Nearly 1,700 people who responded last year to a citywide “image survey” gave Lawrence city government a thumbs-up for user- and business-friendliness.

But 29 community leaders who were given more in-depth interviews disagreed.

And Lawrence city commissioners spent 45 minutes Friday listening to results from the survey of anonymous community leaders. Fewer than 10 minutes was spent on the results from the broader scientific survey.

That was despite neither City Hall nor City Commission members knowing who the community leaders were or how they were selected for the survey.

When results were issued in February, the Journal-World requested the identities of the community leaders who responded to the surveys, which were conducted last fall. City officials said they could not furnish the information; only GRI Research, the survey company, knows who participated. GRI officials have declined to release the identities, saying the interviews were conducted under promises of confidentiality.

The survey information is being used as officials look for ways to streamline and make City Hall more “user-friendly.”

The 29 community leaders — residents, businesspeople, developers and others — had concerns about Lawrence. They said:

l The city’s planning processes are broken.

l Customer service at City Hall lacks a “can-do” attitude.

l Ordinances are enforced inconsistently.

l Lawrence’s “diversity and passion” paralyze the city’s decision-making ability.

l The city has a poor reputation as a place to do business.

l The “town-gown” relationship with Kansas University needs improvement, particularly on the business front.

“I think what it says is we’ve got some work to do,” Mayor Sue Hack said. “I’m kind of anxious to see where we go, what’s our next step.”

But GRI’s related survey of 1,700 residents in the broader community suggested most Lawrence residents were happy with City Hall, though perhaps not with the Planning Office. And they say the community is friendly toward — but should be choosy about — the businesses it attracts.

“There seems to be significant differences in perception between those groups,” Commissioner David Dunfield said.

Despite the short time given to the results of the scientific survey at Friday’s session, Dunfield said they shouldn’t be dismissed.

“It’s important it not carry over to us saying the qualitative (community leader survey) is more important than the quantitative (scientific survey), because that’s not true,” Dunfield said.

Caleb Morse, president of the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, said he didn’t understand why commissioners gave so much time to the surveys of community leaders.

“They appeared to be more anecdotal,” he said.

Jean Milstead, interim CEO of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, also attended Friday’s meeting. She said she was intrigued by the discrepancy in results between the surveys.

“My own personal experience has been positive,” she said of City Hall. “I know perceptions are not always reality.”

The commission will wait until after Tuesday’s election, when three commissioners will be elected, to consider action based on the survey results.