Despite lawsuits from the Goldwater Institute and opposition that oddly advocates for property taxes to fund Scottsdale’s Preserve, parks, and public safety rather than sales taxes, Scottsdale’s Proposition 490, the To Protect and To Preserve measure on the November ballot, still enjoys solid support.
The measure would take the place of an expiring Scottsdale city sales tax but at a lower rate to pay for improvements to citywide parks, beginning in the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt, and fund maintenance needs for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, as well as related public safety. It has unprecedented legal protections to ensure that the money must be spent solely on the described purposes.
The Arizona Progress and Gazette has obtained a copy of a recent Data Orbital poll which shows after being presented with arguments for and against the measure, 62.3% support Prop 490, while 23.7% oppose. 10.4% are undecided. 400 likely Scottsdale voters were surveyed between September 4th and 6th.
Data Orbital is Scottsdale-based and proved to be Arizona’s most accurate pollster in the 2020 presidential election.
When you consider how much publicity opponents have received as they tried to knock the measure off the ballot, it’s impressive that Prop 490’s numbers have stayed strong. This was also the first time the court directed revised ballot language was tested.
The other measure on the ballot, Proposition 491, known as “The Permanent Base Adjustment” would lift state spending limits that are nearly 20 years old so Scottsdale can spend money it already has in its budget to address needs for first responders and essential services.
Major opposition to 491 has yet to surface. The measure was placed on the ballot by a unanimous vote of Scottsdale’s Mayor and City Council.
The September survey shows support at 63.1% and opposition at 20.6%. Undecided is 11.3%.
Why opponents want to force property owners to pay more in taxes rather than use sales taxes – of which a substantial portion is generated by people from outside the city- is bizarre. Voters are siding with the proposal perhaps because the need is obvious after a scary summer of wildfires, deteriorating parks in the south, and most everyone’s desire to have police and fire protection to be as robust as possible.