About two weeks ago, Mayor Tom Leppert and his staff developed a survey and sent it out to almost 350 neighborhood groups throughout the City of Dallas.

Versions of the survey were both mailed and sent electronically.

This survey consists of questions that focus on housing conditions and quality of community services such as Code Enforcement, Police and Sanitation.

It also addresses any additional concerns that residents may have within their individual neighborhoods.

To insure that the survey doesn’t require much time, a numerical rating system of 1 to 5 points is utilized.

The main goal of the survey is to develop communication lines between Neighborhood Associations and the Mayor’s office.

Secondarily, the Mayor hopes the survey will be a valuable tool in updating records and reaching out to neighborhoods to let them know that the Mayor, as well as his staff, are accessible to Dallas citizens.

Thus far, of the roughly 32 Lake Highlands Neighborhood Associations, Lake Ridge Estates North Neighborhood Association (LRENNA), Highland Meadows Neighborhood Association, and five groups in the LH zip code area of 75243 have received the survey.

According to Paula Blackmon, Deputy Chief of Staff, “We want folks to know that we understand the idea that neighborhoods make a city."

"Therefore, it stands to reason that geat neighborhoods make a great city," she continues.

"Every neighborhood should have the opportunity to provide feedback about what they want and what their concerns are, up to and including communication at the mayoral level."

"We encourage neighborhood groups to continue to work with their Councilmembers," says Blackmon. "But we also want them to know that the Mayor is very interested in the needs and wants of all the neighborhoods in the City of Dallas.”

Accordingly, the survey has been sent to known neighborhood leaders, who are in turn being encouraged to forward it to their residents.

Joan Quiett, LRENNA Treasurer, sent the survey to neighborhood residents in her email database and has received about 15 responses to date.

“We are hopeful that someone in the Mayor’s office will look at the responses we’re providing and act on them," says Quiett.

"I believe this survey will serve as a good tool for the city to update their database of active neighborhood groups.”

So far, the city staff is happy with the progress of the survey. “We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback," reports Blackmon.

"City interns are working hard on gathering the information, and our office is even collecting data over the phone," she says.

"We’re encouraging neighborhood residents to pass along the survey, so we can collect information about groups the city might not be familiar with."

Ms. Blackmon stresses that the Mayor is encouraging dialogue with neighborhoods. In fact, Mayor Lepport encourages neighborhood groups to feel comfortable in exchanging information and feedback with his office. He also welcomes local invitations for him to speak at neighborhood events.

To receive a survey for your Neighborhood Association or to arrange to have Mayor Leppert speak to your group contact Paula Blackmon, Deputy Chief of Staff, at 214.670.0656.

For additional information or assistance from the Mayor’s office, you can also email Ms. Blackman at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).