By Jim Newell

Review Editor

The 2021 Orion Township Community Survey is up and Orion Township government officials are asking residents to take a little time to complete the survey.

During the Orion Township Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, Supervisor Chris Barnett said that there were 111 responses to the community survey thus far.

“We would love to get your input,” Barnett said, addressing residents. “It takes about 15 minutes to complete. Or, if you just skim through and answer what you want you can do it shorter. We use this information as a board to set priorities for funding, park projects and things like that. So, if you live in Orion Township, we would love your input.”

The township runs the survey every two years and the board of trustees uses the survey responses to help guide its direction and how it can better serve residents over the next two years.

This year’s survey has 77 questions, but does not ask residents for their names or personal identification, just basic demographic questions, so residents can be assured of their privacy.

Paper copies of the survey are available at Orion Township Hall, The Orion Center and the Orion Township Public Library.

A link to the survey is available through the Orion Township website on the Home page, www.oriontownship.org.

The direct address to the survey is: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021OrionSurvey.

The direct link to the survey will also be included in this article on the Lake Orion Review website, www.lakeorionreview.com.

This is the fourth Orion Township Community Survey, giving residents an opportunity to weigh in on the direction the township should take. The first survey in 2015 garnered nearly 1,600 responses and helped establish the township’s priorities for the next two years.

Orion Township Community Survey 2021 questions include:

• Why did you choose to live in Orion Township?

• Where do you plan to be living in the next 2-5 years?

• Approximately how much of each activity listed below would you estimate that you do in Orion Township? Grocery Shopping, Retail Shopping, Entertainment, Dining Out, Services, Recreation

• Rate: quality of schools, availability of employment opportunities, availability of affordable housing, overall appearance of the township, overall planning for growth, overall value received for township tax dollars, etc.

• Rate satisfaction with: overall flow of traffic, quality of service from the township employees, enforcement of township codes and ordinances, appearance of township buildings, facilities, parks, public spaces, landscaping,

• What THREE services do you feel should receive the MOST emphasis from Township leaders over the next TWO years?

2019 Community Survey results:

Schools, parks, lakes and open spaces were top reasons why residents said they moved to the Orion area.

• 90 percent of residents rated Orion Township as a good or excellent place to live.

• 86 percent rated the township good or excellent “as a place for play and leisure.”

• 66 percent rated the township as a good or excellent place to visit.

• 87 percent of residents rated the overall quality of life in Orion Township as good or excellent.

What do residents want to see more of in Orion?

• 52 percent want more grocery shopping options.

• 36 percent want more dining options.

• 24 percent want more entertainment options.

Residents also wanted more retail shopping and recreational opportunities.