Beginning this week, a random sampling of Buncombe County community members will get the chance to provide feedback to the community, and it’s coming straight from your friendly postal worker. In just 15 minutes, survey recipients can share what’s on their minds, and that feedback will go directly into shaping the County’s strategic priorities.
As Buncombe County looks to update its strategic plan, a significant driver in identifying top issues will be the input collected through our 2024 Community Survey. This is a follow-up effort to our 2021 survey that utilized more than 750 responses to help tweak and create priorities for Buncombe County.
“We made several strategic decisions based on the last community survey including greater investment in community engagement and investments in both Parks and Recreation and Solid Waste. The County is very intentional about using the data to drive change,” explains Strategy & Innovation Director Rafael Baptista.
Here's how it works
Starting in February, a randomly selected sample of County residents will be getting a brief survey in the mail. If you are randomly selected, it only take 15-20 minutes to complete the questions, and there are options for completing the survey in Spanish and Russian. Your anonymous answers will help shape key initiatives, programs, and identify other opportunities and challenges.
“Resident feedback is a direct way to learn about the opportunities and challenges Buncombe County faces and how you would like to see our staff address those issues going forward,” says County Manager Avril Pinder. “I truly hope if you receive this survey you will give us your time to provide the type of valuable insight that only you can provide.”
In partnership with Buncombe County’s Strategy & Innovation Department, the ETC Institute will administer the survey. Households will receive a questionnaire by mail, and staff asks that anyone 18 years or older complete and return it using the enclosed paid postage. The community survey is available in multiple languages, should take about 10-15 minutes of your time, and instructions are included to complete online or over the phone if needed. The survey will not ask you to share any personal identifying information.
If your household does not receive a survey, we encourage residents to sign up for our e-newsletter at buncombecounty.org, or text “BCAlert” to 99411 to stay informed about community meetings and engagement opportunities, like those currently underway with our Parks & Recreation Systemwide Plan.