County residents say they will support raising taxes to purchase water in a poll completed in May. La Plata County’s Water Advisory Commission examined whether the county should purchase water from the Animas-La Plata Project and determined it would be a good investment if residents were willing to pay for it.
County residents say they will support raising taxes to purchase water in a poll completed in May. La Plata County’s Water Advisory Commission examined whether the county should purchase water from the Animas-La Plata Project and determined it would be a good investment if residents were willing to pay for it.Steve Lewis/Durango Herald file photo

But the campaign for a tax could be derailed if the infrastructure goals for the new revenue aren’t clear, according to recent poll results.

In May, pollsters found a majority of residents generally support a property-tax increase to support county roads and bridges, Keating Research Inc. found. But the lengthy questionnaire also explored what likely voters value and what could convince them not to support a tax.

The respondents to the random survey largely were white, well-educated homeowners. They also were equally spread across political parties and geography.

The survey asked respondents to rate how convincing they found reasons to both support and oppose a property-tax increase.

“I think safety is front and center without a doubt,” County Manager Joe Kerby said.

The first four most popular reasons to vote for the tax increase involved road and bridge safety or maintenance in some way. The county would like to pave 27 miles of gravel roads that are used by at least 400 vehicles daily.

Likely voters also favored a potential property-taxes increase of 2.65 mills that would raise $5.4 million for road and bridge projects annually. The county also floated a larger increase of 4.75 mills that would raise $8 million for county facilities in addition to road projects. But it wasn’t as popular.

The top reasons to oppose the tax increase were more varied than those to support it. Reasons for oppositions include concerns about not having defined projects slated for funding and general concerns about how a larger tax could affect the economy.

The desire for greater clarity for a project, did not surprise Kerby, who said it is for common voters to want specifics in ballot questions.

Arguments against the tax were just as strongly worded as reasons to vote for it. For example, pollsters raised this popular logic: Instead of raising taxes, La Plata County can find more ways to tighten its belt on government spending and find a way to balance the budget.

“This was not designed as a campaign poll. … This is really designed to illuminate the aspects of (the tax) people find attractive (and) areas where we need to do more work,” said county consultant Roger Sherman, chief operating officer at CRL and Associates, which helped with the poll.

Pollsters also raised the issue of increasing property-tax assessments that already have led to higher taxes for some owners.

However, respondents, in large part, favored arguments for raising taxes more convincing than arguments against the increases.

“There appears to be a recognition the oil and gas has fallen off in La Plata County,” Kerby said.

After the positive reaction to a tax increase was announced last week, the county started organizing a stakeholders group to help refine the ballot question using the poll and previous research by the Long Term Finance Committee.

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County residents back tax hike for water

La Plata County residents support raising taxes to buy more water rights, according to a poll completed in May.
Residents who said they are likely to vote in 2015 favored raising taxes to buy water, with 49 percent in support to 34 percent against. Those who said they are more likely to vote in the 2016 election supported it, 52 percent to 32 percent. About 16 percent of those polled remained undecided.
The idea for a ballot measure for water is in its infancy, and there are no details about the amount of a possible tax increase, said Cheryl Rogers, county attorney.
The survey conducted in May focused mainly on raising property taxes for road and bridge projects, but the county also included a question about water rights at the request of the Water Advisory Commission.
The commission explored whether to purchase water as one of five policy questions the members were tasked with answering.
“In the end, they basically said if the public is willing to pay for it, why would you not purchase it. … It’s one of those legacy assets that you often want to have for a community,” Rogers said.
Specifically, the county water commission considered buying water rights from Lake Nighthorse. But the survey question did not address this specifically.
The county does not provide water to residents, but any water the county acquires could be used in an emergency. For example, if a residential water provider was prohibited from using the water supply because states downstream had a higher priority, the county could step in. The county might be able to send water downstream to fulfill a call on the river. This could allow the residential water provider to continue using the water.
mshinn@ durangoherald.com