MADEIRA - A four-page, 21-question survey that is supposed to improve the city's business community remains unfinished.

        Within the next two months, City Council's economic development committee will work to improve the draft of a survey recen tly created by the Hamilton County Development Corp.

        They want to set a final draft before City Council members this fall so that the city's 300-plus small business owners can respond to the surveys, which are intended to draw more business to this Hamilton County city and improve the present business owners' relationship with city officials.

        “It's kind of a work-in-progress,” committee chairman David Eberly said. He said he would like to see more survey questions that tap into Madeira's diverse business community, which competes with businesses in Indian Hill and Montgomery.

        “The final product should be something that helps promote the community better. We're making sure that they're happy and successful,” he said.

        City Council members have talked about sending out a business improvement survey since last summer. In April they agreed to hire Hamilton County Development Corp. to write one.

        In the draft, questions touch on three main topics - employees, doing business and business location. Questions range from the general to the specific.

        For example, the survey asks for the number of present and potential employees and for business owners to rate the city's traffic flow, parking situation and police protection.

        Then there are the more general questions that try to pin down how the city can help its business owners, including:

        “What should be the focus of the City of Madeira in seeking new business development?”

        “Are there any policies, practices, ordinances or regulations in the city of Madeira that you view as being an impediment to the operation of your business?”

        Dwayne Burhans owns an antiques store named Country Manor Limited on Camargo Road and is president of the Madeira Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Burhans said the relationship between Madeira's business owners and city officials has always been shaky because there is little communication between the two.

        The survey will go a long way toward improving matters, he said.

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