Local volunteers with the Hometown Collaboration Initiative have launched an online survey, and they need about 600 Brown County people to respond.
The survey asks about the local economy, leadership and “placemaking.” Placemaking deals with amenities such as parks, entertainment options and culture.
The responder is asked how strongly he or she agrees — or doesn’t agree — with a series of statements, such as “Local leaders are responsive to the needs of all people who live in our county” or “I have access to high-speed internet.”
It also asks participants to rank the top three economy, leadership and placemaking concepts they’d like to see improved in Brown County.
In addition, it asks how likely the responder is to remain in Brown County for the next five years.
Survey participants can remain anonymous; only general demographic information such as age and education level is collected.
The HCI is a mostly state-funded process of learning about one’s own community. The goal of the all-volunteer, local HCI team is to improve one specific part of Brown County, but that project hasn’t been chosen yet.
“The basic point of HCI is to discuss data in a meaningful way to better guide future decisions,” committee member Jim Schultz said this fall.
“The vision includes having all portions of Brown County included in this conversation.”
The survey will be open until Tuesday, Feb. 20. It is available online only at indianahci.org/browncounty.
To learn more about what the HCI team is doing, search for “Hometown Collaborative Initiative Brown County” on Facebook. Participants are welcome at any time, Schultz said.
A community forum to discuss the survey results and gather more input has been set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 7 in the Brown County Intermediate School cafeteria.
