2006 Clay County Economic Development Strategic Planning Survey

The Clay Country Economic Development Strategic Plan Survey was prepared during 2006. Our goal from the beginning was to expose all residents of Clay County to the survey in order to obtain an accurate overview of community and community values and interests. It was printed in Clay County newspapers in November. In addition to the insert in the papers, copies were available throughout the community for household use. There were also announcements on the local radio station.

There were drop boxes throughout the county for completed surveys. The residents also had the option of mailing the completed surveys to the EDG office. A total of 439 surveys were returned. We were pleased with the survey return and felt that it represented all areas of the county.

The survey was designed as a series of 52 statements or questions that solicited answers ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. In between, there were additional possibilities; “agree”, “neutral” and “disagree”.

In addition, there were five questions at the end of the survey that asked for additional insights, suggestions and observations. The surveys were related to the specific community in which the respondent resides. While we chose to look at the total for insight and guidance in strategic planning, the individual community totals are available for community planners. It allows specific insight into the thoughts and ideas of the residents.

It was interesting to see that the entire county was interested in the survey. Residents mentioned it in conversations at the coffee shop, on the street and in casual conversation. The interest level was significant and people seemed to like the opportunity to participate and to share their perceptions.

The answers to the first 52 questions are included with this report. They are grouped under each heading. The first figure is the consolidated total for the entire county and the second is the Clay Center total. That is, in question 1, under the strongly agree choice the total for the county is 262 and for Clay Center it is 178.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the major thoughts and trends of the respondents, we have prepared two separate listings. The first lists the ten most popular positive responses to the questions. The second list notes the most negative responses to the questions. The “positive responses” show the total of the “strongly agree” and “agree” columns. The negative listing shows the total of “strongly disagree” and “disagree” responses to those questions. It is shown with the relationship between the positive reaction (first number) to the negative number (second number).

A. Positive reactions to survey questions:

(Ranking followed by the statement number, the statement and the total times it was mentioned.)

1. Home-grown businesses should be supported. 414

14. Drug abuse needs to be more adequately addressed. 401

3. We need to retain our youth in the county. 392

2. Clay County has a shortage of good jobs. 361

28. I feel safe where I live. 344

22. Quality health care is available. 340

35. Residents have good access to quality health care. 331

50. New and expanding industries that create new jobs should be afforded the opportunity to take advantage of tax exemptions. 298

4. Clay County offers a quality educational system. 293

8. There is a shortage of good restaurants. 292

B. Negative reactions to survey questions:

(Ranking followed by the statement number, the statement and the responses. First number is the positive response and the second is the negative number.)

21. City streets are well maintained. 129-233

29. Good employment opportunities are available for residents. 70-214

43. My community has sufficient incentives to attract new businesses and industries. 70-181

45. We have sufficient incentives to encourage additional retail businesses to locate here. 71-197

44. We have sufficient incentives to encourage existing local businesses to expand here. 102-181

42. Clay County has sufficient incentives to attract new businesses and industries. 103-179

39. Qualified community leaders are likely to run for elected office. 136-165

38. Residents have confidence in their community leaders. 127-164

34. Residents have choices of adequate and affordable housing. 141-154

36. Residents have adequate leisure and recreational opportunities. 157-143

Summary of the narrative questions 53 through 57 follows:

1. Question 53: List three things that you like most about living in Clay County.

This broad question received an amazing number of responses. It is clear that Clay County residents are proud of their community, like living here and see many positives about it. Our community is seen as a great, friendly community of agreeable size, in a great location with access to other communities. Residents like the churches, parks and trees, and they are very happy with the medical and educational system. There is a general appreciation of the community and a positive attitude about it.

2. Question 54: List three things that you would like to see changed about Clay County.

Again we had very heavy response to this question. There is a wide variety of things that people would like to see changed. The following is a list by priority of votes on the areas receiving the most mentions.

