The Janesville Gazette recently published our latest Forward Thinking column, highlighting results from a new community survey on how residents view the direction of Janesville.

The survey—conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a nationally recognized research firm—offers a statistically valid snapshot of community sentiment. Importantly, it reflects the views of likely voters across the community, not just Forward Janesville members.

READ THE FULL COLUMN HERE

The results show that a majority of residents (51%) believe Janesville is headed in the right direction, citing visible economic growth, downtown revitalization, and a strong quality of life. At the same time, those who feel otherwise raised clear concerns around rising costs of living, property taxes, and the development process surrounding the proposed data center at the GM/JATCO site.

For Forward Janesville, this feedback isn’t just informative, it’s directional. Housing emerged as the top priority for respondents, followed by property taxes, city spending and economic development. These are areas where we are actively engaged.

We continue to support policies that expand housing options and affordability, promote a stronger business base to help rebalance the local tax burden, and attract employers offering quality, living-wage jobs. We’ve also invested in workforce development efforts to strengthen the talent pipeline and are hosting Shane Phillips, author of The Affordable City, at our upcoming CivicCon event to further this important conversation.

The Gazette recently reported on the survey here.

While progress is clear, this survey reinforces that our work continues, and that listening to our community remains at the center of it.

Forward Thinking is our monthly column focused on the issues shaping our business climate and community future.