BOND FEASIBILITY SURVEY REPORT

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INTRODUCTION

Known as the “Pride of the Foothills”, the City of Glendora was founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1911. Since then, Glendora has evolved from a small agricultural city to a thriving city of approximately 51,209 residents1 who are focused on supporting a charming, vibrant, and inclusive community. As the city has aged, so too have the many facilities the City relies on to provide residents and local businesses the high quality services they have come to expect. Most community facilities in Glendora were build more than 60 years ago, and many now have structural problems, earthquake safety issues, outdated electrical and plumbing, and/or roof leaks that can cause water damage and mold. Originally built to serve a much smaller community, many facilities are also too small and lack the flexibility needed to serve the needs of the community now and in the future.

MOTIVATION FOR RESEARCH

The primary purpose of this study was to produce an unbiased, statistically reliable evaluation of voters’ interest in supporting a local bond measure to fund the repair, expansion, and improvement of community facilities. Additionally, should the City decide to move forward with a revenue measure, the survey data can guide how best to structure a measure so that it is consistent with the community's priorities and expressed needs.

Specifically, the study was designed to:

• Gauge current, baseline support for a local bond measure to fund the repair and improvement of community facilities
• Identify the tax rate that the community is willing to support
• Identify the types of facility improvements that voters are most interested in funding, should the measure pass
• Expose voters to arguments in favor of, and against, the proposed bond measure to gauge how information affects support for the measure, and
• Estimate support for the measure once voters are presented with the types of information they will likely be exposed to during the election cycle.

It is important to note at the outset that voters’ opinions about tax measures are often somewhat fluid, especially when the amount of information they initially have about a measure is limited. How voters think and feel about a measure today may not be the same way they think and feel once they have had a chance to hear more information about the measure during the election cycle. Accordingly, to accurately assess the feasibility of establishing a bond measure to fund community facility improvements, it was important that in addition to measuring current opinions about the proposed measure, the survey expose respondents to the types of information voters are likely to encounter during an election cycle—including arguments in favor and opposed to the measure—and gauge how this information ultimately impacts their voting decision.