Marin County Launches New Community Survey

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Marin County is preparing to send out a community survey for the first time since 2019, designed to guide the Board of Supervisors as they craft their approach and priorities for the next five years.

In the next few days, the county will mail the surveys to 4,500 randomly selected households, but everyone will have a chance to participate online next month. All responses are anonymous.

According to the county, the survey will include questions about the quality of life, government policies and demographics. Residents will also be asked to rate local services and identify their top priorities, including emergency preparedness, affordable housing, and infrastructure topics.

"It's important to the Board of Supervisors to ask residents for their opinion on county services and their quality of life in Marin," said Stephanie Moulton-Peters, the board's president. "This is an opportunity to hear how our residents are doing and how things are working in our communities to help us make decisions. Every voice matters."

Officials said the last survey helped the board confirm its priorities and budget strategy, including the development of Measure C in response to residents' interest in emergency and wildfire preparedness.

"We expect to receive information from the survey that allows us to compare our results prior to COVID and to other communities nationwide," said Jennifer Gates, a manager at the County Administrator's Office. "We want to understand the needs of our communities, and the best way to do that is by talking to our customers."

The Polco National Research Center will conduct the survey, and the households selected for early participation can expect to see postcards in the mail sometime next week. Results will be posted publicly in late summer.