Telephone Survey November 7-9, 2017 1 ABOUT THE SURVEY A survey - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Telephone Survey November 7-9, 2017 1

ABOUT THE SURVEY  A survey of 400 likely voters from Lancaster County, Nebraska for the May 2018 Primary Election was conducted from November 7-9, 2017.  Interviewees were randomly selected from the likely voter universe and stratified according to Age, Party, Gender and landline / cell phone usage.  Survey results have a Margin of Error (MoE) of +/- 4.9% at the 95% Confidence Level.  Research design and methodology was conducted by Rushmore Company, LLC. 2

KEY FINDINGS  Lancaster Event Center (LEC) has a Strong Brand/Image Within the Community  Two-thirds of Respondents have Visited LEC at Least Once in the Last Year.  Aversion to Property Tax Solution: Specifically as the Sole or Primary Funding Source  Funding Solutions Other Than Property Tax More Widely Accepted  Existing and Projected Economic Benefits, Additional and Expanded Shows and Events, Pride of Hosting National High School Rodeo, and Growing Lancaster County Super Fair Spur a Majority of Likely Voters  Likely Voters Support Trended Favorably as More Information About Benefits and Potential Additional Financing Solutions were Shared 3

BRAND/IMAGE STRENGTH Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of …… . 90 82% 77% 76% 80 70 Lancaster Event Shows & Facilities Center Events 60 50 40 30 19% 11% 12% 20 12% 6% 6% 10 0 4

VISIT FREQUENCY How often do you visit the Lancaster Event Center? Once Every Couple Years 18% Once A Year 23% Never 12% 2% No Opinion 13% 4+ Times A Year 33% 2-3 Times A Year 5

PROPERTY TAX AVERSION After hearing this background information are you more or less likely to vote for a funding plan including a property tax increase of … . 66% 70 58% $3 Per Month 60 54% $1.5 Per Month + Sales 50 Tax & Private Donations $1.50 Per Month 35% 34% 40 25% 30 20 12% 9% 9% 10 0 More Less No More Less No More Less No Likely Likely Opinion Likely Likely Opinion Likely Likely Opinion 6

SALES TAX/PRIVATE DONATIONS Approximately half of the expansion cost could be paid for with … . Additional 1c Private Donations State Sharing Localized 60 Occupation Tax of $3M or 5% Total Area Sales Tax 52% 49% 48% 50 40% 40% 40 33% 30 20 15% 13% 11% 10 0 More Less No More Less No More Less No Likely Likely Opinion Likely Likely Opinion Likely Likely Opinion 7

POSITIVE RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC BENEFITS, MORE SHOWS & EXPANDED FAIR No Opinion Less Likely More Likely 33% 14% 53% More Shows, Events & Expanded Fair 14% 53% 32% National High School Rodeo 33% 13% 55% $32 Million Increased Annual Impact 30% 55% 16% Events Contribute $40 Million Annualy 8 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

IF AN ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY 60 56% Against Expansion 51% 50 43% For Expansion 40 32% 30 20 12% No Opinion 10 7% 0 Before After 9

CONCLUSIONS  Public Perception of LEC, its’ Shows and Facilities is Strong.  Property Tax as the Sole or Dominant Funding Source is a Losing Proposition.  A Plurality of Voters Favor the Alternative Funding Sources of an Occupation Tax and Sales Tax Sharing with the State while a Majority Support the use of Private Donations.  A Majority of Voters are Positively Disposed Towards Funding the LEC Expansion After Learning the Benefits to the Local Community and Economy.  Net Support among Likely Voters for the LEC Expansion Improved from -24% to -8% after Learning of the Benefits and Additional Financing Sources. 10

Questions? 11