LIBRARIES

 Fall 1995

I am going to read a list of Anne Arundel County government services. Please rate the value received for your tax dollar — Is it a Good Buy, an Okay Buy, or a Poor Buy.

SEE BELOW FOR LIBRARIES

Service

Good Buy

Okay Buy

Poor Buy

Anne Arundel Community College N=347

88%

11%

1%

Public Libraries N=370

79%

18%

3%

Fire Dept. N=374

79%

19%

2%

Trash Collection N=369

72%

24%

3%

Police Dept. N=373

68%

27%

5%

Parks and Recreation N=371

63%

31%

7%

Water and Sewer Services N=333

61%

27%

11%

Senior Citizens Services N=267

61%

30%

9%

Public Schools (K thru 12) N=328

56%

31%

14%

Public Health Services N=260

52%

40%

8%

Cultural Arts N=296

39%

41%

20%

Spring 2000

I am going to read a list of Anne Arundel County government services. Please rate the value received for your tax dollar — Is it a Good Buy, an Okay Buy, or a Poor Buy.

Service

Good Buy

Okay Buy

Poor Buy

Don't Know

  Public Libraries N=428

81%

15%

2%

2%

  Fire Dept. N=428

78%

18%

3%

2%

  Anne Arundel Community College N-427

76%

9%

2%

14%

  Trash collection and curbside recycling N=426

68%

20%

8%

4%

  Police Dept. N=427

66%

26%

7%

2%

  Recreation and Parks N=428

65%

22%

9%

4%

  Public Schools (K thru 12) N=427

46%

      30%

15%

9%

  Water and Sewer Services N=427

46%

28%

15%

12%

  Public Health Services N=425

40%

32%

7%

21%

  Senior Citizens Services N=423

39%

20%

8%

32%

  Road maintenance and repair N=426

35%

37%

27%

2%

  Cultural Arts N=427

32%

34%

16%

17%

Planning and zoning services N=425

19%

35%

29%

17%

Spring 97

Some people believe that the County should try to find ways to cut back in some areas in order to provide more services elsewhere. I am going to read a list of government services. Please tell me whether County government should spend about the same amount, more, or less than it currently does on that area. 

(See Below for Libraries)

Service

Same

More

Less

Don’t Know

Schools N=447

19%

72%

5%

4%

Fire N=447

56%

36%

4%

5%

Police N=447

40%

52%

5%

3%

Roads N=447

52%

29%

15%

5%

Planning and Zoning N=447

38%

15%

38%

9%

Social Services N=447

39%

28%

25%

8%

Health Department N-446

46%

32%

14%

8%

Library N=446

56%

31%

10%

3%

Parks and Recreation N=446

57%

28%

12%

4%

Seniors’ Centers N=445

46%

37%

7%

9%

Environmental Oversight

N=443

35%

41%

19%

6%

Spring 97

I am going to read you a list of County services. For each, please tell me whether you would support charging users of these services the following fees over and above current taxes to obtain a higher level of service. 

(See Below for Libraries)

 

Service

Pay a Fee

Won’t pay Fee

Don’t know

Charge a $200 fee on each family who sends their children to public schools N=450

26%

70%

4%

Charge a $25 fee for fire and ambulance responses to your home N=450

62%

36%

2%

Charge a $25 fee for police responses to your home N=450

41%

56%

2%

Charge an additional yearly $25 driver’s license fee for road resurfacing N=448

27%

71%

3%

Charge $2 for each library book checked out N=450

12%

86%

2%

Charge a $5 technology fee at the Community College N=448

46%

45%

9%

Spring 2004

 Some people believe that the county should try to find ways to cut back in some areas in order to provide more services elsewhere.  I am going to read a list of government services.  Please tell me whether county government should spend about the same amount, more, or less than it currently does on that area. 

Service

Same%

More%

Less%

Don’t% know

Cases

  Libraries

67%

26%

6%

1%

369

 Fire

43

53

2

2

370

 Police

35

60

4

1

370

 Community college

44

46

7

3

369

 Roads

49

43

6

3

369

 Planning and zoning

42

13

39

7

369

 Social services

43

34

17

5

368

 Health department

54

32

9

5

368

 Public schools

23

71

5

1

368

  Parks and recreation

57

26

16

2

368

  Seniors’ services

45

44

7

4

369

 Environmental programs

44

39

15

2

369

Average percentage

46

41

11

3

 Spring 2009

As county government prepares for the upcoming 2010 fiscal budget, it will consider how to cut spending.  As I mention an area of spending, tell me whether spending should be reduced, kept the same or increased as government seeks to balance its budget. 

