MUNICIPAL ELECTED OFFICIALS SURVEY DECEMBER, 1996
1.) Do you feel the property tax-based system currently utilized by municipal governments in Pennsylvania is fair and equitable to most segments of your community?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| FAIR | 34% |
34% |
27% |
36% |
| UNFAIR | 64% |
66% |
71% |
60% |
| NO OPINION | 2% |
0% |
2% |
4% |
2.) Would you favor or oppose replacing property/real estate taxes with a
local tax on earned income?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| FAVOR | 63% |
60% |
69% |
62% |
| OPPOSE | 35% |
36% |
31% |
35% |
| NO OPINION | 2% |
4% |
0% |
3% |
3.) Would you favor or oppose replacing property/real estate taxes with a
local sales tax?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| FAVOR | 40% |
42% |
35% |
40% |
| OPPOSE | 56% |
55% |
57% |
55% |
| NO OPINION | 4% |
3% |
8% |
5% |
4.) If your only choices were replacing property/real estate taxes with
either a local earned income tax or a sales tax, which would you favor?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| EARNED INCOME TAX | 67% |
58% |
72% |
70% |
| SALES TAX | 29% |
35% |
20% |
28% |
| NO OPINION | 4% |
7% |
8% |
2% |
5.) Would you favor or oppose allowing municipal governments to enact a
COMBINATION of property/real estate taxes, earned incomes taxes and local sales taxes?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| FAVOR | 56% |
62% |
31% |
62% |
| OPPOSE | 41% |
37% |
65% |
34% |
| NO OPINION | 3% |
1% |
4% |
4% |
6.) IF municipal governments were permitted to enact a COMBINATION of
property/real estate taxes, earned income taxes and local sales taxes, do you feel they
should be REQUIRED to reduce the current property/real estate tax by the same amount the
earned income or local sales taxes would generate?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 82% |
82% |
86% |
80% |
| NO | 17% |
18% |
10% |
19% |
| NO OPINION | 1% |
0% |
4% |
1% |
7.) Do you think a ballot referendum, to obtain the approval of voters,
should be required before any municipal government can replace property/real estate taxes
with a local earned income tax, sales tax or combination of taxes?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 69% |
73% |
76% |
63% |
| NO | 30% |
27% |
22% |
36% |
| NO OPINION | 1% |
0% |
2% |
1% |
8.) IF a municipal government did switch to a COMBINATION of
property/real estate taxes and/or local earned income and sales taxes, do you feel voter
approval through a referendum should be required to approve any FUTURE property/real
estate tax increases?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 53% |
58% |
65% |
44% |
| NO | 46% |
42% |
33% |
53% |
| NO OPINION | 1% |
0% |
2% |
3% |
9.) IF a municipal government switches to a COMBINATION of property/real
estate taxes and/or local earned income and sales taxes, do you feel that, for every
dollar collected in new tax revenue, property/real estate taxes and other current taxes
would have to be reduced by one dollar?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 64% |
68% |
78% |
56% |
| NO | 31% |
31% |
16% |
38% |
| NO OPINION | 5% |
1% |
6% |
6% |
10.) WHEN a municipal government switches to a new system, do you feel
that the so-called "nuisance taxes" (personal property tax, occupational
assessment tax, occupational privilege tax and per capita tax) should be eliminated?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 79% |
78% |
82% |
79% |
| NO | 17% |
18% |
12% |
18% |
| NO OPINION | 4% |
4% |
6% |
3% |
11.) Do you favor or oppose requiring non-profit charitable organization
to pay real estate/property taxes?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 40% |
43% |
47% |
35% |
| NO | 54% |
55% |
47% |
56% |
| NO OPINION | 6% |
2% |
6% |
8% |
If you OPPOSE requiring non-profit charitable organization to pay real estate/property
taxes, would you favor or oppose requiring the to pay a FEE IN LIEU OF TAXES to help pay
for services provided by municipal government?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| FAVOR | 69% |
72% |
57% |
71% |
| OPPOSE | 23% |
21% |
31% |
20% |
| NO OPINION | 8% |
7% |
