Chamber survey shows support for sales tax measures

Posted by Chad Lawhorn October 31, 2008 at 11:11 a.m.

Chamber survey shows support for sales tax measures

Who knows if it will be as accurate as a crystal ball, but an unscientific survey by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce shows support for all three sales tax questions on Tuesday's ballot. The chamber Friday morning reported that 75.8 percent of its members who responded to an e-mail survey supported a three-tenths of a percent sales tax to provide funding for city infrastructure. 24.2 percent opposed the tax.Support for the two transit related sales taxes were less clear cut. A total of 58 percent supported Question No. 2, which would create a two-tenths of a percent sales tax to fund basic transit operations. And 42 percent were opposed. On Question No. 3 - a five-hundredths of a percent sales tax to provide enhanced transit operations - 52.2 percent supported the measure, while 47.8 opposed it. The survey is based on 157 responses, or about 15 percent response rate from the chamber's membership. The chamber sent out the survey earlier this month to help the organization's board of directors decide whether to endorse any of the ballot questions. The chamber said in a press release Friday morning that the board had decided to endorse Question No. 1 - the infrastructure measure - but did not reach consensus on support for Questions No. 2 and 3. The chamber said its board did reach consensus on the need for public transportation in the community, but could not agree that a sales tax was the best way to fund a system.