TAXES

Thinking about the this County’s future, please tell me whether you think the following things will be better, about the same or worse in 2010.

The budget presented by Governor Ehrlich included some cuts and some increases in spending. When I read each of the following items, tell me whether you would tend to increase, decrease or keep funding levels the same assuming that any increase would require increasing taxes:

(2) The County keeps it for a ‘rainy day’ when it might be needed, such as an emergency 19%

Would you support or oppose any of the following policies meant to reduce our dependence on imported oil and other air polluting fuels:

	Very serious	Somewhat serious	Not very serious	No answer
The cost of housing	65	23	11	0
The cost of gasoline	62	30	8	0
The cost of utilities such as electricity or natural gas	63	29	8	0
The cost of property taxes	49	37	12	2
The cost of health care	58	28	11	2
The cost of education	51	29	16	5
Not having enough money for retirement	57	24	16	3

Fall 2006

When I mention an issue, tell me if you are more favorable to the stands of the Democrat Martin O’Malley, or the Republican Robert Ehrlich about...

	On this issue are you more favorable to O’Malley or Ehrlich?
	O’Malley %	Ehrlich %	Undecided %
Keeping taxes as low as possible	29	50	21
Allowing slot machines in Maryland	31	48	21
Controlling the cost of higher education	41	35	24
Being sensitive to the needs of working families	43	34	22
Controlling the cost of electricity	38	31	31
Cleaning up the Bay	27	36	37
Helping to make health care more available to everyone	40	28	33
Strengthening Maryland’s economy	30	50	20
Do you have a preference about either candidate’s honesty and integrity? (circle the number of the candidate preferred)	21	33	47
Do your political party leanings make you inclined to vote for one candidate over the other?	28	28	43

When I mention an issue, tell me if you are more favorable to the stands of the Democrat George Johnson or the Republican John Leopold about

The superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools recently proposed a 17 percent increase over last year’s $900 million school budget. The increase was meant to cover items such as increased security, the expansion of advanced learning programs, and higher teacher salaries.

Regarding this proposal, which of the following do you think would best serve the county?

(1) Fully fund this proposal by raising some county taxes. 25%

(2) Fully fund this proposal by reducing other county services. 20%

(3) Partially fund this proposal to the extent possible without increasing taxes or reducing

The county will be facing several budget challenges over the next few years including funding public schools, roads, changes in accounting rules, and increasing salaries to help recruit qualified government employees. Which of the following best reflects your views about how the county should deal with these challenges:

(1) The county should pay for these expenses without raising any taxes or fees, even if it has to cut back on other public services. 31%

(2) The county should pay for these expenses by a combination of cost reductions and tax increases. 55%

A set of new County and State laws has been discussed recently. Tell me whether you generally agree or disagree with the following proposals:

The state is facing a 1.7 billon dollar deficit in its current budget. Governor Martin

You may have read that the county may not have enough money to pay for raises that

You may have read that the county may not have enough money to pay for raises that were promised

Both the county and the state face looming deficits in their upcoming budgets. Thinking first about the county and then about the state, do you think that a greater emphasis should be placed on cutting programs or raising taxes to deal with budget deficits?
(Say: “How about for the county, do you favor cutting programs or raising taxes?” “Now how about for the state, which do you favor?”)

Thinking about this County’s future, please tell me whether you think the following things will be better, about the same or worse in 2020.

Below are several measures which Governor O'Malley has proposed to help balance the state budget for next year and meet certain priorities. As I read each measure, tell me whether you approve or disapprove.

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

The county faces up to a $90 million deficit for the 2011 fiscal year. Which of the following do you think would be the best in dealing with this deficit: Cutting government services, raising taxes, or some of both?

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions

When I mention an issue, tell me if you are more favorable to the approaches of the Democrat Joanna Conti, Republican John Leopold, or the Green Party’s Mike Shay. If you are undecided or just don’t know enough, please say so.

Next I will read some proposals being discussed by Maryland or county government. When I read the item tell me whether you support or oppose it. Remember that some of the proposals are part of an effort to balance government budgets during these difficult economic times.

