City of Louisville 2023 Parks and Open Space Survey

Magellan Strategies is pleased to present the topline results of an online survey of 802 registered voters in the City of Louisville, Colorado. The interviews were conducted from April 20th to May 4th , 2023.

Registered voters in the City of Louisville were highly engaged and familiar with the City’s parks and open space assets. 92% reported being very or somewhat familiar with the parks, playgrounds, trails, and open spaces managed by the City’s Parks and Open Space Divisions, and 97% said they were extremely or very likely to vote in a local ballot measure election regarding an extension of the sales tax dedicated to parks and open space. Approval ratings for both divisions were strong: 85% approved of the job the Parks Division was doing managing parks and playgrounds, and 82% approved of the Open Space Division’s management of open spaces and trails. 67% agreed the City was fiscally responsible and spent taxpayer money wisely, while 19% disagreed.

When informed that the City owned or had an interest in roughly 2,000 acres of open space — approximately 40% of land within city limits — 60% of voters said this was about the right amount, 31% said it was not enough, and only 5% said it was too much. Usage of parks and open spaces was frequent: 95% of voters or their family members used the City’s parks and playgrounds at least once every three months, with 50% using them daily or a few times a week. Trail and open space usage was even higher, with 79% using them daily or a few times a week and only 2% reporting never using them.

Voters ranked Parks and Open Space Division functions by importance across six areas. Open space and trails maintenance and operations rated highest at 97% total important, followed by fire mitigation activities on City land at 95%, parks and playground maintenance and operations at 95%, natural environment and habitat restoration at 88%, open space land acquisitions at 72%, and new parks and open space capital and building projects at 70%.

Before receiving any additional information about the ballot measure, 82% of voters said they would vote yes to approve a 10-year extension of the existing 0.375% sales tax dedicated to parks, trails, open space, and land acquisition, which generated $2.85 million annually. Only 14% said they would vote no, and 4% were undecided. Support was strong from the outset, with 59% saying they would definitely vote yes.

Each piece of information shared about the Parks and Open Space Divisions increased voter support for approving the ballot measure. Learning about the full scope of the Parks Division’s responsibilities — including 37 parks, 16 playgrounds, 14 athletic fields, 10,000 trees, and 10 miles of trails — moved 81% of voters toward approval and only 10% toward rejection. Learning about the Open Space Division’s management of approximately 2,000 acres and 20 miles of trails moved 81% toward approval. Learning that the 0.375% sales tax funded 60% of the Parks Division’s operational costs and 100% of the Open Space Division’s operational costs moved 79% toward approval. The strongest driver of support was the consequence of non-renewal: learning that failure to extend the tax would require dramatic reductions in mowing, wildfire mitigation, and trail and park maintenance moved 85% of voters toward approval, including 68% who said they were much more likely to vote yes.

After reading all the information provided about the ballot measure, overall support increased to 84% in favor of approving the 10-year extension at the existing 0.375% rate, with 64% saying they would definitely vote yes and only 12% saying they would vote no. Among the small group of voters who remained undecided after reading all the information, 70% were unable to lean either way when pressed.

When asked about longer extensions, support remained solid but declined with duration. A 15-year extension drew 75% support and 19% opposition. A 20-year extension drew 65% support and 25% opposition. Making the tax a continuing permanent tax drew 61% support and 28% opposition. A separate question testing a modestly higher tax rate — increasing the sales tax from 0.375% to 0.5% to raise an additional $950,000 annually for a total of $3.75 million — drew 64% support and 25% opposition, with 11% undecided. On how funds should be allocated between the two divisions, 47% supported the existing even split between parks and open space, 21% wanted more spent on open space, and 15% wanted more spent on parks.

The survey sample reflected a heavily engaged, long-tenured electorate. 40% of voters had lived in Louisville for more than 20 years, and only 6% had lived there for less than two years. The sample was 52% female and 47% male, with 31% aged 65 or older and 53% between the ages of 35 and 64. 70% were married. By party registration, 52% were Democrats, 37% were unaffiliated, and 10% were Republicans. Respondents were distributed relatively evenly across the City’s three wards, with 36% from Ward 3, 33% from Ward 2, and 30% from Ward 1.