Service

Reduced %

Kept the same%

Increased %

Don’t know%

 Libraries

8

64

26

2

  Fire department

2

50

46

2

  Police department

5

41

53

1

The community college

6

49

41

4

   Roads

10

51

39

1

 Planning and Zoning

29

49

13

9

  Social Services

16

45

35

4

  Health Department

13

46

34

6

  Public Schools

6

35

58

2

 Parks and Recreation

17

59

22

3

  Seniors’ services

7

52

39

3

 Environmental Oversight

18

47

31

4

Spring 2011

The state and county governments have had to tighten their belts to balance their budgets lately. 

   Have you observed any decreases in services as a result of this belt-tightening ?

              (1)  No  70%      (0) No answer  5%             (2)  Yes    26%

                                             If YES, which services or programs were affected?

         Program or service mentioned

Circle%

Child services (daycare subsidies, juvenile justice)

4

College tuition (higher tuition, harder to find classes)

7

Fire department, Emergency Medical Services (salaries, staffing, response time, equipment)

6

Library services (fewer hours, smaller collections, fewer publications available)

15

Mental health services (lower availability, less access to medical services – medicine, appointments)

1

MVA  (higher documentation fees, registration fees)

2

Police (salaries, staffing, response time, equipment)

6

Roads, mass transit (lack of maintenance, less frequent bus service, higher cost)

24

Schools, teachers (salaries, school-based programs)

19

Seniors services  (fewer hours, less staff support)

6

Staffing problems within government (unspecified) – office hours lessened, slower service

4

Jobs/furloughs/salaries

6

 Spring 2012

 How satisfied are you with the performance of the following local government entities: very, somewhat or not very satisfied.

 

Level of satisfaction

(very satisfied, somewhat satisfied…)

Have you had any direct contact within two years

Is there a reason why you are not “very satisfied” with this unit?

 

Very %

Somewhat %

Not very %

NA %

Yes %

No %

Contact CSLI for details

 Fire Dept.

87

8

1

3

42

58

 

 Police Dept.

67

21

8

4

45

55

 

 Public libraries

68

16

6

10

67

33

 

Public schools

41

27

16

15

51

49

 

Permit application center - where building permits are obtained

18

19

20

44

29

71

 

Dept. of Aging and Disabilities

30

12

9

49

25

75

 

 Deptartment of Health

36

16

9

40

32

68

 

Spring 2015

 Do you agree or disagree with the following statements about Maryland or Anne Arundel County:

 

Agree%

Disagree%

Unsure/NA%

  Maryland has a very effective transportation system.

41

50

9

  Maryland’s regulation of the environment is too weak.

43

44

13

 Maryland imposes too many regulations on businesses.

56

25

19

 Maryland has a welfare system that is too generous and often abused.

63

24

14

 Maryland is a good place in which to retire.

25

69

7

The Chesapeake Bay is too polluted to swim in.

61

27

12

Anne Arundel County has done an excellent job maintaining its roads.

32

63

6

Anne Arundel Community College provides excellent education at low cost to county residents.

75

5

20

 By providing free access to materials and programs, the public library plays an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed.

89

6

5

Spring 2015

Do you support or oppose the following policies that might be considered by state or county government… 

 

 

Support%

Oppose%

Unsure/NA%

  Eliminate state taxes on police, fire and military retirement income

49

39

12

  Repeal the automatic adjustment in gasoline taxes linked to inflation and make the General Assembly have to vote each time it wants to raise gasoline taxes

76

18

7

 Increase tax breaks for those who contribute to private or religious schools

36

54

10

 Force farmers to closely monitor and if necessary reduce their use of chicken manure and reduce phosphorous pollution into the Chesapeake Bay

74

17

10

Reduce the anticipated funding to the public schools in order to balance Maryland’s budget

21

71

8

  Reduce state workers’ salaries to help balance Maryland’s budget

19

72

9

 Close local public libraries or reduce hours to save money

18

79

3