City officials heard on Oct. 21 that while many Kingman residents support new parks and youth recreation programs, most surveyed would not back a property‑tax bond to pay for them.

High Ground Public Affairs senior vice president Paul Bence presented results of a 300‑respondent telephone poll conducted Oct. 6–9. The firm found 52% of likely voters agreed the city needs more community gathering spaces and 68% agreed Kingman needs new facilities for youth sports and rec programs. But only about 31% said they would be willing to pay for a sports and recreation facility through a property tax levy; 55% opposed that funding method.

Bence told the council the survey used direct‑dialed human interviews and showed a margin of error of ±5.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. He said respondents most often listed streets and transportation, jobs/economy and high prices as top issues, and that inflation and a strong anti‑tax sentiment were primary drivers of opposition to a bond. In a ballot‑language pretest asking whether voters would “authorize the city to issue and sell general obligation bonds in the amount of $85,000,000 to design, acquire, improve and construct parks and recreation facilities, including a multipurpose indoor sports and recreation facility, Sunbelt Park expansion and golf course improvements,” 25.7% said yes and 70.3% said no.

Bence and staff compared support across age groups and said younger voters were more likely to favor items tied to youth and tourism benefits, while older voters were more likely to oppose additional taxes. He also reported particular items that tested well — a teen center, splash pads, walking trails, indoor play space and indoor athletic courts — and items that rated poorly, such as golf course clubhouse renovations and banquet hall upgrades.

City Manager Tim Walsh and council members asked no follow‑up questions beyond clarification; Bence said the findings mirror a February test and give council a baseline for public outreach and decisions about whether to place a bond question before voters.

The presentation does not itself authorize any funding or ballot measure. It is a report of public opinion sampling intended to inform the council’s deliberations on whether to pursue a general obligation bond.