Mayor Margaret Thomas said the annual survey evaluates community priorities and measures performance against key indicators in the Strategic Community Plan – Kalamunda Advancing 2027.

98 percent of respondents gave a positive rating for the City of Kalamunda as a place to live.

Most City-run services and community programs received positive feedback including a 96% positive performance rating for weekly rubbish collection, 95% for the service at the Walliston Transfer Station, 93% positive rating for Library and information services, 91 % positive rating for festivals, events and cultural activities; 87 % positive rating for graffiti removal services and how local history and heritage is being preserved and promoted. Sport and recreation facilities came in at 83%, whilst also being noted as being a continued priority area.

Customer service, parking and storm water management, street sweeping, natural disaster education, prevention and relief, the city website and e-news, community engagement, recycling and skip bins all rates above the 80 percentiles.

“The survey showed the most improved areas from the previous scorecard being the City’s online engagement tool, natural disaster education, prevention and relief, parking management and customer service,” Cr Thomas said.

“The Community Scorecard is a great way for us to see what areas we’re performing in and where the community wants us to focus our attention going forward,” Cr Thomas said. “It also allows us to check in to ensure we’re delivering on the Strategic Community Plan, which was developed directly from community consultation and feedback.”

The 2020 scorecard also provides insight into areas the community wants to prioritise including playgrounds, parks and reserves; footpaths and cycleways; streetscapes; the area’s identity and character; safety and security; traffic management; economic development and sports and recreation facilities.

“We’ve already identified that these are priority areas, through conversations with the community and we have significant works underway in these spaces.  This includes proposed upgrades to Stirk Park Kalamunda, a dog exercise area in Elmore Way Reserve. proposed upgrades to Meloway Reserve in Maida Vale and further enhancements at Fleming Reserve in High Wycombe. We have seen several new cycle paths built in Wattle grove and High Wycombe, and more underway as a part of the implementation of the Bicycle Plan, along with the progression of the City wide Economic Development Strategy and COVID relief for our Business community.

“We will also see further works in the Kalamunda Town Centre in regards to character and identity, sense of place and traffic management as we progress the implementation of the Kalamunda Activity Centre plan which was adopted in March of this year.”

The City is also working closely with WA Police and the community, in regards to safety and security and currently also has a youth survey out in this space. For more information go to engage.kalamunda.wa.gov.au. 

“While we continue to work with the community to lessen the impacts of COVID-19 on the local economy we are also looking at ways we can stimulate and strengthen our economic development for the next 10 years.”

483 randomly selected residents and ratepayers completed the 2020 Community Scorecard.

For more information on the City’s projects here.