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Several proposals have been discussed to replenish Maryland’s Transportation Trust Fund; when I mention a proposal say whether you support or oppose it.

State and county government will be considering some bills and budget items during the upcoming months..

Gov. O’Malley has proposed adding a 6 percent sales tax to the price of gasoline, phased in over three years. The governor says that the new revenue would provide an $85 million increase in aid to counties while providing over $500 million for state transportation needs. Do you support or oppose this proposal?

The following items are proposals that the county and state are considering or may consider in the future. When I read a proposal to you, indicate whether you support or oppose it.

Problem	Gotten better%	Stayed about the same%	Gotten worse%	Unsure/ NA%
Controlling crime	16	54	24	7
Improving the local economy	13	55	27	6
Reducing poverty and homelessness	7	40	37	16
Reducing traffic congestion	7	29	61	3
Planning growth and development	15	38	35	12
Improving the environment	21	45	27	7
Improving ethics in government	17	27	49	8
Keeping taxes low	5	37	54	4
Improving the efficiency of local government	15	40	36	9
Improving the academic performance of our children	28	35	26	11
Improving the overall quality of life in our County	19	60	17	3

Spring 2014

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	57	42	2
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	36	63	1
Facing the possibility of unemployment	16	82	2
Found a new or better job recently	14	85	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	26	71	3
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	4	96	0
Unable to find affordable housing	10	88	2
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	24	75	1
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	37	62	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	43	56	1
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	26	71	4
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	65	32	3

Fall 2014

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

	Support%	Oppose%	Unsure/NA%
Removing speed cameras and losing $300,000 in county income	44	47	9
Increasing the salary of the next county executive from $130,000 to $142,000	19	74	7
. Doubling the number of high schools over the next 20 years, but making them much smaller than current high schools	54	32	14
Increasing the county’s income tax rate to help create a high school in Crofton	28	62	10
	1	2	3	0
The County's storm water fee, which pays for repairs of storm pipes and waterways to decrease pollution, will generate $17 million next year and $22 million the following year. Do you feel this fee – currently costing $85 a year for a single family home - is too low, too high, or just right?	1.Too low 5%	2.About right 46%	3.Too high 38%	0.NA 11%
Which option to you prefer – cutting property taxes by 3 percent, or adding more county services related to education or public safety	1.Cut taxes 52%	2.Add services 41%	3.Unsure 4%	0.NA 3%

Spring 2015

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies%	Doesn’t Apply%		Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	57		36	6
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	37		58	5
Facing the possibility of unemployment	12		83	5
Found a new or better job recently	11		84	5
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	31		67	1
Hard to afford the cost of education	41		53	6
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	38		58	4
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	66		28	6

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

Fall 2015

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Don’t know%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	54	43	3
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	34	65	1
Facing the possibility of unemployment	12	83	4
Found a new or better job recently	13	86	1
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	28	71	1
Hard to afford the cost of education	39	57	4
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	62	32	6

Fall 2015

I am going to read you a list of challenges facing the County. Please tell me how well you
County has dealt with these challenges over the last year. Have things gotten better, stayed about the same, or gotten worse?

Problem	Gotten better%	About the same%	Gotten worse%	Unsure/No answer%
Improving the local economy	20	63	10	7
Improving the water quality of the Bay	21	45	21	14
Controlling crime	9	49	36	6
Reducing poverty and homelessness	4	50	32	14
Keeping taxes low	14	46	32	8
Planning growth and development	18	36	35	12
Reducing the backlog in school maintenance and repair	12	27	29	32
Improving the overall quality of life in our County	20	57	15	7

Fall 2016

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	Don’t know%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	57	39	4
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	29	69	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	11	85	4
Found a new or better job recently	8	90	2
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	29	69	2
Hard to afford the cost of education	40	58	2
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	61	32	7
Health insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	14	84	2

Fall 2016

To what extent do you agree with the following statements or proposals – not at all, somewhat, mostly, or completely.

