The survey is part of a county branding effort that will produce things like new logos. Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said it was also intended to help the county establish a unique identity for both the county as a government organization and as a place to live.
That identity would then be "something that the community can rally around," Grabau said. "Something they can be proud of, of who we are and what we represent."
Survey respondents overwhelmingly chose access to the outdoors as the best thing about living in the county, followed by it being a "safe and peaceful" place to live.
Over 70% said they would recommend the county as a good place to live. About the same number said the county was headed in the "wrong direction," however, and nearly 60% said the county has declined since they moved there.
Grabau said that response didn't surprise him.
"I think everybody for the last 20 years has wanted to be the last person to move to Wasatch County," he said. "With growth comes change and pain, and not everyone views that change positively."
But Grabau said that response indicated the county could better manage growth as it transitions from a rural community to a suburban one. He said the survey was not initially intended to inform policy decisions, but the data will likely prove useful as the county sets budgeting priorities.
For instance, on the question of what the county should "focus on to make the community a better place for all," the highest ranked answer was "ensure infrastructure can support growth." Nearly 60% of respondents said the county was doing a poor job of that.
"To me, that's something that we can use to set policy on," he said. "'How do we ensure that we're investing adequately in that infrastructure?'"
The county has published the survey results online, complete with comments to the survey's open-ended questions. In response to the question about where the county should focus, one respondent said, "Growth must be tied to our water supply. No more golf courses, limit high-density housing."
