Poll results are in. Here’s how COVID impacted (or didn’t) Greeley’s support for two tax measures
Greeley City Council will vote to decide which tax measures appear on the 2020 ballot on Sept. 1, 2020. Photo by Kelly Ragan.
By Kelly Ragan
Despite the chaos of 2020, the poll numbers on extending two taxes to support Greeley’s streets haven’t changed much since June.
Alex Dunn, research director at Strategies 260, presented the findings of a professional poll conducted by Strategies 360 at the city council meeting Tuesday.
Strategies 360 spoke to about 500 registered voters representative of the community between August 13-17 via cell phone, landline and more. Respondents could choose to take the survey in English or in Spanish.
Surveyors couched questions to better understand how people had been impacted by COVID, like whether they’d lost their job or knew people who had.
Food Tax
About 70% of people interviewed still support extending the Food Tax to 2026, with 36% strongly supportive.
22% said they oppose the measure, with 12% strongly opposed
9% said they were undecided
Dunn said that means almost half of supporters could still change their mind on the measure, as they are either “somewhat” supportive or “lean” toward supporting it.
“That isn’t surprising given the volatility we’ve seen, the fact they don’t know a whole lot about this issue, and given there are still several months until election day,” Dunn said.
In June, the survey results for the Food Tax looked like this:
72% supported, with 37% strongly supporting
23% opposed, with 15% strongly opposed
5% undecided
Keep Greeley Moving
According to the August survey, about 72% of people interviewed support extending Keep Greeley Moving until 2029, with 39% strongly supportive.
20% opposed, with 12% strongly opposed
8% undecided
In June, the survey results for Keep Greeley Moving looked like this:
76% supported, with 39% strongly supported
19% opposed, with 10% strongly opposed
5% undecided
“There really has been no statistically significant change in support since June, with the caveat that there are still some folks making up their mind,” Dunn said.
During the interviews, surveyors presented various arguments for or against the tax to gauge what people thought after hearing different ideas.
Once they did, surveyors found Keep Greeley Moving had more support than the Food Tax.
City council will vote on whether to include one, both or none on the ballot September 1.
What can you expect on the statewide ballot this year?
November is still several months away, but we want you to be ready. We’ll do more in-depth reporting on these issues as we get closer to the election. But for now, here’s a high-level overview of what statewide ballot issues you can expect to see (thanks to Ballotpedia for the breakdown):
22-Week Abortion Ban Initiative: It would ban abortion after 22 weeks
Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative: It would change some language in the Colorado Constitution to say “only a citizen” of the U.S. can vote, rather than what is says now, which is “every citizen” of the U.S. can vote.
Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative: It would reintroduce gray wolves on public lands.
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Referendum: It would make it so Colorado’s electoral votes would go to the winner of the national popular vote.
Decrease Income Tax Rate from 4.63% to 4.55% Initiative: The name really says it all. It would lower the state income tax rate across the board.
Require Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises Exempt from TABOR Initiative: It would require voters to approve TABOR-exempt enterprises if they make more than $50 million in the first five years.
Paid Medical and Family Leave Initiative: It would establish a program for paid medical and family leave.
Charitable Bingo and Raffles Amendment: It would require charities to be around for three years before they can get a gaming license, as opposed to five years as the law requires now. It would also allow charities to hire managers and operators of gaming activities paid no more than minimum wage.
Gallagher Amendment Repeal and Property Tax Assessment Rates Measure: This would repeal the Gallagher Amendment, which was established in 1982. Gallagher made it so that residential property taxes made up 45% of the total state property taxes and non-residential property taxes made up 55% of the total share. That 45-55 proportion is fixed. A vote to repeal could change that.
Colorado Tobacco and E-Cigarette Tax Increase for Health Education and Programs Measure: It would raise taxes on tobacco and make a new tax on other things, like e-cigarettes, to fund education and health programs.
As we get closer to the election this November, we at the NoCo Optimist want to here from YOU! What questions do you have about the 2020 ballot? We’d love to help answer them. Send us an email at TheNoCoOptimist@gmail.com.