BOARD00098 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 1/23/2007
• Description: OWCDP Section - Water Efficiency Grant Request from the Douglas County Water Resource Authority
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Douglas County perceives citizen opinion regarding water,
particularly their view of the County's leadership role - in addition to
the outcome of a recent County-hosted Water Summit as somewhat
of a mandate for Douglas County to take on a leadership role in
water conservation public education.

The survey by Hill Research Associates was conducted on April 22-
24 2006 with 601 Douglas County residents, who are also registered
voters in the County. The survey was performed to help Douglas
County better determine citizen perceptions of county government,
to establish a baseline database on a wide range of subjects, and to
get input regarding citizen priorities. The survey will be updated
annually to benchmark citizen perceptions on County government
performance.

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While citizens generally gave high marks to Douglas County, the
survey did reveal specific areas in which the County and life in
Douglas County are perceived as needing improvement. Thirty two
(32) percent of voters perceive that county lacks an effective long-
term plan for management of the county's future. Fifty (50) percent
believe County residents have too few opportunities to express their
views to decision-makers about local issues and policies. Fifty four
(54) percent agree with the statement, "Douglas County seems to
lack a sense of community, nand 64 percent agree with the following
statement: "There are so many different local governments and
special districts providing different services in Douglas County that it
is often difficult to know who or where to call for assistance."

On a positive note, voters see Douglas County as a good place to
raise a family (97%), a safe place to live and work (98%), perceive
that the County spends tax dollars wisely (64%), and believe that
County regulations are protecting "quality of life" in the County
(77%). More than 80% agree with the statement that Douglas
County has a historical legacy worth preserving and protecting. '

Community Outreach

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1. Media Relations and Publicitv- The Douglas County office of
Public Affairs maintains a strong working relationship with the staff of
five Douglas County distributed weekly newspapers (Lone Tree
Voice, Highlands Ranch Herald, Parker Chronicle, Castle Rock
News Press, Douglas County News Press), the Douglas County
bureaus and gardening writers of the Denver Post and Rocky
Mountain News as well as their weekly community newspapers
YourHub. Two staff, including the director, engage in the proactive
placement of news and feature stories weekly. Additionally the staff