Council expands Wheat Ridge resident survey sample to 5,000 and requests edits to policy questions

City staff presented the draft 2026 resident survey to Wheat Ridge City Council at the Feb. 2 study session and received direction to increase the sample size and revise some policy items before finalizing the instrument with the consultant.

Cole Hayslip explained that the survey is composed of a recurring "consumer report card" section and a second block of policy questions that change each iteration. He stressed the survey’s scientific approach: random sampling, representative weighting (including multi‑unit adjustments), neutral question wording, and a target margin of error in the 3–5 percent range. "We're able to achieve that pretty easily here in the city of Wheat Ridge," Hayslip said, noting the current baseline of 4,500 mailed households and that expanding to 5,000 can be done for this round at no additional cost in the current contract.

Councilors provided detailed feedback on the policy block. Several members supported flipping the order of the two ballot‑style policy questions so that respondents consider priority project types before being asked about a voter‑funding willingness question. Mayor Pro Tem Holting and others asked staff to separate the Anderson Pool project into its own line item or otherwise highlight it because it represents a large capital ask. Council also asked to add stormwater infrastructure or a stormwater utility to the list of capital priorities and to clarify or remove ambiguous language in question text (for example, the use of the word "promote").

Council reached consensus to increase the sample size from 4,500 to 5,000 for this iteration, to flip the order of the two policy questions, to add a stormwater infrastructure option and to review question wording. Staff said the survey will be mailed and include an online access code (with Spanish language access), that a pre‑survey postcard will be sent in March, and that results will be returned to council in July/August with a presentation by the survey contractor.

Next steps: staff will implement the agreed edits, finalize the instrument with the consultant, and proceed with mailing and online access under the described timeline.