	Not at all %	Somewhat %	Mostly%	Completely %	Unsure %	No answer %
The Board of Education should treat transgender pupils on the basis of the gender with which they identify, not their birth gender.	33	12	10	36	7	4
Build another bridge to the Eastern Shore	15	15	16	44	8	2
Change the start of the school year until after Labor Day	15	9	11	56	5	4
County government should expand its mosquito spraying program.	13	19	16	40	11	2
The County already has enough public access points to the Bay - no need to add more.	40	14	10	18	14	4
Local government should not promote much more development in the county	21	20	11	41	6	1
The county is currently doing enough to combat heroin use and addiction.	42	24	9	5	19	2
Salary increases for county workers should keep pace with or exceed that of private sector workers	18	22	19	35	4	3
I would support an increase in county property or income taxes if the added revenue went only to public schools.	46	14	11	25	3	1
Former county executive John Leopold should run again for public office	58	8	3	7	19	5

Problem	Check One
Crime
Drugs (illegal drugs, use, sale)
Growth/overpopulation-too much development
Traffic congestion/problems
Education, problems with schools
Taxes – too high
Inefficient government, wasteful spending
Corruption in government/ politicians are bad
Environment (air, water pollution, save Bay)
Economy – no jobs, high cost of living, businesses closing
Other answer:___________________________________
Unsure/No Answer

Year	Percentage
Fall 95	13%
Sp 96	8%
Fall 96	14%
Sp 97	12%
Fall 97	12%
Sp 98	7%
Fall 98	5%
Sp 99	10%
F99	7%
Sp 2000	7%
F2000	6%
Sp 2001	9%
F2001	6%
Sp 2002	8%
F2002	8%
Sp 2003	9%
F 2003	14%
Sp 2004	13%
F 2004	10%
Sp 2005	13%
F 2005	10%
Sp 2006	10%
F 2006	9%
S2007	15%
F2007	17%
S2008	16%
F2008	12%
Sp2009	10%
Fall 2009	12%
Sp2010	11%
Fall 2010	13%
Sp 2011	11%
Fall 2011	9%
Sp 2012	17%
Fall 2012	17%
Sp 2013	19%
Fall 2013	19%
Sp2014	22%
Fall 2014	28%
Sp 2015	25%
Fall 2015	14%
Sp2016	12%
Fall 2016	9%
SP 2017	5%
Fall 2017	6%
Sp 2018	6%

	About Right	Too High	Too Low	Don’t Know
Federal N=449	32%	64%	1%	3%
State N=449	37%	56%	3%	4%
County N=449	41%	47%	3%	9%

Way	Agree	Disagree	Don’t Know
The property tax cap should be ended N=446	28%	59%	13%
The local income tax should be increased N=448	11	86	4
A fee should be imposed on the specific users of services N=448	46	43	11

Approach	Support	Oppose	Unsure
Increasing taxes N=394	33%	56%	12%
Lowering the level of services N=393	15%	72%	12%
Broadening the tax base by increasing commercial development N=387	48%	39%	13%

Problem	Gotten better	Stayed about the same	Gotten worse
Controlling crime N=416	30%	54%	16%
Improving the local economy N=412	43%	46%	10%
Reducing poverty and homelessness N=334	18%	58%	24%
Reducing traffic congestion N=424	15%	16%	70%
Planning growth and development N=393	25%	30%	45%
Improving the environment N=398	35%	39%	26%
Improving ethics in government N=368	20%	50%	30%
Keeping taxes low N=406	15%	59%	26%
Improving the efficiency of local government N=380	18%	54%	28%
Reducing the backlog in school maintenance and repair N=315	24%	26%	51%
Improving the academic performance of our children N=367	27%	34%	39%
Improving the overall quality of life in our County N=405	34%	52%	14%

	Higher	Lower	Same	Unsure
First, do you think the property tax is higher, lower or about the same? N=368	26%	23%	26%	25%
How about the local income tax, is it higher, lower or about the same? N=369	17%	7%	48%	28%
What would you say about the overall cost of living in Anne Arundel county, is it higher, lower or about the same?N=367	35%	16%	37%	1%

