Housing poll falls short of threshold; council approves two-year support for Broomfield Housing Alliance and related housing grants

A community poll commissioned by the Broomfield Housing Stability Task Force found support for the task force’s proposed 0.5% sales tax and a 1% construction excise tax was below customary referral thresholds, and city council later approved two years of operating support for the local housing authority and related funding actions.

The poll, conducted April 29–May 6 of 757 registered Broomfield voters with a reported margin of error of ±3.54 percentage points, found 34% of respondents initially said they would approve a 0.5% sales tax to fund rehousing, stabilization and unit creation; that number rose to 39% after respondents read additional, explanatory messages. The construction-excise-tax question received 40% support and 51% opposition, with somewhat higher support when respondents were told the tax would not affect residential construction or remodeling.

Martin Dormish, a Ward 1 resident and member of the Broomfield Housing Stability Task Force, told council the task force will not seek referral to the 2025 ballot after the poll results. “We will not be asking the council to refer our proposed measures to this fall’s ballot,” Dormish said, and said the task force plans further community education and a longer-term strategy that could include different revenue mechanisms or other approaches.

Courtney Sievers of Magellan Strategies, the firm that conducted the survey, said age and tenure in Broomfield were the strongest predictors of support: younger voters and residents of fewer years were generally more likely to favor new housing revenue.…