MILFORD, DE- Neighbors in Milford recently had the opportunity to share their feedback on the city and its future through a National Community Survey, and the results are in.
The survey, conducted from February 6 to March 20, was sent randomly to 3,000 homes in Milford.
Nearly 400 people responded, and the results are now being presented to the Milford City Council at Monday night's meeting for discussion and review.
City officials say the results align with national trends, shedding light on what neighbors feel is working and areas needing improvement.
Dan Gaffney, a Milford neighbor for 20 years, expressed concerns about the city's mobility and infrastructure, emphasizing what he would like to see fixed soon.
"Better sidewalks, better crosswalks, better control of the traffic."
The survey results revealed mobility as a significant concern, ranking the lowest at just 42 percent.
Economy was another key point of feedback, scoring 54 percent.
Lauren Swain, with the City of Milford, attributes this score to the city's efforts to keep pace with its rapid growth.
"The Corporate Center is definitely part of the economy boost that individuals are seeing. And same with our downtown."
However, some neighbors believe Milford's downtown area still needs improvement.
Kathryn Stetson, a Milford neighbor for about five years, says she would like to see more in the downtown area to attract visitors from across the state.
"More restaurants and more variety of retail, move some of the office use out of that and turn it more into retail."
Gaffney also suggests adding more businesses to the downtown area, hoping the city will consider the feedback.
"I think we could use a five-story building downtown as well, with micro-apartments and basement businesses."
On the issue of safety, neighbors were largely satisfied, with safety receiving the highest ranking at 62 percent.
Stetson says she feels very safe in the city and wasn't surprised to see safety rank so high.
"I feel very safe here, I honestly do. I have great neighbors."
This feedback is exactly what Swain says the city is looking for as it plans for the 2026 fiscal year.
"It really helps us show where they want their dollars placed in our budget."
City officials will present the survey data at tonight's council meeting, followed by budget hearings in the coming weeks.
The final budget is set to be approved before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1st.