By WMBD TV

NORMAL – From quality of life to safety, Normal residents have shared how they feel about their community.

From May through July, Normal residents were able to take a Zencity survey which asked questions about housing, public safety, education and transportation.

According to the results gathered from 413 valid respondents, 81% of residents are satisfied with the Town of Normal. This is about five points higher than the national average. 74% of residents scored the town’s quality of life as good or excellent. This is 8% higher than the national average.

“We value this feedback and are gratified with the results,” Town of Normal City Manager Pamela Reece said. “We asked residents to tell us how we’re doing with the services we offer, and they answered. We are pleased with many of the scores, and we’ve also identified areas where we can improve.”

In regards to public safety, about 63% were satisfied with the overall safety of the town, while 14% reported low satisfaction.

Respondents who were not satisfied stated that the best thing the town can do to improve safety is to put more officers on the street and improve crime prevention initiatives.

The issue residents are least satisfied with was the availability of affordable housing, with only 17% satisfied.

Normal Town leaders convened a committee to review the findings and hopes to look for areas of improvement and recommend changes. Another wave of surveys is expected to be released in November.

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