.1 46.7 39.3 4.9 4.9
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 6.5 48.4 25.0 7.3 12.9
Lake Shore Golf Course 5.3 28.1 21.1 .9 44.7
Appearance of City Parks & Greenways 10.7 53.3 27.0 6.6 2.5
Pollock Aquatic Center 20.5 35.9 15.4 3.4 24.8
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 4.4 20.4 25.7 10.6 38.9
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 4.2 21.2 33.1 17.8 23.7
Building Permits and Inspections 3.5 22.1 22.1 11.5 40.7
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance
Codes
4.4 23.0 25.7 21.2 25.7
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 7.0 28.1 21.9 8.8 34.2
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 16.0 50.4 22.7 3.4 7.6
Recycling Collection Services 42.9 44.5 10.1 0 2.5
Refuse Collection Service 39.0 42.4 9.3 0 9.3
Protective Services
Police Services 31.9 42.9 20.2 .8 4.2
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 32.7 37.2 8.0 0 22.1
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 36.5 39.1 6.1 0 18.3
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 5.2 31.9 32.8 12.1 18.1
City’s Sidewalk System 6.0 41.9 41.9 9.4 .9
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 13.1 36.1 27.0 23.0 .8
Traffic Signs and Signals 17.1 57.3 20.5 3.4 1.7
Street Lighting 9.3 55.9 26.3 7.6 .8
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 6.7 49.6 31.9 8.4 3.4
Street Repair 4.1 19.0 38.0 38.8 0
Storm Drainage
Storm Drainage Systems 4.1 37.7 40.2 14.8 3.3
46
8. and 9. – Budgeting Priorities - Dollars
Extra $1
million
Reduce $1
million
Net
Increase or
(Decrease)
Community Services $88,944 $137,922 ($44,647)
Economic Development $153,717 $159,312 ($10,823)
Refuse and Recycling $36,672 $75,195 ($48,296
Finance and Administration $30,763 $280,558 ($258,877)
Police Protection $113,035 $65,260 $55,893
Fire Suppression/ Prevention $86,104 $55,844 $32,650
Parks $102,183 $117,338 ($15,593)
Storm Water Maintenance $129,797 $58,831 $75,420
Road Maintenance $258,785 $49,740 $214,272
10. Do you believe the City should relocate more utility lines (i.e. electrical, cable, phone)
underground - percentages?
Yes No
64.8 35.2
11. How much of an annual property tax increase would you be willing to incur to move utilities
underground? Assume a $100,000 valued house.
$0 $25 $50 $75 $100 $125 $150
50 – 42.7% 30 – 25.6% 22 – 18.8% 5 – 4.3% 1 - .9% 0 – 0% 9 – 7.7%
12. How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City results –percentages:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
No
Opinion
Oshkosh as a place to live? 15.7 52.8 26.0 3.9 1.6
Feeling a part of the community? 14.3 40.5 30.2 11.9 3.2
Your neighborhood as a place to live? 28.3 43.3 17.3 9.4 1.6
Oshkosh as a place to raise children? 19.5 48.4 21.9 7.8 2.4
Oshkosh as a place to retire? 11.9 25.4 25.4 31.7 5.6
Community openness and acceptance of diversity? 7.2 32.0 32.8 22.4 5.6
The overall quality of life in Oshkosh? 11.9 54.8 28.6 4.0 0.8
Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly city? 9.6 40.8 38.4 5.6 5.6
Oshkosh as a place to work? 8.7 34.9 36.5 16.7 3.2
The direction Oshkosh is moving for the future? 6.4 28.0 36.0 20.0 9.6
Affordability of living in Oshkosh? 11.1 45.2 31.7 11.1 0.8
Availability of entertainment/events? 24.6 35.7 27.8 11.1 0.8
The quality of entertainment/events? 21.6 36.8 28.0 12.0 1.6
47
Question 14 – Analysis of Survey Demographic Results
Survey Survey
Results %
Gender Male 65 34.2
Female 64 33.7
Missing 61 32.1
Year Born 18 to 60 89 47.1
Over 60 32 16.9
Missing 68 36.0
Marital Status Married 92 48.4
Not Married 33 17.4
Widowed 2 1.1
Missing 63 33.2
Time Lived in 5 or less 10 5.3
Oshkosh 6 to 20 29 15.3
>20 87 45.8
Missing 64 34.0
Own or Rent Own 106 55.8
Rent 20 10.5
Missing 64 33.7
Number of None 77 40.5
Children 1 0 0
2 27 14.2
3 or More 7 3.7
Missing 79 41.6
Place of North of Fox 60 31.6
Residence South of Fox/East of 41 43 22.6
South of Fox/West of 41 24 12.6
Missing 63 33.2
Income Under 24,999 10 5.3
25k to 49,999 37 19.5
50k to 74,999 30 15.8
75k to 99,999 22 11.6
Over 100k 19 10.0
Missing 69 36.3
Employment Employed Full Time 76 40.0
Status Employed Part Time 13 6.8
Self Employed 3 1.6
Presently Unemployed 9 4.7
Student 2 1.1
Retired 24 12.6
Missing 63 33.2
Occupation Homemaker 7 3.7
Service Occupations 7 3.7
Sales 9 4.7
Education 10 5.3
Professional Management 34 17.9
Farming, Fishing, or Forestry 0 0
Construction, Maintenance 7 3.7
Production/Transportation 9 4.7
Other 19 10.0
48
Missing 88 46.3
Education Less than HS 0 0
HS/GED 28 14.7
Associates/Some College 38 20.0
Bachelors 48 25.3
Masters or higher 14 7.4
Missing 62 32.6
Race White 122 64.2
Native Hawaiian 0 0
Hispanic or Latino 1 .5
Asian 0 0
African-American 2 1.1
American Indian 0 0
Two or More Races 0 0
Other 2 1.1
Missing 63 33.2