Results from the most recent community recreation center mail survey show that 58% of the 2,103 respondents support the mill levy proposal, and 55% support the bond proposal.
But Paul Hanley of Beyond Your Base, which conducted the survey, said the mail surveys oftentimes are 8-10 percentage points too friendly.
“For this to pass, you would need a really strong campaign,” he during a special meeting of the Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District on Tuesday. “I think to have a fighting chance for this to pass, you really need to get that voter who typically doesn’t show up in odd-year elections.”
Particularly the 18-54-year-old voters and those who have school-aged children, Hanley said.
“If you were to do that, I think it would be a gamechanger in terms of being able to pass this,” he said. “But without that unlikely voter showing up, I think it will be a very tight race in terms of trying to pass this.”
The board approved a resolution Tuesday certifying the ballot measure and ballot content for the Nov. 2 Coordinated Election, which includes a $30 million bond measure and mill levy proposal of 3.5 mills.
The bond issue would fund construction costs and the mill levy would provide funding for ongoing operations and maintenance of the recreation center and to support the operating needs of the district.
The estimated annual tax impact of the proposed bond measure and mill levy proposal would be $44.47 and $25, respectively, per $100,000 of a home’s assessed value.
The building program factors in construction costs for 2023. If approved, it could open in the first quarter of 2024.
Board President Jim Johnson said this process has been a long one, having started about five years ago, and now it’s down to the final two months.
“This is something the community needs, and one way or another, we’ve got to get a pool going,” he said. “The one we have has well outlasted its life. We have to be as strong as they were in 1965” when the current public pool was built.
Jenna Katsaros of Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture said the cost recovery would be about 80 percent. The annual expense to operate the facility is projected to be just over $2 million, with revenues of about $1.6 million, for an annual subsidy of about $399,968.
The numbers are based on the preliminary assumption that the center operates seven days a week, year-round.
Kyle Horne, the executive director of the Recreation District, said the subsidy would come from the mill levy increase. He said the Recreation District has been pulling from reserves to balance the existing budget the last several years, and there has never been a mill levy increase for the district, which has been in operation since 1965.
“With the recreation center, the goal is to get to 90-95% sustainability, but keep in mind with the subsidy, we did not take into account several assumptions,” Horne said. “We did not assume any revenue from Cañon City Schools, which according to George Welsh in our meetings, will be significant.”
Based on other similarly-sized communities that have recreation centers, such as Montrose, potential day passes for individuals living in the district could be $4.50 for youth, $7 for adults and $5.50 for seniors. For those living outside of the district, those fees could be $5.50, $9 and $7.25 respectively.
“Those are subject to change,” Katsaros said. “I think the goal is the district wants to maximize the cost recovery while still being affordable and accessible.”
The survey also asked participants how concerned they are about the impact of the funding proposals on their families’ budgets.
Of the individuals responding to the survey, 41 percent were extremely or very concerned and 57 percent indicated that they were somewhat or not very concerned.
“This survey rates this community as moderately tax-sensitive, but I would have to say that we are highly tax-sensitive,” said Mayor Ashley Smith. “That is a really big concern.”
She said during the 2016 campaign for the city’s 2A street projects, a similar scientific survey indicated 71% of citizens would support a 1% sales tax, but when it came to the actual election, it barely squeezed by with 52% voting in favor. Another survey for the 2020 Black Hills franchise agreement indicated it would pass in the high 60-percentile range, but only 35.34% voted in favor of the failed initiative.
“With that trend in our area, a 55-58% makes me nervous that it’s not quite high enough to make it pass,” Smith said. “It would take a really huge campaign to overcome some of those obstacles.”
Nick Sartori, a board member for the Recreation District, said this election is different.
“This is a tangible, something the community can use, something they can get behind,” he said. “Those other things are things that maybe weren’t as tangible, as usable, and maybe not as highly valuable, so from that regard, I look at those differently.”
Individuals responding to the survey indicated the following as “high priority” when considering the proposal: warm water leisure pool (47%), six-lane lap pool (38%), multi-activity gym (32%), family changing rooms (32%), walk-jog track (30%) and fitness area (30%).
The top arguments for the proposal were access to afterschool and summer programs (43%), improved quality of life, health and wellness (42%) and keeping residents of all ages connected to the community (40%).
“Some of the comments against this question are, ‘Is this a good time?’ ‘Is it too much?'” Johnson said. “We could have built this it 20 years ago for $10 million. Montrose built one five years ago that is 25% bigger than what we are building for about $8 million less than what we are spending. Maybe we can wait a year to two, but costs are only going up. It’s not getting any cheaper, it never will. … This is our time, we need to pass this.”
To watch Tuesday’s meeting in its entirety, visit the Cañon City Recreation and Park District’s Facebook page.
The next community presentation will be at 6 p.m. Monday at John D. Havens City Hall, located at 128 Main St.
Parents and staff from Cañon City High School are invited to an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 and Oct. 18 in the auditorium to learn more.
For more information on the project, visit https://ccrec.colorado.gov/recreation-center-project.
"center" - Google News
August 26, 2021 at 04:56AM
https://ift.tt/3yjC2UL
Survey: 55% support Cañon City recreation center, but group advised strong campaign necessary for it to pass - Canon City Daily Record
"center" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3bUHym8
https://ift.tt/2zR6ugj
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Survey: 55% support Cañon City recreation center, but group advised strong campaign necessary for it to pass - Canon City Daily Record"
Post a Comment