Village of Red Hook 2026 Communications Survey Summary Report
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ANALYSIS: Largest answers were (44) Water Bill Inserts, (38) Website, (38) Mayor’s Newsletter and (29) Large sign on Sidewalk. These fit with focused improvements we have made to make those communication methods more effective. We believe we can improve the Sign significantly.
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ANALYSIS: A testament to the scale of our village is that most people go (34) physically to village hall if they need to let us know something. (21) People Call and (23) People email.
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ANALYSIS: (38) People said yes (13) People said no, that is not surprising in that people who feel the need to fill out a survey may do so because they see need for improvement - so we asked what those reasons were specifically
if possible, please explain: 23 responses 1 When communicating via email I get the response in a timely fashion. 2 Everyone responded with a reasonable time. I do not feel as though all personal constituent concerns would be fully appreciated - but I was communicated with in a timely and respectful manner. 3 I called the village recently about a service and they called me back (after business hours!) to give me a response. I was so thankful that the response was so personalized with a return phone call. 4 The staff at the Village Hall are terrific. 5 As the Mayor knows I emailed about the situation with Catalina’s de li and Mayor Karen was responsive as much as I think it’s fair to expect her to have been. 6 In the past, emails related to the sewer had occasionally gone unanswered or responded with vague information. 7 I did not get a response about my concern when I wrote against taking over the boat club. 8 I didn't get any follow up info about the results of the survey 9 Searching on the village site is difficult because the titles are never the same. There is a lot of crossover between the village the town . It would be helpful to have the documents mention when there is more info on the town website . Timely submission of documents would be very helpful 10 Town clerk is great 11 No concern I have ever brought to the Village has been truly addressed 12 always satisfied 13 I think having a bigger presence on social media, FB & Instagram on upcoming meetings/events with multiple reminders will put the village meetings/events on folks radar. 14 It takes very little effort to communicate with the Village because there are multiple ways to do it. A periodic listing of the many ways might be helpful to those that forget.
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15 Having issues with the manner in which the snow was being cleared in our cul de sac. My initial concerns were addressed, however, my subsequent concerns were not.
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16 Lara Hart and Jennifer Cavanaugh have been proactively helpful for different items as we renovate our house on 3 Linden.
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17 Have been told to come to meetings to get answers yet at the meetings are told you can ask questions but board members will not answer
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18 It doesn't seem that unless my concern aligns with an issue that's already under consideration it is disregarded
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19 No response via emails, or was given incorrect information. 20 Village clerk. Had questions answered and received requested paperwork. 21 No response to requests or inquiries 22 Handicapped parking is inadequate at many businesses: Post office, etc. 23 Village employees are always very helpful.
ANALYSIS: (6) Complimented Staff, (8) Were negative, (10) were positive (5) Had specific suggestions, or neutral feedback, most of the negative responses were around unanswered emails.
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ANALYSIS: The largest vote for being a budget proprietary was (29) said Topic specific email newsletters should be a priority. Second highest was (24) for Neighbors Nights where the public can interact with officials in a less formal setting, it is great that those events we had in the past had such a positive impact. (22) Was for an outdoor sign and (20) was for an outdoor bulletin board.
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Note that only 16 of the 70 survey respondents answered this question (the 81% can be misread as 81% of all respondents - not just 81% of those who answered the question)
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ANALYSIS: Not surprising that 90 % (63) of respondents find their local news from the Daily Catch, followed by (40)- Word of Mouth, and (25) Facebook groups, (18) people, just a quarter of respondents get their news through our paper of Record.
Perhaps Village should consider if there is a policy of how the Village responds to inaccuracies when they are identified in online newspapers and/or comments, and if the Village can employ Press Releases as a method to establish facts / or have a parttime communications officer that can help efficiently handle media requests and/or corrections.