Idea	Rank #1	#2	#3
Save the money for a "rainy day" N=359	11%	27%	62%
Use the surplus to provide taxpayers with a tax cut N=360	31%	45%	24%
Spend the surplus to improve things like education, transportation or access to health care N=357	63%	26%	12%

	Support	Oppose	No opinion either way	Won’t answer
Do you support or oppose the governor's budget in which he has proposed postponing the final segment of a tax cut to help balance the state budget?	42%	45%	13%	0%
Do support or oppose dredging a deeper channel in the Chesapeake Bay so that larger ships can use the Port of Baltimore?	47%	40%	13%	1%
*Do you support or oppose allowing qualified high schools students to take Advanced Placement courses online* in situations where the course would be otherwise unavailable?**	83%	10%	6%	1%
Some in the County are interested in having a youth curfew, which would make it illegal for those under 17 to be out after midnight with certain exceptions. Do you support or oppose this idea?	65%	29%	6%	0%
The General Assembly is currently considering using cameras to issue tickets to those found speeding. Do you support or oppose this proposal?	37%	57%	5%	1%

	Has problem…
	Improved	Stayed the same	Gotten Worse	Don’t know	Total
Emergency Preparedness	35%	35%	7%	23%	100%
Availability of parks and ball fields	36%	43%	6%	14%	99%
General responsiveness of County government to citizens’ needs	15%	49%	15%	22%	101%
Economic conditions	18%	49%	22%	12%	100%
Ethics in local government	11%	50%	23%	16%	100%
Salaries for County employees such as teachers and Police	13%	33%	23%	31%	100%
Growth and development	25%	24%	41%	10%	100%
Public schools	15%	34%	30%	22%	101%
Water and air quality	9%	43%	34%	13%	99%
Local taxes	33%	57%	27%	13%	101%
Crime	8%	41%	41%	11%	101%

Do you support or oppose…	Support	Oppose	Mixed (Volunteered)	Don’t know
The current governor’s policy of “no slots, no casinos, no exceptions.”	41%	48%	4%	6%
Maryland’s current gun control laws.	52%	24%	5%	18%
Maryland’s current law permitting abortions.	57%	24%	8%	10%
Spending more money on education even if it means spending less money on other government priorities.	69%	14%	11%	6%
Doing more to provide free prescription drugs to Maryland’s senior citizens.	78%	10%	7%	5%
Raising taxes to cover the estimated billion-dollar deficit in Maryland’s coming budget.	26%	59%	6%	9%
Changing the way school board members are selected from an appointed to an elected board.	63%	12%	7%	19%

	Better	About the same	Worse	Unsure	No answer	N
Traffic congestion	6%	8%	86%	0%	0	352
Local taxes	5%	22%	69%	2%	1%	352
Crime	15%	37%	45%	2%	1%	352
Public schools	30%	32%	34%	4%	1%	352
Ethics in local government	18%	46%	28%	6%	2%	351
Growth and development	28%	23%	44%	5%	1%	349
Water and air quality	16%	28%	53%	2%	1%	350
Health care	21%	36%	37%	5%	1%	348
Economic conditions	35%	34%	26%	4%	1%	347
Family life	32%	44%	19%	3%	1%	350
Spiritual or religious life	31%	48%	12%	6%	4%	347
General responsiveness of County government to citizens’ needs	20%	50%	26%	2%	2%	352
The overall quality of life in the County	35%	45%	18%	1%	0%	351

Do you agree or disagree…	Agree	Disagree	Don’t know	N
Reductions in spending on higher education	21%	77%	2%	344
Reductions in spending on road assistance to local government	30%	62%	8%	342
Reductions in spending on programs to preserve open space	36%	59%	6%	340
Increases in spending on public schools despite the state’s deficit	72%	25%	3%	340
Increasing the gas tax by 1 or 2 cents.	49%	48%	2%	339
Increasing the sales tax by 1 cent.	51%	48%	1%	341
Increasing income taxes just enough to cover the deficit without cutting programs	37%	60%	3%	337
Introducing slot machines at racetracks in Maryland	67%	29%	4%	340

