Western-Star.com

If Lebanon were a student, city residents would give it a "A."

Results from the city's 2006 customer satisfaction survey show most city residents polled are happy with city services, fire and police protection

and the city's parks and recreation

programs.

Of the 35 aspects the city asked about, pavement condition was the only category to receive a satisfaction rating below 50 percent.

The city received 788 replies to the survey, which was sent to 2,500 residents in May. The margin of error is about 4 percent.

Pavement conditions have proven to be a persistent low point in the survey, which was also sent out in 2003 and 2004, but the satisfaction rate in that area has dropped from 52 percent to 38 percent since 2004.

City Manager Pat Clements said underground utility work that disrupted traffic on Columbus and Cincinnati avenues and Broadway, and the additional attention road conditions received from city council and the city's newsletter, may be partially responsible for the drop in satisfaction.

The state will begin repaving Ohio 48, 63 and 123 and U.S. 42 in spring 2007 and expects to finish its work in Lebanon July 18. The boom in utility work this year was necessary for the completion of all underground work before the state begins repaving.

The city's improvement plan contains $4.9 million in projects slated for 2007, including more than $500,000 for road resurfacing and major projects on Orchard Avenue, Justice Drive and Silver Street. Even with those projects, the report estimates the city's road maintenance program is 50 percent underfunded.

A shift in the way the city apportions tax revenues next year should allow the city to direct more money to roads, Clements said.

Lebanon's utility rates were the only other area the survey asked about that saw a double-digit drop in satisfaction — from 74 percent in 2004 to 58 percent this year. The city raised sewer rates in December, and telecom subcribers saw their rates jump in January.

Even with the increases, Lebanon's utility rates remain comparable to rates charged in other cities.

Lebanon Councilman Jeff Monroe said city council will use the survey results when deciding which areas need more attention. Council indicated in its own survey that parks and recreation need to be higher priorities; residents gave parks and recreation 90 and 85 percent approval ratings, respectively.

Monroe said he was pleased with the overall response.

"Any local government that gets rated as high as this one does —it's a good thing," Monroe said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4527 or dwells@coxohio.com.