Healdsburg Voters Might Accept Sales Tax to Improve Services, Poll Finds

We like living here, approve of our city government, would probably put up with an added sales tax to pay for  essential city services – but balk at a parcel tax for the .

That’s the take-away from the Community Survey, whose results were released Monday, March 19, at the meeting. However, the council deferred hearing the research company – Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, or FM3 – give a full report on their findings, as only three of the five sitting .

Some 400 Healdsburg potential voters received telephone phone calls during the last week of February from the polling firm asking their reactions to a city sales tax, parcel tax, and opinions on the job the city council is doing. (Were you called? Leave a message in our Comments and tell us what you thought.)

Patch has received a copy of the report, and a selective number of pages are attached as a PDF to this article. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish, and according to FM3 the margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.

Key findings are that Healdsburg voters are “highly pleased” with conditions in Healdsburg, and “approve” of the city government’s performance, in percentages roughly equivalent to the 2008 survey from the same firm. is still “one area of notable dissatisfaction,” with roughly one in five giving the city poor marks (22% in 2008, 21% in 2012).  How to deal with that and other issues of city maintenance and services make up the bulk of the report.

Several means of dealing with budget shortfalls such as reducing city office hours, increasing fees, and selling off city property were floated before poll respondents. The most “acceptable” (including “completely acceptable” and “somewhat acceptable” responses) options were reducing hours at  and/ or and reducing funding for, which all gained a 70% or higher rating.

Less acceptable, at 40% negative, were increasing fees for youth and adult recreation programs, and eliminating subsides for community organizations that use city facilities. In fact eliminating scored as the most unacceptable option, at 72%, followed closely by closing an unacceptable 67%.

When it comes to fundraising, it seems Healdsburg voters have a high tolerance for the idea of a half cent tax on retail transactions, either for a five year or 10-year period. The proposal, termed the City of Healdsburg Vital Services Protection Measure, gained an overall positive response of 52% of consistent Yes voters, compared with 25% consistent No voters and 23% “swing” voters.

In general, voters who identified themselves as Democrats and Independents were more likely so support the measure, with about 60% of each favoring; Republicans scored in at 62% in opposition. Support is somewhat strongest among younger voters, the polling found, but it is the long-term residents of Healdsburg who tend to be the most opposed – if you’ve lived here 30 years or longer, you’re more than likely (53% - 42%, with 5% undecided) to oppose the tax measure.

More questions and results can be found in the accompanying PDF, which represents about half of the total report though an attempt has been made to present key findings.

As noted above, though, the separate issue of a on property owners to apply toward “maintenance and bridge rehabilitation” for the Memorial Bridge was pretty unpopular – surprisingly so, given the support residents have shown for in the recent past. The measure was proposed as a $29 annual property tax, plus a one-time payment of about $460 per parcel.

Opposition was strong, with fully 69% leaning, definitely or positively in opposition to the measure. In favor, based on similar leanings, totaled only 27%. Just 5% were undecided.

The full report will be aired by FM3 at the next City Council meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. Again, you can view or download the partial report as a PDF with this article.