Street repairs

Government: changes in city and county government

Business: additional businesses located here with significant mention of food service and a lumber yard

Police: various suggestions about the department

Jobs: desire for more jobs and better pay

Clean up: concern about the need for cleanup in the community and the entrances to Clay Center

Swimming Pool: interest in a new swimming pool

Drugs: significant concern about the local drug problem

Taxes: concern about increasing taxes

Housing: impression of the need for additional/affordable housing in Clay County

3. Question 55: What do you think are Clay County’s greatest opportunities?

There were a varied number of responses to this question. With a few exceptions, the responses were very positive and optimistic. The first two priorities are well above the others in the number of responses. The first area of opportunity, support of business, was five times more frequently mentioned than the eighth item, retirement community.

Business growth: support existing businesses and work to attract new firms to the community, both retail and manufacturing, resulting in additional job opportunities

Education: strong support of our school system and the quality of education with interest in expanding local educational opportunities, including a vo-tech

Medical Facilities/Care: appreciation of the quality of care and the facilities that we have

Fort Riley: expansion of Fort Riley seen as an opportunity for increased number of residents in the county

Recreational: local recreational opportunities seen as strong and an attraction for hunting, lakes

Housing: expansion of housing seen as an opportunity with Fort expansion and increased business activity

Churches: appreciation of the variety and number of churches in the county

Retirement Community: Clay County seen as an area with appeal for retirees

While not in the same quantity as the above items, there were a number of mentions of additional items: importance of youth, our location, a good place to live, good, friendly folks, quality of life

4. Question 56: What do you think Clay County’s greatest threat is?

Again we see a great variety of responses to this question. However, there is a major agreement that the number one problem is drugs and problems related to use, prevention and the threat drug use poses to our community. The number of responses that indicate a drug problem is nearly three times greater than the second item, apathy, in the listing.

Drugs: concern and perception of extensive use, and manufacturing (meth) without adequate prevention

Apathy, lack of vision, indifference: concern that the entire community is lacking in these qualities

(Tie) Lack of Jobs: concern that the lack of jobs is reducing population and causing a migration of people, particularity youth, out of the community

(Tie) Government: a perception that the city and county government are not addressing the problems and opportunities for the community

Cost of Living: concern over the increasing cost of gasoline, utilities, taxes and rent

Out of Town Shopping: the belief that we are losing a significant amount of the shopping dollar to this

Loss of Youth: our young people are leaving the community for job and career opportunity

Loss of Business: concern over empty store fronts in the community due to closed businesses

5. Question 57: Any other comments you would like to make would be appreciated!

This question generated a number of comments and suggestions. There are some very positive observations about Clay County as well as some helpful suggestions. There are also some that are negative about certain aspects of the community. There are pages of these comments and it would be very difficult to summarize them other than the above statement. However, it does appear that the majority of the comments are covered in the first group of 52 questions as well as the summary statements developed in questions 53 through 56.

In Conclusion

This survey has been an excellent opportunity for residents of Clay County to share their thoughts, perceptions, dreams and concerns. Our challenge in the community is to be aware of them and to react when possible to resolve concerns that have an impact on the future of the community.

The role of the Clay County Economic Development Group has been to assemble this survey, to publicize the survey, and to collect and consolidate the data into a useful form. This report is a consolidation of all of the many pages of replies. The detailed responses are available to government entities should they wish to read them.

We believe that the challenge in the community is for those organizations and segments of the community that have an impact on the areas of concern in the community to be aware of them. We further suggest that these entities select one or two of the items in their area of oversight and attempt to respond to the community’s concern. We would like to revisit these projects one year from this time to evaluate the progress and make a follow-up report to the community.

It seems critical that we use this valuable tool to guide activities and efforts within the community. Suggestions that are sincere and well intended can offer future opportunity and improvement of the life in the community. It is also a sincere response to the participants that took the time to participate in this survey.

It seems that the following quotation may be of assistance as we look to the future:

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

This quotation is attributed to Amelia Earhart. While we can admire her tenacity and philosophy, it also suggests that we need to carefully evaluate our decisions to make sure we know where we are going and where we will be landing.