12% |
9% |
12.) Should municipal tax dollars be used to help fund such facilities as
sports stadiums?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 13% |
19% |
8% |
11% |
| NO | 80% |
79% |
84% |
79% |
| NO OPINION | 7% |
2% |
8% |
10% |
13.) Should recreational and cultural organizations have a dedicated
source of public funds, such as a sales tax?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 33% |
36% |
24% |
36% |
| NO | 65% |
62% |
76% |
62% |
| NO OPINION | 2% |
2% |
0% |
2% |
IF YES, should such organizations be required to appear before elected officials each year
to justify their budgets?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 87% |
84% |
79% |
91% |
| NO | 9% |
9% |
16% |
6% |
| NO OPINION | 4% |
7% |
5% |
3% |
14.) Do you think county and/or municipal government(s) should be
required to receive voter approval through a referendum before raising taxes to support
cultural organizations and/or profit- seeking entertainment businesses such as baseball
teams?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 85% |
84% |
96% |
81% |
| NO | 14% |
14% |
4% |
18% |
| NO OPINION | 1% |
2% |
0% |
1% |
15.) Do you think it would be cost-effective for your municipality to
merge certain services, such as police departments, with surrounding municipalities?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 65% |
67% |
61% |
65% |
| NO | 30% |
33% |
29% |
28% |
| NO OPINION | 5% |
0% |
10% |
7% |
16.) Do you think it would be politically POSSIBLE for your municipality
to merge certain services, such as police departments, with surrounding municipalities?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 52% |
55% |
60% |
47% |
| NO | 44% |
44% |
36% |
48% |
| NO OPINION | 4% |
1% |
4% |
5% |
17.) Generally speaking, do you feel the number of municipal government
in Pennsylvania should be reduced through mergers, or should municipalities maintain their
independence?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| MERGE | 39% |
49% |
40% |
32% |
| REMAIN INDEPENDENT | 58% |
50% |
52% |
66% |
| NO OPINION | 3% |
1% |
8% |
2% |
18.) Generally speaking, do you feel more regional cooperation with other
municipalities in your geographic area would be desirable?
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| YES | 86% |
88% |
80% |
88% |
| NO | 11% |
10% |
16% |
10% |
| NO OPINION | 3% |
2% |
4% |
2% |
19.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following
statements:
A. The local government I serve is unable to make good decisions about economic development opportunities.
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| AGREE | 86% |
81% |
96% |
85% |
| DISAGREE | 14% |
18% |
4% |
15% |
B. Centralized provision of government services by
the county is likely to provide better services for my municipality than we have now.
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| AGREE | 21% |
25% |
24% |
17% |
| DISAGREE | 79% |
75% |
76% |
83% |
C. The power of local government power over zoning
decisions should be eliminated.
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| AGREE | 6% |
6% |
4% |
7% |
| DISAGREE | 94% |
94% |
96% |
93% |
D. The power of county government to set and collect
taxes should be increased.
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| AGREE | 19% |
20% |
13% |
21% |
| DISAGREE | 81% |
80% |
87% |
79% |
E. There should be a regional tax sharing system.
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| AGREE | 49% |
71% |
31% |
42% |
| DISAGREE | 51% |
29% |
69% |
58% |
F. County "row offices" should be
eliminated as elected positions.
| AGG | Allegheny | Cumberland | Montgomery | |
| AGREE | 52% |
68% |
37% |
46% |
| DISAGREE | 48% |
32% |
63% |
54% |
METHODOLOGY:
A total of 1,000 surveys were mailed to elected municipal officials (city & borough
mayors, council members and treasurers; township commissioners, supervisors and tax
collectors) in Allegheny, Cumberland and Montgomery counties on
Monday, December 2, 1996. By the response deadline of December 20, 1996, 251 valid surveys
were completed and returned to the Lincoln Institute for a response rate of 25.1%.