It may not be the U.S. Census, but Ames’ annual Resident Satisfaction Survey also plays a role in which city services will be getting more money and which departments will have to tighten their figurative belts.

The survey, which was mailed to 500 Ames residents and ISU students Friday, asks residents to identify their priorities for city services and evaluate current services provided by the city. The survey’s results will be processed by fall, in time for Ames City Council members and department heads to use the date to influence the city’s budget for the next fiscal year.

“We use the survey report to find out how effective our services are in the eyes of our customers,” city manager Steve Schainker said. “In addition, we’re gauging citizens’ support for a number of big-ticket capital improvement items which have been added to this year’s survey.”

The survey, which has been conducted for 18 years, includes questions on whether Ames residents are willing to pay more in taxes to finance a multi-use recreational gym, Hallet’s Quarry Park, additional fire stations, a Duff Avenue railroad overpass and the extension of Grand Avenue southward to South Fourth Street.

Citizens who receive the survey are asked to rank projects by a measure of importance, said city spokeswoman Clare Bills.

“The City Council uses it as an additional tool in determining the budget,” Bills said.

As one of the longest running city improvement surveys in the country, the Resident Satisfaction Survey looks for even the smallest shifts of opinion, Bills said.

“We try to track opinions year after year,” she said.

In a past survey, citizens expressed concern that city parks were not as safe as they would like. Survey responses initiated a community policing program and police bicycle patrol for the city, Bills said.

Return rates for the Resident Satisfaction Survey in the past have been 38 percent to 40 percent, Bills said. She contributed the return rate to Ames residents’ desire to have their opinions heard and to take a more active role in city government.

As an incentive to those who complete and return their surveys, their names will be entered into a drawing for one of four $25 gift certificates from the Ames restaurant of their choice.

“[The survey] takes some time, effort and money, but it’s a good measure of public opinion,” Bills said.