Dublin residents aren’t shy when it comes to sharing positive comments about their city. In fact, in a recent National Citizen Survey, Dublin received a service quality rating that was in the top three among all eligible jurisdictions in 2012. Dublin was one of 12 communities with the highest-rated services.
“I give Dublin a grade ‘A’ in everything they do,” says Michelle Holden, now a Tartan Ridge resident who was asked to comment on the quality of services she and her family enjoy in the City. “We love the swimming pools, the rec center … and there’s a park for pretty much every single subdivision.”
Holden’s comments were echoed by Tom Oleksa, a retiree who lives with his wife, Beverly, in Muirfield Village.
“We’re very proud to say we live in Dublin,” he says. “The police protection is, without a doubt, the best I’ve seen in a long time.”
Oleksa says he knew of Dublin’s reputation before he and his wife moved to the City 12 years ago. “I knew Dublin was a great place to live,” he says. “I knew right away where I wanted to move.”
Holden and her husband Mike, who are the parents of children, ages 2, 6 and 8, first moved to Dublin’s Westbury neighborhood from Clintonville about a dozen years ago. “Once we made the decision, we fell more and more in love with everything Dublin has to offer,” she says.
During the winter months, Holden says her husband, who works in Columbus, frequently comments on the fact that Dublin streets are plowed before Interstate 270.
Comments like those from Holden and Oleksa validate what residents who were chosen at random had to say in the National Citizen Survey. The City participated in the survey in 2009 and again in 2012. The idea is to get feedback on City services, overall appearance, and image and reputation of Dublin.
The results are used by staff to determine satisfaction with community amenities and government services. The information also helps City Council when it is setting policy and determining community priorities, and assists City administration in planning, allocating resources and improving programs. It also sets the benchmark for performance and provides a comparison with other communities nationwide.
As a result of the 2012 survey, the City of Dublin was honored with nine Voice of the People Awards for Excellence from the International City/County Management Association – more than any other city annual conference in Boston in September.
Dublin was recognized for:
- Recycling services,
- Refuse collection,
- Police services,
- Fire services (provided by Washington Township),
- Parks,
- Recreation programs,
- Street repair,
- Code enforcement, and
- Overall quality of city services.
In addition to the National Citizen Survey, the City of Dublin conducts a Community Attitudes Survey every three years. In the Community Attitudes Survey conducted in 2013, 98 percent of respondents said Dublin is an excellent or good place to live and 94 percent said they consider Dublin an excellent or good place to work. In the National Citizen Survey, 98 percent of residents also rated the City as an excellent or good place to live.
