2016/09/14 - Walter's Blog: Safety, Schools, and Quality of Life

Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton

September 14, 2016

I would like to think that people move to O’Fallon because of the city administrator, but we all know that is not true. Our research shows that people live in O’Fallon because of safety, schools, and quality of life. The results from our recent Citizen Survey indicate that O’Fallon residents are satisfied in all three areas.

Safety

As I mentioned in a previous blog, O’Fallon residents feel safe in their community and strongly support the Police Department. Here are some the ratings from the survey:

  • 94% rate the Police Department as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 97% feel safe in their neighborhood.
  • 96% feel safe in Downtown O’Fallon.
  • 90% have an overall feeling of safety in O’Fallon.
  • 93% said they were not a victim of a crime in the last 12 months.

These high ratings were consistent in all demographic groups and in all areas of the community. In fact, safety ratings were slightly higher among non-white respondents than “White/non-Hispanic” respondents.

Schools

O’Fallon has long been known for having great public schools and the survey results support their strong reputation:

  • 91% rate K-12 education as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 74% rate child care/preschool as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 81% rate education and enrichment opportunities as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 96% of residents rate O’Fallon as a good place to raise children.

The city government does not have any authority over O’Fallon’s public schools, but the schools have a direct effect on the growth of the community. It has been shown nationwide that strong and vibrant communities often contain strong public schools. Mayor Graham and the City Council are well aware of this and support for our local school districts is included in the City’s Strategic Plan.

Quality of Life

This is a broad category but includes all of the intangibles that make for a great community: parks, libraries, appearance, sense of community, neighborliness, etc. The Citizen Survey report states that “Almost all residents rated the quality of life in O’Fallon as excellent or good” and “almost all said that the city was an excellent or good place to live.” The survey results show widespread satisfaction with all Quality of Life indicators:

  • 96% rate O’Fallon as a good place to live.
  • 90% rate the overall image of O’Fallon as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 88% rate their neighborhood as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 79% rate recreational opportunities as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 93% rate City parks as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 86% rate the Public Library as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 74% rate O’Fallon’s sense of community as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 94% would recommend O’Fallon to someone who asked.

In the end, the Citizen Survey report concluded that O’Fallon residents enjoy a high quality of life, value and appreciate a high level of safety, and support their public schools. It is no wonder that O’Fallon is frequently named by objective sources as a great place to live. We are pleased that residents enjoy O’Fallon and it provides a challenge for us to continue to provide outstanding services to meet those expectations.