Please take the City of Reno's Community Survey today!

The City will use your responses to help determine future priorities and policies.

Thanks to the quirks of the April and May calendars, there are, amazingly, no regularly scheduled City of Reno meetings the week of April 28th. I know, I’m as shocked as you are!

I’ll be sending out another Brief in a few days with my usual updates, analysis, and the latest news, but for today, my sole goal is to persuade you to take part in the City of Reno’s online Community Survey, since you only have until Wednesday, April 30th to do it and it’s an important one.

I’ve mentioned this survey before, and now you have just four more days to participate. That means now is the time to click on this link and complete the survey.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to take part.

The City is using this survey to help them set priorities and make decisions for the next five years. They will be sharing the results this summer, and I guarantee that they will be using graphics of the aggregated responses to represent how residents are feeling about the range of issues covered by it.

As an engaged reader of the Brief, I know that you want to be one of those residents!

It’s easy to do. It’s multiple choice. It should take 15-20 minutes to complete. It may take less, depending on how fast you are. But I urge you to take your time and be extremely thoughtful in your responses, to make sure they truly reflect how you feel.

Why? Because it covers SO many important topics.

For instance, you’re asked to rank Reno in terms of its status as a place to work, to live, to support your economic growth and success, to raise a family, to retire, to visit, to vacation, to run a business, to feel a sense of belonging, and to travel by walking, by micromobility options, by car, and by public transportation.

Don’t you want the City to know how you feel about all of that?

It also asks you to rank these things:

• the overall quality of services provided by the City of Reno and your ability to access them

• the overall quality of police services, fire services, 911 services, prevention of local crime/neighborhood safety, City parks, City recreation facilities, special events & recreation programs

• the overall quality of maintenance of City-owned buildings, streets and sidewalks; sewer and stormwater management; enforcement of City codes and parking; traffic flow and congestion management

• the overall quality of downtown Reno

• the overall quality of customer service from City employees; your ability to report an issue in your neighborhood/community; and your familiarity with Reno Direct.

Got opinions on any of that? This is your chance to let the City know!

Here’s another important one: It asks you to select the top three City of Reno government services that are most important to you, out of these ten options (you can also select Don’t Know or Refuse to Answer, here and elsewhere):

• Providing emergency response services like fire, dispatch, and ambulance.

• Providing a police presence to prevent local crime and improve neighborhood safety.

• Maintaining and improving parks and access to open space.

• Providing community events and opportunities like recreation leagues, cultural celebrations, and parades.

• Maintaining and improving public infrastructure including buildings, streets, sewers, and sidewalks.

• Enforcing City codes, ordinances, and laws related to building safety, blight, or nuisance.

• Managing traffic flow, congestion, and speeding zones on major Reno streets.

• Creating more job opportunities and supporting local businesses across the city.

• Enhancing community engagement opportunities for residents to contribute to the City’s vision and decision-making.

• Maintaining a vibrant downtown for residents, community members, and visitors.

Those answers will no doubt be used to help determine priorities for City budgeting, and you know you care about that!

Under “Strategic Direction,” you’re asked to select up to three areas that you’d most like the City of Reno to prioritize and improve, out of these options:

• Maintaining the current levels of public safety services (police, fire, dispatch).

• Managing the City’s budget.

• Building new community amenities such as playgrounds, splash pads, picnic shelters, or walking trails.

• Building new and retaining existing housing options in the region.

• Encouraging new businesses and supporting existing businesses.

• Maintaining and improving public infrastructure including sewer, publicly owned buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parks.

• Providing services to individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

• Preserving and protecting our natural environment, including the Truckee River.

• Improving opportunities for the public to engage with its local government.

• Collaborating with new and growing industries and bringing them to Reno.

• Having a vibrant and welcoming downtown.

Have I convinced you to participate yet?

Next are some questions about Civic Engagement, like these:

• Did you vote in the last local election?

• In the past six months, have you attended or watched a public meeting? Served or applied to serve on a City board or commission? Applied for or participated in the Reno Constituents Institute? Contacted or visited a public official? Volunteered for a City event?

• In the past year, have you attended City-sponsored activities (there’s a list)?

It then asks you to select the top three engagement activities you’d like to see more of in Reno, from these options:

• Special events (Flicks on the Bricks, Dancing on the River, etc.)

• Cultural and heritage celebrations events (Black History, Hispanic Heritage, etc.)

• Recreation activities (kickball, volleyball, aquatic classes, yoga, etc.)

• Senior engagement activities (technology classes, cooking classes, etc.)

• Before and after-school programs (Sierra Kids)

Don’t you want the City to know your preferences regarding which of those types of activities they should plan to offer and fund?

It then asks what barriers, if any, keep you from attending City events and activities or from engaging with the City of Reno (again, there’s a list of options).

I know that as a reader of the Brief, you care about this next set of questions:

It asks how well-informed you think you are about what the City is doing to provide services to people who live here; where you currently get information about City of Reno programs and services; what communication channels you prefer to stay informed and updated by City government (like social media, mail, emails, or texts), and how you feel about clarity and accessibility of language and language services.

It then collects some information about demographics and socioeconomic status and all responses are anonymous.

So that’s it. It’s 63 questions total, and they all just require you to click a few circles. You can also write in an answer to the question “Is there anything else you would like the City Government to focus on in the next five years?”

And I know you have some opinions about that!

The City of Reno has invited organizations to identify themselves as community partners of this survey, and their logos appear on the survey webpage. The intent there seems to be to demonstrate that these organization support the process and have helped to disseminate the survey to their memberships. I’m sure the City will use them to demonstrate broad community participation in this survey, and you want to make sure that you were part of it.

In fact, there’s no time like the present. Why not do it right now, while you’re thinking about it?

You’ll find the link to the community survey here.

It is available in multiple languages, and you can also request interpretation services and even a print version of the survey by consulting the informational survey webpage, which also has contact info for additional accommodations or questions.

Once you’ve completed the survey, pat yourself on the back for being a good citizen, and enjoy the rest of your weekend! I’ll be back in touch with another Brief soon.

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Be sure to check out my Citizen Guide for helpful resources and links to help anyone become more informed and engaged in issues related to urban development (& more) in Reno.

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You can view this and prior newsletters on my Substack site, subscribe to receive each new edition in your email inbox, and follow the Brief (and contribute to the ongoing conversation) on X, Facebook & Instagram. If you feel inspired to contribute, you may purchase a paid subscription through Substack or contribute via Venmo at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510.