LEVEL OF SERVICE SURVEY
Construction, Maintenance, and Replacement of City Assets
The City of Merritt is committed to providing reliable services and maintaining the infrastructure that supports our community, such as roads, parks, buildings, and water systems. As part of our asset management planning process, we are seeking your feedback to better understand community priorities and satisfaction with current services.
What are Levels of Service ?
Levels of Service (LOS) describe the standard at which public services are delivered through City infrastructure. They reflect how well services such as road quality, stormwater management, and facility accessibility perform, and what residents can expect in terms of reliability, safety, and availability.
Managing levels of service involves balancing three key factors:
- Cost: The financial investment required to maintain or improve a service.
- Performance: How well the service meets community and technical standards.
- Risk: The potential consequences if a service fails or declines, such as reduced safety or increased accidents.
Changes to service levels affect all three. Increasing LOS typically raises costs but improves performance and reduces risk, for example by reducing potholes and improving road safety. Decreasing LOS lowers costs but can reduce performance and increase risk.
Conversely, scaling back investment in parks or arenas may save money, but it can reduce accessibility and quality of life. In some cases, it may also lead to higher long-term costs due to increased maintenance or unexpected repairs.
Ultimately, managing LOS means understanding these trade-offs and aligning cost, performance, and risk with community priorities and the City’s financial capacity.
Share Your Voice
Your input will help guide decisions about infrastructure now and in the future. This survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and help shape Merritt’s future.
Share your experiences by taking this community survey.
