Three-quarters of Johns Creek voters give the City and its elected officials high marks overall for the job done during the first two years of incorporation, according to a recently completed survey. They are particularly pleased with the performance of the City's new police department.

Traffic congestion is the number one issue facing the city, the survey shows, and taxes also are a significant concern.

Consultant Doug Thompson, who developed the survey, told the Mayor and City Council on October 20 that 74 percent of respondents believe the City is going in the right direction, compared with only 16 percent who think it has gotten off on the wrong track. This ranks Johns Creek ninth out of 370 cities surveyed recently, Thompson noted.

"I've been doing these surveys for nearly 20 years and it's one of the best performance ratings I've personally seen," he said.

The telephone survey completed by 300 Johns Creek registered voters was conducted by The Tarrance Group of Arlington, Va. on September 30.

"Obviously we are pleased with the results," Mayor Mike Bodker said. "We felt like we've been doing a good job but now we have the scientific data that validates those feelings. And I think the level of satisfaction surpasses our already high expectations, but at the same time the results still leave room for improvement."

"I also want to say that I'm proud of our staff and City Council for their willingness to submit to the scrutiny of a survey like this," the Mayor added. "It demonstrates how committed we are to having a transparent, responsive government."

In addition to the overall satisfaction with the city's direction, 65 percent of the respondents approve of the job Mayor and Council are doing and 61 percent believe they are doing a better job than Fulton County did.

Respondents had the highest regard for the Johns Creek Police Department, which was just launched April 27. Their 73 percent approval rating placed the Johns Creek department second out of the 370 cities recently surveyed, behind only Arlington County, Va., Thompson said.

They are also happy with the Public Works Department, as 61 percent approve of the job they are doing.

It should really not come as a surprise to anyone who travels the streets of Johns Creek that traffic and traffic congestion were also cited as the dominant issues on the minds of City voters. When asked the most important issue or problem facing the community, 32 percent volunteered traffic as the number one problem. That concern increases the longer the respondents have lived in the community.

While respondents generally point to traffic as the most pressing problem, they are split over whether they would be willing to increase local taxes to pay for road improvements and resurfacing. Only 48 percent said they would support a voter referendum on increasing local taxes to pay for road improvements, while 45 percent say they would oppose such a measure.

One of the more unique and publicized aspects of Johns Creek's creation is the public-private partnership model in which the city contracts with Denver-based CH2M HILL OMI to provide the majority of city services. That model is based on a "seamless" relationship in which it should not be apparent who employees work for other than the citizens of Johns Creek.

The survey showed that 66 percent of respondents said they are not aware that the City is "privatized" but regardless, 60 percent approve of the concept.

"I think this just demonstrates that as long as you are doing a good job, citizens don't really care how you are accomplishing it," Thompson remarked.

A complete presentation of the survey results and a copy of the executive summary analysis are available on the City's Web site at www.JohnsCreekGA.gov.