WESTLOCK – Results of the Town of Westlock’s first business survey are in and the majority of the 82 respondents say they are satisfied with the community as a place to own and operate a business.
The eight-question survey, discussed in depth at town council’s June 26 meeting, was the result of council discussions around a draft tax incentive bylaw presented at the May 15 committee of the whole meeting and was introduced as a way to help better understand local business needs, provide additional supports and encourage economic development.
The online survey ran May 23 to June 13 and asked about operating a business in Westlock, overall satisfaction with doing business in town and related factors, revenue and growth outlook, feedback on preferred supports to encourage expansion and growth and anticipated changes to their businesses over the next two years.
“I truly appreciate the work that went into the survey,” said Coun. Murtaza Jamaly who also asked if “the survey was sustainable to do year over year, while Coun. Jon Kramer said he too appreciated the efforts that went into the survey and that “it was good to hear unvarnished feedback from folks.”
Planning and development manager Danielle Pougher presented the results and noted in promoting it they sent e-mails to businesses with a Westlock business licence, advertised it on their website and social-media pages and the town’s economic development officer conducted in-person visits to all businesses with a store front.
Questions and results
Pougher read the questions and discussed each one, providing some statistical details for each.
“Overall, how satisfied are you with the Town of Westlock as a place to own and operate a business?”
The majority of respondents were either very satisfied at 30 per cent or somewhat satisfied at 37 per cent with Westlock as a place to own and operate a business, while 15 per cent were somewhat or very dissatisfied.
“How likely would you be to recommend the Town of Westlock as a place to own and operate a business?”
A majority of respondents said they were either very likely at 37 per cent or somewhat likely at 41 per cent to recommend the town as a place to do business. The remaining 22 per cent indicated they were not likely to recommend the town as a place to own or operate a business.
“Over the past 12 months, would you say the total revenue at your business has?”
Thirty per cent said it increased, while 24 per cent said it decreased and 45 per cent said it remained the same.
“Over the next 12 months do you expect the total revenue at your business to?”
Forty-one per cent said it will increase,15 per cent said it would decrease and 44 per cent said it will remain the same.
The next question asked, “What percentage of your business revenue would you say is allocated to paying for property taxes?”
“We did have a large proportion (at 50 per cent) of our respondents that either didn’t know or they preferred not to say,” said Pougher, noting those that did respond the majority said they spent five per cent or less of revenue on property taxes while 10 per cent reported spending more than 10 per cent.
Factors affecting satisfaction
Pougher also outlined a list of various factors and grouped them into high level of satisfaction, neutral and poor. “Factors that scored highest include the availability of health and medical services, Internet and fibre optic service, support from local residents, as well as support from other business, in addition to cellular phone service and the business licence process, also had high levels of satisfaction,” she said.
Low levels of satisfaction were reported for municipal property taxes, the availability of skilled labour and space for rent, lease or purchase, she noted. “You’ll see in all three of these we did have a high proportion that were neutral (and) these were categorized into the low satisfaction category because the dissatisfied and very dissatisfied were on the higher end compared to the other factors,” explained Pougher. Mixed feedback, or split levels of satisfaction, included local roads and streets, support from the town, the availability of unskilled labour and the availability of adequate housing.
Next the survey asked, “Which of the following (business situations) apply to your business in the coming two years?”
Thirty-six per cent thought they would expand, seven per cent thought their business would be up for sale, five per cent saw their business transferring to the next generation, one per cent expect to downsize and 10 per cent saw their business closing and 41 per cent did not foresee any changes.
“So that 10 per cent is fairly noteable. If you take 10 per cent of 82 respondents, that’s eight businesses that are considering closing within the next two years,” said Pougher. “In a smaller community like ours that is a noteable percentage.”
The last question was open-ended and asked what supports would encourage them to expand their business or start a new one. Pougher noted there were several themes that stood out among the replies, including property taxes — 14 mentioned high property taxes as a barrier to business expansion or creation, while streets and infrastructure saw 10 say investment into streets was needed while other improvements requested were lights, benches, trees, and accessible parking.
People and housing was the third theme where 13 said the availability of staff, both skilled and unskilled, as well as housing for that staff was a major barrier to business growth. Multiple respondents recommended a push to attract people and retain young, educated people in the community through more recreation opportunities and family-focused activities. Other ideas included the addition of a post-secondary institution or college location in Westlock. Seven noted a push to shop local was needed, while the next theme, downtown revitalization, had a similar response with eight noting the current condition of the downtown area was a barrier to expansion and growth. A desire for a greater investment in the appearance of the downtown core, as well as upgrades to derelict or vacant storefronts, was also expressed.
Support and incentives had 27 respondents who said there is an increased need for it from the town. Requests included improved responsiveness to inquiries, reduction of red tape and streamlined application processes, among several other areas. The last theme, cost and availability of land and rental space, had 11 say the cost is a barrier, with some noting that rent is expensive and there is a lack of available, adequate rental space and land for development.
