decorahnews.com series: "You Said It Your Way"

For the most part, City of Decorah residents are pleased with their city government.

Over 500 people answered a survey distributed by city government to learn what citizens believe about the city government.  86 percent of those taking the survey said they had "an overall positive experience" when they dealt with city government.  84 percent said city services "fit my needs."

But when asked if the city was heading in the right direction, only two-thirds of the respondents answered affirmatively.  The biggest complaint voiced--taxes are too high.

"Taxes are too high for those of us retired and on fixedincomes," said one respondent, while another complained, "You're pricing people out of here with high taxes," and another person commented, "Decorah and its leaders are spending money like there is notomorrow."

Several respondents blamed city employees.  Wrote one person, "City employees enjoy benefits (pension,health care, vacation, etc.) and job security (guaranteed employment for life, for all practicalpurposes) that nobody--nobody--in the private sector enjoys."  Another complained of "Massive bureaucracy for a little town."

Interestingly, while many people complained about high property taxes, they also complained about poor road conditions.  "We have some dismal road situations and I think there needsto be more money budgeted for road improvements," said one, while another added, "Our roads are getting worse and worse every year with no endin site (sic)."  

On Tuesday we will review public comments about Decorah's roads as our series about the Decorah community survey continues.