Cutting programs.	40%
Increasing taxes	36%
Don’t know	24%

Cutting programs	34%
Increasing taxes	34%
Volunteered other suggestion	18%
Don’t know	14%

Broad categories of items mentioned	Percent	N
Alcohol/cigarette taxes	40%	62
Sales tax	17%	26
Gas tax	13%	20
User fees	7%	11
Income tax	4%	7
Business	4%	6
Luxury	3%	4
Slots	3%	4
Property	3%	4
Other	3%	4
Increase fines	2%	3
Gambling tax	2%	3
Entertainment	1%	2
Totals	102	156

	Percent Increase	Percent Decrease	Percent Keep same	Percent Unsure, N.A.
7 Financial assistance to counties N=306	24	6	61	9
7 Seniors’ prescription drug assistance N=306	66	4	25	5
7 State’s contribution to its employees health care costs N=303	34	9	49	8
7 State funding for the costs of nursing homes N=305	46	8	38	9
7 Special trust for land preservation N=306	36	9	47	8
7. Funding for public schools N=306	70	4	24	3
7 Funding for higher education N=306	62	5	31	3
7 State employee salaries N-302	28	10	53	9
7 Funding to upgrade wastewater treatment plants N=306	57	2	34	7

Policy	% Support	% Oppose	% No answer, unsure	Cases
Tax incentives for the use of wind or solar power	78	16	6	391
Higher taxes on gasoline to encourage use of more fuel efficient vehicles	20	76	4	391
Tax incentives for the purchase of hybrid/highly fuel efficient vehicles	74	23	3	390
Making it easier to develop nuclear power plants with the state of Maryland	43	47	10	390
Increasing bus and light rail service, even if it requires more subsidies from state government	70	26	4	388

Issue	Percent
Education	22
Economy	15
Taxes	14
Honesty, character	8
Crime	6
Health care	5
Growth	3
Cost of higher education	3
Environment	3
Working people	3
Other	3
Electricity	2
Family values	2
Slots	2
Poverty	2
Whole record	2
Political party	2
Guns/gun control	1
Foreign policy, Iraq	1
Immigration	1
Transportation	0
Total	100

Broad categories of items mentioned	Percent	Number
Reduce government salaries	15%	13
Reduce politicians salaries	12%	10
Reduce government perks	7%	6
Cut waste, administration	11%	9
Cut back on specific programs	39%	33
Other miscellaneous	16%	14
Overall	100%	85

Increase these taxes (personal and/or sales)	13%
Increase other taxes	8%
Create other new taxes	5%
Rely on new sources of revenue such as slot machines	44%
Reduce spending	27%
Volunteered other suggestion (specify:	3%
Don’t know	0%

Approach	Favor	Oppose	Unsure
An increase in state income taxes	26%	72%	3%
An increase in the state gasoline tax	29%	69%	2%
An increase in the general sales tax	46%	53%	2%
Governor Ehrlich’s veto of a package closing corporate loopholes	47%	32%	20%
Increasing the County’s local income tax rate	24%	72%	5%
Creating specific taxes to fund County public safety such as fire & police	53%	43%	5%
Re-examining the property tax revenue cap formula in AA County	54%	38%	8%
Increasing impact fees on new housing development in AA County	65%	30%	5%
Paying a toll to use less crowded freeway lanes	47%	50%	4%
The elimination of many vacant state and County jobs	67%	27%	6%
Layoffs of state and County employees	26%	69%	6%

