City officials get high marks for the way they spend tax dollars, deliver city services that meet or exceed resident expectations, and take the community in the right direction.

Those were among the key findings of the city’s biennial budget survey, which was presented to the City Council on Nov. 15 by City Manager Steve Sarkozy and Finance Department staff.

“Obviously we’re very pleased by the survey results,” Sarkozy said. “All too often these days we seem to hear about how wasteful or wrongheaded government can be, and how it’s out of touch with citizens. It’s nice to learn that the people you serve think you’re doing a good job.”

Bellevue conducts the survey every two years to help it better understand community priorities and expectations, as well as provide a statistically valid tool to enhance the city’s knowledge of residents’ perceptions about Bellevue.

Among key findings of the 2010 survey:

Seventy-eight percent of Bellevue residents feel they are getting value for their tax dollars;

Ninety-one percent of residents rate the quality of life in their neighborhood as good to excellent;

Eighty-seven percent say the city is headed in the right direction;

Ninety-five percent say the quality of city services meets or exceeds their expectations; and

Ninety-seven percent rate the quality of life in the city as good to excellent.

Sarkozy said the survey results this year were especially gratifying because the city was able to reach a broader and more representative sampling of residents.

“We were able to reach out to households using a combination of Internet and telephone surveys, which in turn allowed us to reach more 18- to 34-year olds who use cell phones,” he said.

“This resulted in nearly twice as many survey participants than in previous years, as well as a greater representation of the different ethnicities and socio-economic groups that comprise our community.”