Residents Weigh In: What Surveys Say About GT County, Peninsula Township

Two local municipalities – Grand Traverse County and Peninsula Township – each recently received the results of extensive community surveys designed to gauge resident feedback on a range of topics. The surveys are particularly illuminating given that both jurisdictions had previous surveys in recent years with which to compare results. From how Grand Traverse County is faring with public trust to resident concerns about the economy and housing to frustrations on Old Mission over the winery lawsuit, The Ticker looks at key highlights from both surveys.

Grand Traverse County
Repeating the same kind of National Community Survey it undertook in 2020 and 2022 – developed by the National Research Center to gauge the “livability” of communities through metrics ranging from the economy to public safety to the natural environment – Grand Traverse County has once again taken the pulse of residents in 2025.

Three thousand randomly selected households in Grand Traverse County received survey mailings this spring. About two percent could not be delivered or were returned; of the remaining 2,943 households, 459 completed the survey – a 16 percent response rate. In addition to that “probability sample,” an online survey was also available to all county residents. While only the mailed responses were tabulated in the main report (referenced in this article), the online data was provided as an appendix to commissioners.

First, some good news for Grand Traverse County. The report notes that “ratings for county services and public trust are on the rise, with many items increasing since 2022.” The percentage of respondents who rated customer service by county employees as “excellent or good” rose from 69 percent to 84 percent, while “treating all residents fairly” rose from 33 to 47 percent. “Generally acting in the best interest of the community” rose from 33 to 48 percent.

County safety also received high marks, with respondents reporting double-digit increases in their evaluation of police/sheriff, animal control, and emergency preparedness services over the last three years. Residents also reported growing satisfaction in several mobility-related categories, including snow removal (up from 65 percent to 80 percent), ease of travel by car (44 percent to 59 percent) and bus/transit services (50 percent to 58 percent). Overall, the number of respondents who rated the quality of life in Grand Traverse as excellent or good rose from 81 percent in 2022 to 84 percent this year.

Still, respondents flagged several areas of concern. “Affordability remains a concern for residents,” with scores below national averages in some categories, the report states. When asked to rate the following categories as excellent or good, only seven percent responded that way for “availability of affordable quality housing,” 14 percent for “cost of living,” and 19 percent for “availability of affordable quality childcare/preschool.” The report also notes that “although similar to national averages, a couple of economic items saw significant declines since 2022, indicating a potential area of opportunity.” Those include employment opportunities (36 percent, down from 45 percent in 2022) and shopping opportunities (58 percent, down from 66 percent in 2022).

Residents were asked which types of housing they felt were most needed in Grand Traverse County. Topping the list were housing options for young residents (86 percent), single-family detached homes (77 percent), and new single-family developments (77 percent). Residents were also asked how important it was for the county to focus on various issues over the next three years. Their top priorities included improving roads, streets, and bridges (88 percent), providing quality affordable housing (83 percent), improving mental health services (75 percent), and expanding access to childcare (72 percent).

While county commissioners have received the survey results, they are expected to have more discussion about them at an upcoming meeting. That will tie into discussions about county planning, County Administrator Nate Alger said. He highlighted the importance of monitoring trends through community surveys at the board’s meeting last week. “Statistically valid information coming back to the county about what we do right and what we do wrong is very valuable,” he said.

Peninsula Township
Peninsula Township trustees discussed the results of their own community survey this month – one undertaken this fall through survey research firm EPIC·MRA. The process included live telephone interviews with 200 randomly selected Peninsula Township residents and an online survey that garnered 1,305 responses.

Of major note is that 55 percent of phone respondents said Peninsula Township is “seriously going off on the wrong track, with 24 percent saying the township is headed in the right direction, with 21 percent undecided,” the report states. “This represents a complete reversal on this question from the results of the survey conducted in 2019, when 61 percent said Peninsula Township is headed in the right direction, only 16 percent saying the township is off on the wrong track, with 23 percent undecided.” Online survey results showed even higher criticism of the township’s direction. Both groups cited ongoing litigation with nearly a dozen wineries on Old Mission Peninsula as the top reason the township is off track, with “government overreach/overregulation” and “poor leadership/poorly managed” also ranking near the top.

“These results confirm what our neighbors have been telling us for years,” wineries spokesperson Chris Baldyga said in a statement. “Residents are frustrated by the lawsuit and by restrictive policies that make it harder, not easier, for farms and wineries to survive.”

Both phone and online respondents showed very little interest in Peninsula Township’s exploration of becoming a charter township. With numbers only in the mid-teens supporting such a transition, Peninsula Township Supervisor Maura Sanders says the results have “laid that (charter) discussion to rest.” While the transition could have given the township more taxing flexibility – the report states the township “has been operating at a deficit for several years” and needs more funding for services – concerns about the township’s direction “may have influenced respondents to not want to provide more authority to the township board on the issue of taxes without a vote of the people.”

While respondents were generally wary of increasing taxes, they did express support for certain areas of township operations, such as maintaining parks and replacing the Mapleton fire station. Sanders says trustees will do a “deep dive” into the results and could explore targeted millages that support such services. Parks supporters are considering launching a Friends of Peninsula Township Parks group that could also bolster operations, Sanders says. Top goals identified by residents could help shape the next version of the township’s master plan, she adds, including preserving natural shoreline/water quality, preserving the township’s rural character, protecting views of the bay/farmland/open spaces, controlling traffic volume, encouraging local economic development, and providing improved public access to the bays. More discussion on those goals is planned for the board’s December 9 meeting.