	Better %	About the same %	Worse %	Unsure %	No answer %	Cases
Traffic congestion	3	5	92	0	0	303
Local taxes	5	26	64	5	1	302
Crime	11	42	42	4	1	301
Public schools	28	28	36	7	1	300
Ethics in local government	20	44	26	9	2	301
Growth and development	30	20	46	3	1	300
Water and air quality	17	32	49	2	1	300
Health care	24	32	36	8	1	301
Economic conditions	33	40	23	3	1	299
Family life	27	45	20	5	2	299
Spiritual or religious life	27	47	15	7	4	299
General responsiveness of County government to citizens’ needs	23	47	20	8	1	299
The overall quality of life in the County	33	43	20	3	1	301

	On this issue are you more favorable to Johnson or Leopold?
Issue	Johnson %	Leopold %	Undecided %	Total %
Better managing growth in the County	24	24	52	100
Reducing traffic congestion	25	17	59	100
Making County government more efficient	24	26	51	101
Improving the County’s public schools	24	22	54	100
Keep taxes low	19	29	52	100
Encouraging economic development	22	26	52	100
Helping to preserve local streams and improve water quality	24	16	60	100
Providing safety and security in our neighborhoods	30	16	54	100
Helping to provide more affordable housing in our County	24	17	59	100
Do you have a preference about either candidate’s honesty or integrity?	14	11	75	100

Proposal	Agree %	Disagree %	No answer %
Increasing the cigarette tax by one dollar to help pay for increasing health insurance coverage to the uninsured.	72	27	1
Banning all roadside solicitation on county roads	76	21	3
Forcing all new cars sold in Maryland to comply with California pollution standards	51	40	9
Banning smoking in all restaurants and bars	68	29	3
Repealing the death penalty in Maryland	33	58	9

Proposal	Agree%	Disagree%	No answer%
Increase taxes on carbon based fuels like gasoline and natural gas	33	61	6
Change lifestyles so that individuals use less fuels	79	18	3
Provide tax incentives for energy saving such as purchasing fuel efficient vehicles or energy saving appliances	87	10	4
Have federal government set clear goals and timetables for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions	70	24	6

Proposal	Agree%	Disagree %	No answer%
An increase in the sales tax from 5 to 6 percent	34	63	3
An increase in the car titling tax from 5 to 6 percent	34	63	3
An increase in the corporate income tax	60	37	3
A restructuring of state personal income tax, placing a greater burden on those with incomes over $200,000	61	36	3
A reduction in the state property tax	71	25	4
Introduction of slot machines in Maryland	61	34	5
A one dollar increase in cigarette tax dedicated to paying for increased health insurance coverage to the uninsured.	70	28	2

Options	Choose one only
Raise fees or taxes to pay for the promised raises	23%
Try to pay the promised raises by cutting other services or programs	47%
Postpone the promised raises	20%
Don’t know, no answer	10%

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure, no answer %
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	56	42	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	11	87	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	6	93	1
Unable to find affordable housing	21	78	2
Hard to afford cost of transportation	40	58	2
Hard to afford cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	61	37	2
Hard to afford cost of taxes	47	49	4
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	35	63	2

Year

Percentage

Has problem…

Options	Choose one only %
Raise fees or taxes to pay for the promised raises	23
Try to pay the promised raises by cutting other services or programs	47
Postpone the promised raises	20
Don’t know, no answer	10

	Support %	Oppose %	Unsure %	NoAnswer %
Permitting county residents to put wind turbines on house roofs to provide electricity?	65	22	12	1
Requiring the installation of water sprinklers in new residential construction and when residents make large additions?	47	45	7	1
Furloughing county employees to help balance the county’s budget	43	44	10	2
Eliminating the death penalty	36	54	9	1
Adding a $30 fee to property taxes to pay for stream and waterway restoration	39	56	4	1
Increasing the tax on alcoholic products	54	39	6	2
Making it illegal to text message on a cell phone while driving.	83	15	2	0

Approach	County%	State%
Cut Programs	61	60
Raise taxes	17	18
Some other approach or “both” (volunteered)	14	14
Don't know	08	08

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply%	Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	55	42	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	24	73	3
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	70	29	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	8	91	2
Unable to find affordable housing	13	84	3
Hard to afford cost of transportation	17	80	3
Hard to afford cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	42	57	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	46	52	3
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	33	64	3
Taxes are too high relative to what is received from government services such as education, roads and safety.	59	37	4

