A citizen satisfaction survey is on the way for Okotokians.

The survey is meant to gauge residents' priorities across a wide variety of town topics.

Subjects covered in the survey include quality of life, economic development, town services and facilities, budget, and communication.

The town's CAO Elaine Vincent says these surveys have traditionally been held every four years, taking place soon after municipal elections, though this will be the last one to do so, as the next survey will be held for 2024-2025 in order to provide the council with this information as they begin their term.

Given the distance between these surveys, the town is hoping to see a wide response.

"Because we only do it every four years, this is the most important survey we do. It guides the development and enhancement of our services, it guides what our strategic priorities are, it will guide the decisions we'll be making in budget. It's very important that we listen and act on what we've heard, and we can only act on what we've heard when we have a statistically validated survey, that's why we're encouraging everyone we can to respond to the survey."

Vincent explains that the economic development side of things holds particular weight this time, given that the height of the pandemic is now in the rearview mirror.

"Post-COVID, we're very much focused on how we ensure the business community can thrive in Okotoks, so we'll ask some questions about where you do your shopping, what's taking you out of town to do your shopping, and what you need to be able to invest more in our community?" 

In an effort not to limit residents in their responses, the town has added a few opportunities for respondents to write responses.

"We've added the "narrative" in here so you can actually tell us in your own words what's most important, so it isn't just a 'yes' or 'no' checking the boxes, it's about you providing input in your own words, and there's a lot of opportunity to do that as well."

The survey begins on May 6, and runs through to May 23.