The Overland Park, KS,  City Council has already voted once to tentatively approve a 46% property tax increase.  The vote was unanimous.  To read more information about this likely tax increase, you can visit my columns at KCMonitor.com here, here, and here.

Poll performed by the State and Local Reform Educational Foundation of Kansas.  Join us at LibertyLinked, a pro-liberty social networking site.

[Note: Visually, the results are lined up vertically better at our original post, over at our Web site.]

 

Part 1 of results

Telephone survey among likely 2012 voters in Overland Park, KS.  Conducted Tuesday, August 9; and Wednesday, August 10.  Margin of error +/- 5.4%.  For survey wording (questions 1 through 18), click here.  For accompanying information for comparison purposes, click here.  More information about survey methodology can be found at the bottom of this page.

 

Demographic information for poll results

Party breakdown: Count Percent

Democratic:                           68                  20.0%

Republican:                         174                  51.2%

Unaffiliated:                           98                  28.8%

Total:                                    340                 100%

 

Gender breakdown: Count Percent

Male:                                     153                  45%

Female:                                187                  55%

Total:                                    340                 100%

 

Age breakdown: Count Percent

Over 50:                                170                  50%

Under 50:                             170                  50%

Total:                                    340                 100%

 

Question: Now I’m going to ask you some questions about your city government in Overland Park. Like many governments, the Overland Park city government faces budget shortfalls. Going forward, how should Overland Park balance its budget? Should the city government increase taxes, or cut spending?

To balance budget,

increase taxes or cut spending? Count             Percent

Cut spending:                           227                66.8%

Increase taxes:                          79                 23.2%

Undecided:                                 34                 10.0%

 

Total:                                          340                 100%

 

Question: Asked a different way… by how much should city spending be decreased? Not at all?  1-5%?  6-10%  Or 10% or more?

Spending cuts?  By how much? Count             Percent

Not at all:                                    46                13.5%

1-5% in cuts:                           134                39.4%

6-10% in cuts:                         100                29.4%

10% or more in cuts:               38                 11.2%

Undecided:                                22                   6.5%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

Question: Generally speaking, would you prefer a more active government with more services and higher taxes, or a smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes?

More or less government? Count             Percent

Government with more

services and higher taxes:    91                26.8%

 

Government with fewer

services and lower taxes:    220                64.7%

 

Undecided:                                    29                   8.5%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

Question: Would making cuts to city services be acceptable to you? Or unacceptable to you?

Cuts to city services? Count             Percent

Acceptable:                             187                  55.0%

Unacceptable:                        115                  33.8%

Undecided:                               38                  11.2%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

 

Question: Currently, the Overland Park City Council is planning to increase property taxes by 46% in order to balance the budget. Do you support this 46% tax increase, or do you oppose it?

Support or oppose the

planned tax increase? Count             Percent

Support:                                      47                 13.8%

Oppose:                                    273                 80.3%

Undecided:                                 20                   5.9%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

Question: There was one public hearing held, after the City Council announced the 46% property tax increase.  There are no more hearings planned before the City Council votes on the tax increase.  Do you think this one public hearing was enough, or should there be more public hearings?

Is one public hearing enough? Count             Percent

One public hearing

was enough:                       44                  12.9%

 

More public hearings

Should be held:                 283                 83.2%

 

Undecided:                              13                    3.8%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

Question: In general, have city councilmen done a good job of representing Overland Park voters? Or have city councilmen lost touch with voters throughout the city?

City councilmen have: Count             Percent

Done a good job

representing voters:              90                 26.5%

 

Lost touch with voters:              177                 52.1%

 

Undecided:                                   73                  21.5%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

Question: Thinking ahead to the next presidential election … If the 2012 presidential election were held today, would you definitely vote to re-elect Barack Obama, probably vote to re-elect Obama, probably vote for someone else, or definitely vote for someone else?

Vote to re-elect Obama,

or for someone else? Count             Percent

Definitely vote to

re-elect Obama:                      80                  23.5%

 

Probably vote to

re-elect Obama:                      47                 13.8%

 

Probably vote for

someone else:                        41                 12.1%

 

Definitely vote for

someone else:                     156                 45.9%

 

Undecided:                                16                   4.7%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

 

 

Further information on methodology:  The survey was performed using a recorded voice, and respondents were asked to push buttons to answer questions.  Voters were called if they were registered to vote in Overland Park, and if they had voted in the November election of 2008 and/or the November election of 2010. Gender and age were determined by question, and party affiliation was determined by registration data.

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Connect with Benjamin Hodge at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, The Kansas Progress, and LibertyLinked. Hodge is President of the State and Local Reform Group of Kansas.  He served as one of seven at-large trustees at Johnson County Community College from 2005-’09, a member of the Kansas House from 2007-’08, a delegate to the Kansas Republican Party from 2009-’10, and was founder of the Overland Park Republican Party in 2011.  His public policy record is recognized by Americans for Prosperity, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters,the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government, the NRA, Kansans for Life, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).