By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As the Town of Essex has been working with PSD Citywide to meet the Provincial requirements for establishing a new Asset Management Plan (AMP) – a document that identifies the current practices and strategies that are in place to manage public infrastructure – Administration wanted to obtain public feedback with regards to asset management and levels of services provided by the Town.
Even though collecting public feedback is not required, “The objective was to ensure that the Town’s asset management plan is relative to the needs and wants of the community, and that public feedback could be considered in the development of potential funding strategies,” Erica Tilley, Assistant Manager of Capital Works and Asset Management, explained to Essex Council at the November 17 meeting.
A survey was available to members of the public to fill out over a three-week period in June, and 136 residents fully responded with their thoughts, concerns, opinions, and ideas; answering the questionnaire in its entirety. An additional 76 partially completed the survey.
The survey had 13 questions, each targeted to obtain resident background information, public perception on the condition and reliability of Town assets, taxation, increase related to level of service, and other general feedback, Tilley said.
Generally, feedback was positive, she relayed to members of Essex Council.
The top three categories to which respondents wanted the Town to focus funding were well maintained roads at 23%, reliable utilities (such as drinking water and sewage) at 19%, and flood resiliency and emergency service facilities each at 13%.
“The data aligns with the Town of Essex’s current Asset Management Plan that outlines a need to focus on funding on the core assets of road networks, water network, sanitary sewer network, and storm water network,” Tilley said.
When asked to rank a list of categories as to what makes Essex a great place to live, respondents indicated the majority of those categories were equally important. That included community safety, outdoor open space, parks, trails, availability of employment, safe and well-maintained roads, moderate tax increases, connectivity to urban centres, and recreation or sports facilities.
The majority of respondents also indicated they like the current service levels maintained when it comes to extracurricular programs, maintenance of public property, winter control, utilities and billing, emergency services, and by-law enforcement.
Tilley added the final question asked respondents if they would be willing to accept a taxation increase to ensure the Town’s assets are maintained and replaced in a timely manner. Of the respondents, 36% indicated they would be okay with that, while 50% indicated they would not. The remaining noted they were unsure.
The information collected through the survey was mainly from respondents in Ward One at 46%. Of the respondents, 41% were over the age of 65. So, that may not represent the opinions of the Town of Essex as a whole, Tilley cautioned.
The survey results, she added, will be forwarded to PSD Citywide to incorporate into the developing 2025 Asset Management Plan. Even though there were not a ton of responses, Mayor Sherry Bondy liked the respondents’ priorities aligned with what the Town is doing.
“I also thought it was interesting on how residents don’t want to pay more for the same services, even though everything costs more in our daily lives,” she added.
Council received the public engagement results.
