Seward County Development Corporation Housing Employer Survey

INTRODUCTION

Seward County Development Corporation (SCDC) has partnered with FIVE RULE Rural Planning to complete an update to its housing study.

This survey will provide input to determine the need for workforce housing in Seward County and in planning for the type of housing most needed in our communities.

In addition to planning, this information will help with budgeting and fundraising from sources both within and outside of Seward County.

Your input into this survey will assist the city through the discovery and decision-making process.

This survey is anonymous.

Please complete the entire survey to the best of your ability.

SURVEY DEADLINE: March 21, 2025

Question Title

* 1. Select the title that most accurately describes your employment status.

Business Owner/Management: 2-10 full-time employees

Business Owner/Management: 10-25 full-time employees

Business Owner/Management: 26-50 full-time employees

Business Owner/Management: 51+ full-time employees

Employed full-time in a supervisory position

Agency or corporate manager overseeing employees

Employed full-time not in a supervisory position

Self-employed with no employees: 1 full time employee

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. If you are a business owner or are in a manager/supervisory role, check all that apply:

The ability to hire employees has limited the growth of my business/organization.

The ability to retain employees has limited the growth of my business/organization.

I have not needed to hire employees.

I am not aware of any hiring issues at my business/organization.

Question Title

* 3. If you responded that you are experiencing limited growth in question 2, check all that apply as reasons that limit growth:

Availability of rental housing

Availability of homes for sale

Condition of homes for sale

Condition of rental housing

Availability of land to build on

Cost of rental housing

Cost of homes for sale

The reason has not been housing related

Other (please specify):

Question Title

* 4. Please check the statements below that apply to your business/organization that you work for:

we need to have staff dedicate time to find housing for new employees that would otherwise be spent being productive within our business/organization.

we have considered relocating our business to another community in order to address lack of available housing for new employees.

we have had employees relocate from our community not for better job opportunities but in order to find more adequate housing.

we have spent revenue on local housing for employees instead of growing our business.

Question Title

* 5. What is the individual wage range/s of employees in your company that struggle the most to adequate housing in Seward County (check all that apply)?

Employees earning:

less than $16 per hour ($30,000/year)

$16-$20 per hour ($32,000-$40,000/year)

$21-$25/hour ($42,000-$50,000/year)

$26-$30/hour ($52,000-$60,000/year)

More than $30/hour ($60,000/year)

Other (please specify):

None of the above

Question Title

* 6. What percentage of your current staff do you believe will be retiring [that you will need to replace] in the next 3-5 years?

Less than 10%

10%-25%

26%-50%

51%-75%

More than 75%

Question Title

* 7. The federal government defines affordable housing as spending less than 30% of take home pay after taxes on all housing expenses (rent/mortgage, insurance, utilities).

Based on this definition, the range of monthly housing costs my employees can afford is (check all that apply):

$500 or less

$501-$900

$901-$1,200

$1,201-$1,500

$1,501-$2,000

$2,001 or more

Other (please specify):

None of the above

Question Title

* 8. Over the past 36 months, what is the average number of job openings at your company?

1 or less

2-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

More than 20

Other (please specify):

None of the above

Question Title

* 9. If you routinely have multiple openings, what are the wage ranges of employees that are hardest to fill (select all that apply):

less than $16 per hour ($30,000/year)

$16-$20 per hour ($32,000-$40,000/year)

$21-$25/hour ($42,000-$50,000/year)

$26-$30/hour ($52,000-$60,000/year)

More than $30/hour ($60,000/year)

Other (please specify):

None of the above

Question Title

* 10. What Seward County communities do you serve?

Liberal

Kismet

Rural Seward County

I serve customers throughout the county.

Our customers are outside of the county.

Other locations of the customers you serve:

Question Title

* 11. What Seward County community is your business located within?

Liberal

Kismet

Rural Seward County

Other locations of the customers you serve:

Question Title

* 12. Where do your employees live?

Liberal

Kismet

Rural Seward County

Outside of Seward County

Other locations where your employees live:

Question Title

* 13. Thank you for your time to complete this survey.
As an employer in the county, please provide any other insights you'd like to share regarding workforce housing in Seward County.

Seward County Development Corporation Housing Employer Survey

INTRODUCTION

Question Title

* 1. Select the title that most accurately describes your employment status.

Question Title

* 2. If you are a business owner or are in a manager/supervisory role, check all that apply:

Question Title

* 3. If you responded that you are experiencing limited growth in question 2, check all that apply as reasons that limit growth:

Question Title

* 4. Please check the statements below that apply to your business/organization that you work for:

Question Title

* 5. What is the individual wage range/s of employees in your company that struggle the most to adequate housing in Seward County (check all that apply)? Employees earning:

Question Title

* 6. What percentage of your current staff do you believe will be retiring [that you will need to replace] in the next 3-5 years?

Question Title

* 7. The federal government defines affordable housing as spending less than 30% of take home pay after taxes on all housing expenses (rent/mortgage, insurance, utilities). Based on this definition, the range of monthly housing costs my employees can afford is (check all that apply):

Question Title

* 8. Over the past 36 months, what is the average number of job openings at your company?

Question Title

* 9. If you routinely have multiple openings, what are the wage ranges of employees that are hardest to fill (select all that apply):

Question Title

* 10. What Seward County communities do you serve?

Question Title

* 11. What Seward County community is your business located within?

Question Title

* 12. Where do your employees live?

Question Title

* 13. Thank you for your time to complete this survey. As an employer in the county, please provide any other insights you'd like to share regarding workforce housing in Seward County.

* 5. What is the individual wage range/s of employees in your company that struggle the most to adequate housing in Seward County (check all that apply)?

Employees earning:

* 7. The federal government defines affordable housing as spending less than 30% of take home pay after taxes on all housing expenses (rent/mortgage, insurance, utilities).

Based on this definition, the range of monthly housing costs my employees can afford is (check all that apply):

* 13. Thank you for your time to complete this survey.
As an employer in the county, please provide any other insights you'd like to share regarding workforce housing in Seward County.