Survey Results: Boulder County residents in favor of funding for wildfire mitigation and wildland emergency response as well as transportation
Boulder County, Colo. -- Drake Research & Strategy, Inc. presented the results of Boulder County’s annual public opinion survey to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday (June 21, 2022). The survey, which was conducted in April and May of this year, revealed that Boulder County residents are in favor of funding transportation and wildfire mitigation and wildland emergency response through potential ballot measures, and are concerned about the cost of living, homelessness, and climate change.
“Following the Marshall Fire, it’s not surprising to see that wildfire mitigation and wildland emergency response are at the front of residents’ minds,” said Board of County Commissioners Chair Marta Loachamin. “Wildfire mitigation didn’t even feature when people responded to surveys in previous years, but it’s now the second most important issue, according to this recent poll. People understand that mitigating against future fires and responding to wildland-urban emergencies are two parts of one approach to preventing tragedies like the Marshall Fire. Considering the strong link between the Marshall Fire and climate change, it’s also not surprising that climate change continues to be an issue of importance to Boulder County voters.”
“Residents also clearly valued extending or increasing the existing transportation sales tax, which has funded 44 significant transportation projects since 2009, including commuter bike connections, safer shoulders on highways, and local transit,” said Board of County Commissioners Vice-Chair Claire Levy. “A sustainable and inclusive transportation network is a priority for Boulder County, but rising costs, a growing population, and new technologies mean we need to use all available funding sources to plan for future projects.”
“Issues like the rising cost of living and its relationship with housing and unhoused residents are topics the Board hears about regularly when speaking to Boulder County residents,” said Commissioner Matt Jones. “We are still recovering from two years of pandemic, and the survey results we received this week confirm a lot of what we heard during our American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Engagement Survey specific to the challenges facing our residents. We will continue to work with community partners to address pandemic recovery in housing, mental health, and economic challenges as we did last week when we allocated $36.5 million in ARPA federal funds for projects and programs across the county.”
In order to assess public opinion on a range of events or issues of interest to county residents, the Board of County Commissioners regularly conduct public opinion surveys. Typically, the surveys are conducted on an annual basis. The survey results were presented to the Board of County Commissioners at their business meeting on June 21, 2022. A recording of the meeting is available.
Drake Research & Strategy, Inc. conducted the survey on behalf of Boulder County. A random sample was drawn from a list of Boulder County voters, containing both landline and cell phone numbers. The results are now available on the Boulder County website.
If the Board refers any ballot measures for the November election, public hearings on those measures will be held in July or August. Sign up to receive the Commissioners’ Advance Agenda of Meetings.
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