Archuleta County & Pagosa Springs 2022 Ballot Measure Survey

Magellan Strategies is pleased to present the topline results of an online survey of 1,081n registered voters in Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The interviews were conducted from August 3rd – 16th, 2022.

This survey examined voter attitudes toward a potential sales tax ballot measure in Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The survey found that a majority of county residents disapproved of the job Archuleta County was doing in providing services, though most agreed the county had adequate financial resources. However, a significant majority disagreed that the county spent taxpayer money wisely. Among Pagosa Springs residents specifically, opinions were more evenly divided, with approval ratings slightly higher than disapproval for town services.

When asked about service priorities, road maintenance and repairs emerged as the overwhelmingly most important county service that residents wanted provided. For town residents, road maintenance and paving was also the top priority, followed by sanitation infrastructure updates and workforce housing. These infrastructure concerns clearly dominated the public’s priorities for local government services.

The survey explored voter preferences for different types of tax increases, finding strong preference for a sales tax over a property tax increase. Three-quarters of respondents indicated they would prefer a sales tax approach if additional funding were needed for county and town services. This preference appeared to be driven in part by the fact that tourists and visitors would contribute significantly to sales tax revenue.

Initial support for a proposed 1.5% sales tax increase showed modest majority approval, with just over half of voters indicating they would vote yes to approve the measure. This tax would have raised the total sales tax rate from 6.9% to 8.4% and generated approximately $3.263 million annually for each government entity.

After respondents were provided with various arguments supporting the tax increase, support strengthened considerably. Messages emphasizing that budgets had been stretched for over 30 years without a tax increase, that tourists would pay a significant portion of the tax, and that the revenue would address infrastructure and service needs all generated higher levels of support. The argument about tourists paying a substantial share of the tax proved particularly persuasive.

Following this informed messaging, support for the 1.5% sales tax increased significantly, with nearly two-thirds of voters indicating they would approve the measure. The survey also tested a lower 1.0% sales tax option, which received similar levels of support to the 1.5% option after voters had been exposed to the supporting arguments.

The survey demonstrated that contextual information about the tax increase significantly influenced voter support. Arguments about the long period without tax increases, comparisons to neighboring communities’ tax rates, and emphasis on tourist contribution to the tax burden all appeared to move voters toward approval. The messaging around specific uses for the revenue, particularly road maintenance and infrastructure improvements, aligned well with the stated service priorities of county and town residents.