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Clarksburg residents can express their thoughts about their community in an online survey being conducted this week by the Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce.

"I don't think we'll get a large response on this, but large enough that it's an accurate return," Patrick Darby, president of the chamber, said.

The short questionnaire asks respondents to rank the most important issues in the community, their thoughts on the best way to increase employment opportunities and the most desired community services and transportation projects. It asks which of the long-awaited projects should be built first — a library, parks and ball fields, fire station or police substation.

The survey asks whether a special taxing district should be created to pay for roads and, if so, whether the district should be comprised of only the three largest communities as envisioned by the county or should include other Clarksburg residents. It asks whether incorporation would help the community gets its voice heard.

"It pays for us to occasionally go out to residents and say, ‘what are people thinking now' and not miss any voices," said Gordon Taylor, chairman of the chamber events committee.

By Monday evening 120 people had taken the survey.

"I'm pleased with the result so far," Darby said. "The comments are very informative and really add a perspective to the results.

Responses were pretty evenly split on most issues, but on one, the special taxing district, a resounding 47 percent were in agreement that all plans to create a special taxing district should be cancelled, even if it means delaying much needed road projects.

The answers will be shared with other community groups and elected officials, Darby said.

"We think it's a good idea to get a sense of the priorities of the community because time has passed since there's been a lot of talk about the big picture [of Clarksburg development]," Catherine Matthews, director of the Upcounty Regional Services Center said. "They should do this periodically."

Survey questions were written with the help of Constant Contact, a marketing firm hired by the chamber for survey and promotional work. Help in structuring survey questions in a neutral manner, posting and tallying the survey is all part of the chamber's package with the firm, Darby said.

Although anyone can answer the survey, only one response is allowed per computer, he said.

"If we get people from outside, it will be interesting to know what their opinion is," Darby said.

The survey can be answered online through Sunday. Constant Contact will tabulate the results by Tuesday and produce a report by the end of June, he said.

To take the Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce survey, Visit survey.constantcontact.com/survey/

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