| Please list any specific Facebook Groups, Instagram Accounts, Organization Newsletters & | Please list any specific Facebook Groups, Instagram Accounts, Organization Newsletters & | Please list any specific Facebook Groups, Instagram Accounts, Organization Newsletters & | | or Websites that keep you up-to-date with local events & news? | or Websites that keep you up-to-date with local events & news? | or Websites that keep you up-to-date with local events & news? | | 24 responses | 24 responses | 24 responses | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | Daily Catch | Daily Catch | Daily Catch | | 2 | 2 | 2 | | Daily catch | Daily catch | Daily catch | | 3 | 3 | 3 | | RHCSD Red Hook Moms Red Hook CAC | RHCSD Red Hook Moms Red Hook CAC | RHCSD Red Hook Moms Red Hook CAC | | 4 | 4 | 4 | | I will generate a list of every media outlet I can think of that I can engage with and share that with | I will generate a list of every media outlet I can think of that I can engage with and share that with | I will generate a list of every media outlet I can think of that I can engage with and share that with | | you ASAP | you ASAP | you ASAP | | 5 | 5 | 5 | | Red Hook Moms | Red Hook Moms | Red Hook Moms | | 6 | 6 | 6 | | Red Hook Mom’s, Red Hook roundtable, Red Hook happenings | Red Hook Mom’s, Red Hook roundtable, Red Hook happenings | Red Hook Mom’s, Red Hook roundtable, Red Hook happenings | | 7 | 7 | 7 | | Red Hook Moms, Red Hook Dads | Red Hook Moms, Red Hook Dads | Red Hook Moms, Red Hook Dads | | 8 | 8 | 8 | | Red Hook moms | Red Hook moms | Red Hook moms | | 9 | 9 | 9 | | I am not on ANY social media! I do not believe social media should be a primary means of | I am not on ANY social media! I do not believe social media should be a primary means of | I am not on ANY social media! I do not believe social media should be a primary means of | | communication. | communication. | communication. | | 10 | 10 | 10 | | Use direct email and text more to update on relevant news, notices and important things | Use direct email and text more to update on relevant news, notices and important things | Use direct email and text more to update on relevant news, notices and important things | | happening.collect email and cell from all residents | happening.collect email and cell from all residents | happening.collect email and cell from all residents | | 11 | 11 | 11 | | Red Hook moms and dads, milan town hall | Red Hook moms and dads, milan town hall | Red Hook moms and dads, milan town hall | | 12 | 12 | 12 | | Several Red Hook specific fb groups ie: Red Hook Moms etc | Several Red Hook specific fb groups ie: Red Hook Moms etc | Several Red Hook specific fb groups ie: Red Hook Moms etc | | 13 | 13 | 13 | | This is a horribly drafted survey. | This is a horribly drafted survey. | This is a horribly drafted survey. | | 14 | 14 | 14 | | Jenrette Foundation, Rose Hill Farm, Corner Counter, Red Hook Public Library, Red Hook | Jenrette Foundation, Rose Hill Farm, Corner Counter, Red Hook Public Library, Red Hook | Jenrette Foundation, Rose Hill Farm, Corner Counter, Red Hook Public Library, Red Hook | | Community Center, Winnakee, Scenic Hudson, Bard College, Red Hook Chamber of Commerce, | Community Center, Winnakee, Scenic Hudson, Bard College, Red Hook Chamber of Commerce, | Community Center, Winnakee, Scenic Hudson, Bard College, Red Hook Chamber of Commerce, | | Central Hudson | Central Hudson | Central Hudson | | 15 | 15 | 15 | | Red Hook Moms, Fisher Center, RH Community Center | Red Hook Moms, Fisher Center, RH Community Center | Red Hook Moms, Fisher Center, RH Community Center | | 16 | 16 | 16 | | Mostly the mayor's newsletters | Mostly the mayor's newsletters | Mostly the mayor's newsletters | | 17 | 17 | 17 | | Village website | Village website | Village website | | 18 | 18 | 18 | | RH Village website, mayor's letter | RH Village website, mayor's letter | RH Village website, mayor's letter | | 19 | 19 | 19 | | Top Secret Folder, friends, Daily Catch | Top Secret Folder, friends, Daily Catch | Top Secret Folder, friends, Daily Catch | | 20 | 20 | 20 | | Red Hook Community | Red Hook Community | Red Hook Community | ||Please list any specific Facebook Groups, Instagram Accounts, Organization Newsletters & or Websites that keep you up-to-date with local events & news? 24 responses|| |||| ||1|Daily Catch| |||| ||2|Daily catch| ||3|RHCSD Red Hook Moms Red Hook CAC| ||4|I will generate a list of every media outlet I can think of that I can engage with and share that with| |||you ASAP| ||5|Red Hook Moms| ||6|Red Hook Mom’s, Red Hook roundtable, Red Hook happenings| ||7|Red Hook Moms, Red Hook Dads| ||8|Red Hook moms| ||9|I am not on ANY social media! I do not believe social media should be a primary means of| |||communication.| ||10|Use direct email and text more to update on relevant news, notices and important things| |||happening.collect email and cell from all residents| ||11|Red Hook moms and dads, milan town hall| ||12|Several Red Hook specific fb groups ie: Red Hook Moms etc| ||13|This is a horribly drafted survey.| ||14|Jenrette Foundation, Rose Hill Farm, Corner Counter, Red Hook Public Library, Red Hook| |||Community Center, Winnakee, Scenic Hudson, Bard College, Red Hook Chamber of Commerce,| |||Central Hudson| ||15|Red Hook Moms, Fisher Center, RH Community Center| ||16|Mostly the mayor's newsletters| ||17|Village website| ||18|RH Village website, mayor's letter| ||19|Top Secret Folder, friends, Daily Catch| ||20|Red Hook Community| ||||
ANALYSIS: (8) for Red Hook moms, Several people named the website and the newsletter, most of the other responses were one offs.
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ANALYSIS: (47) responses were Resident Homeowners, (3) were Resident Renters, and the rest of the responses only had 1 each.
The takeaway is that the website, seasonal service update & Newsletter are reaching people - but that large impact items like a sign out front and bulletin board can be improved upon. People are reading the Daily Catch so it is important that we ensure what they are reading is accurate. When people need to reach the Village, the usually go in person to Village Hall, and second to that is calling or emailing which were almost equal. I also found it interesting how 40 of the 70 respondents said they find news from word of mouth - That struck me as how connected Red Hook community members are to each other. I was also struck by how neighbors nights were regarded as a priority, last year due both to the Events committee restructuring and scheduling Info Sessions we moved away from those events- and I think we can consider doing some of them again. - Also of note is how 50 residents answered the survey (70 survey respondents total) and that is only 2.5% of residents - which means even a survey like this promoted on the website, newsletter, bulletin board, flyers posted at cafes and the library and at the 4 corner posts and bus stops did not reach everyone.