	Better %	About the same %	Worse%	Unsure% (vol.)	No answer%
Local taxes	8	21	66	4	1
Crime	11	30	54	5	1
Public schools	29	29	37	4	1
Access to health care	32	23	34	9	1
Health care quality	29	32	32	6	1
Economic conditions	47	20	26	6	2
Growth and development	35	29	31	5	1
Water quality of the Bay and tributaries	29	23	44	4	1
Air quality	24	32	40	3	1
Availability of fresh water	17	43	32	5	2

Measure	Approve%	Disapprove %	No answer%
Providing a $3000 tax credit for firms that hire unemployed workers.	71	24	5
Providing $20 million to the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund	48	45	7
Ending the tuition freeze at the University of Maryland with a 3 percent increase.	42	52	5
Keeping $647 million in the state's "rainy day fund" rather than spending it to balance the budget	41	51	9
Decreasing the overall state budget by $249 million compared to last year's budget	58	30	12
Freezing state workers salaries for a second year	53	43	4
Depending on possible but uncertain federal funds to balance the budget	31	61	7
Avoiding any new taxes to balance the budget	56	39	5
Putting aside 24 percent of the Bay’s oyster habitat to rebuild the oster population	68	24	8

	Applies	Doesn’t apply	Unsure, no answer
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	56	41	4
Facing the possibility of unemployment	19	79	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	56	41	3
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	7	92	1
Unable to find affordable housing	15	83	2
Hard to afford cost of transportation	21	77	2
Hard to afford cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	44	55	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	47	51	2
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	32	66	2
Taxes are too high relative to what is received from government services such as education, roads and safety.	63	34	4

Approach	Choice
Cut government services	27%
Which would you cut? Insufficient responses
Which should definitely NOT be cut? Insufficient responses
Raise taxes	8%
Which would you raise? Insufficient responses
Which should definitely NOT be raised? Insufficient responses
Some of both	55%
*Some other approach* (write in) Insufficient responses	6%
Don't know	5%

	On this issue are you more favorable to Conti or Leopold, or Shay?
	Conti %	Leopold %	Shay %	Undecided %	Don’t know enough%
Managing growth	13	29	2	18	38
Improving transportation	13	20	1	21	45
Making County government more efficient	12	29	2	21	37
Improving public schools	13	24	1	19	43
Keeping taxes low	14	30	1	19	36
Encouraging economic development	13	31	1	18	37
Protecting the needs of vulnerable populations in the county budget	16	18	1	21	44
Preserving the environment	15	21	7	18	39
Keeping neighborhoods safe	13	24	1	21	41
Allowing slots at Arundel Mills mall	10	17	1	27	46
Maintaining high ethical standards?	17	17	3	24	39
Having the right experience for the job?	11	32	1	21	35

Proposals	Support	Oppose	Unsure/NA
State Proposals	%	%	%
Increasing university tuition to maintain the quality of higher education	32	66	2
Increasing the alcohol tax	68	29	3
Imposing an additional fine of up to $1500 on drivers caught drunk driving	86	13	1
Taking away drivers’ licenses from those who refuse to pay taxes	64	32	3
Increasing the gasoline tax to bolster the transportation trust fund	17	80	3
Reducing the pension and retiree health benefits of state workers	28	65	7
Promising state workers no furlough days, and providing them with a $750 bonus	25	59	16
Allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition for college	33	63	4
Increasing the use of cameras to ticket those running red lights	59	41	1
Making preparations to implement President Obama’s health care reform law	43	50	8
Permitting the use of off-shore wind power near Ocean City	80	10	10
Making same sex marriages legal in Maryland	47	46	7
Permitting the purchase of marijuana for medical purposes	65	29	7
County Proposals
Increasing the county income tax to the maximum allowed by law to avoid cuts in essential services	25	68	7
Limiting the use of binding arbitration when the county negotiates with public safety unions	35	42	23