Clutha District Council began surveying residents by phone this week, in the latest of a series of satisfaction surveys it has run annually since 2012.
However, Clutha Residents and Ratepayers Association (CRRA) chairman Gary Mills said the information the survey provided was limited, and criticised the council’s limited transparency in keeping ratepayers informed.
The association was formed in 2021.
It advocates to the council on issues raised by its 31 members and members of the public.
Mr Mills said it was unclear how useful the council’s survey was in identifying key local issues.
"As with all public entities, there appears to be room for improvement.
"It’s hard to say [how useful the survey is] given the limited behind-the-scenes information that comes from council. We intend to conduct our own surveys on issues that matter.
"We are in the process of developing a newsletter to go to [Clutha] ratepayers and residents with our findings to date."
He said the council had not appeared to be keeping a key election pledge to reduce rates by "being more financially competent".
"We were successful at getting one member elected to council, [Kevin Barron] who is still learning and obtaining information on how the council operates, and how they hold true to CRRA objectives and election pledges.
"While financial information is available, wading through it to understand what is necessary and what costs could be trimmed is a big task, as a number of items are combined."
Council strategic planning manager Larissa Brown said the survey was a valuable tool for assessment and planning.
"It’s valuable because it provides the most up-to-date information and trends which help inform decisions about council levels of service in the future."
She said previous surveys had shown high satisfaction with services such as libraries, information centres, parks, reserves, cemeteries and wheelie bins; and lower ratings for toilets, roads and footpaths.
Typically, about 300 people took part via phone and online, Mrs Brown said.
Residents could take part through the council’s website, before April 5.
