Oswego trustees recently reviewed results of a community survey conducted last winter.
The survey process is intended to gather information to improve municipal services and help guide long-range planning as well as respond to the needs of the community, officials said.
This is the fourth survey administered for Oswego by ETC Institute. Previous surveys in the village were done in 2023, 2018 and 2016, according to Oswego officials.
The Kansas-based ETC Institute is a marketing research firm that specializes in community surveys for government entities.
The survey was mailed to a random sample of households within the municipal border of the village. Residents could either return their survey by mail or complete one online.
The survey generated 606 responses, ETC Institute Director of Community Research Jason Morado said.
The primary goal of the survey was to get an objective assessment of how satisfied residents are with village services and what they view as the top priority of the community. The analysis can compare Oswego with other communities across the country as well, the consultant said.
“We found residents have a very positive perception of the village – 88% of respondents rated Oswego as an excellent place to raise children and 87% rated Oswego as an excellent place to live,” Morado said.
“We also found the village is moving in the right direction. Satisfaction ratings have increased in 68 of 113 areas since your last survey two years ago in 2023,” Morado said.
Compared to survey results in 2018, the satisfaction ratings increased in 71 out of 113 areas since 2018.
“We have seen an overall increase in satisfaction both short-term and long-term,” he said.
Satisfaction concerning village services is higher than in other communities as well, Morado said. The village is above the national average in 55 out of 60 areas, Morado said.
Satisfaction with the overall quality of village services is 20% above the U.S. average, he said.
One of the areas Oswego rated the furthest above the national average was customer service from village employees. The ratings were 39% above the national average, he said.
The overall quality of police and fire district services, local ambulance service, library services and feelings of safety in the village were among the areas that received high ratings.
Areas of new development in the village, availability of affordable housing, job availability and transportation options received low ratings on a scale of one to five, Morado said.
Overall flow of traffic and congestion management received low satisfaction ratings.
“This is typical for a fast-growing community,” Morado said.
While the survey shows high ratings for overall municipal services, Village President Ryan Kauffman acknowledged traffic improvements remain on Village Hall’s radar.
“We do have our work cut out for us because traffic is a problem – we know that and see that. Residents reach out to us about traffic all of the time,” Kauffman said.
For a community as rapidly growing as Oswego, traffic will continue to be an issue, however, strides have been made, officials said. One of the primary solutions is the widening of Wolfs Crossing to five lanes, he said.
“That will decrease some of the burden on Route 34,” he said. “Our message to the community is that we hear you and we are working on it.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
