While there was overall high satisfaction levels in the recently concluded 2023 Scarborough Community Survey, there are areas of concern and dissatisfaction among residents. The survey, administered by the ETC Institute for Scarborough, aimed to gauge public opinion on various aspects of community life.
One significant area of concern highlighted by the survey is the pace of growth and development in the town. A notable 74% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the speed of single-family residential development, deeming it “much too fast/too fast.” Additionally, 61% were dissatisfied with the perceived slow pace of redevelopment of abandoned or under-utilized properties.
When asked about the most significant issues Scarborough will face over the next five years, 77% of respondents pointed to the pace of community growth and expansion. Affordability of town services (and the effect on property taxes) followed closely behind at 69%; affordable housing garnered 41% of responses.
The survey also revealed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of town management. For instance, 40% of respondents expressed being very dissatisfied with how the town is managing residential growth.
Councilor Don Hamill said he was concerned with these findings. The council needs to address these issues promptly,he said, and there is much work to be done. “What really struck me was when I looked at the areas of dissatisfaction. I know that we have a high level of satisfaction with services but, if you read through this it seems to imply people are concerned about the sustainability, you know, our ability to continue to provide services that would be affordable and that will be available to people who may be interested in aging out in Scarborough. So, I was really struck by that, I don’t think we moved the needle at all on that over the past several years.”
Several council members, including Councilor Jon Anderson said they were disappointed in the perceived decline with the quality of elected officials and leadership. He said there was also a disconnect between public satisfaction with services and the perceived value of taxes, “They are very satisfied with the services, but then the questions around the perception of value that they receive for their taxes; those are in conflict to me.” Public input on potential service cuts is needed, Anderson said, and stressed the importance of better communication regarding the value of tax dollars, especially in highlighting the impact of previous investments on the community. Looking ahead to the 2025 budget, Anderson said the finance committee plans to improve the process; he reiterated the importance of effectively communicating the value of public investments.
Councilor Nick McGee said the responses were sometimes conflicting, such as the demand for more affordable housing coupled with concerns about traffic and taxes.
He said the feedback needed to be turned into policy decisions, whether through changing ordinances or improving communication.
“How we take the feedback and then turn it into policy whether it’s actually changing ordinance or maybe it’s just better communication of what current policies are because sometimes clarifying what people are misunderstanding will change their perception, Councilor Nick McGee said. “So, I think that’s for us to figure out where is it we need to wade into changing ordinances or tweaking impact fees or whatever it might be vs. do we need to do a better job of getting educational information out there and I think that’s all for us to decide as we go forward. There’s plenty to learn from this.”
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