Survey: informational summary raises support for Springfield fire levy to 56% among likely voters

Tony Ocarino, senior research manager at DHM Research, presented results of a public-opinion survey to the Springfield City Council on the prospects for a possible fire levy in November 2025. The consultant said the April hybrid-mode survey of 300 likely November 2025 voters produced a “cold” support level of 42% that rose to 56% after respondents were read a short ballot-style summary about the levy and its likely effects.

DHM told the council the study used a representative sample of likely voters, with quotas and weighting by race, age, education and homeownership, and a stated margin of error of “plus or minus 5.7.” Ocarino said respondents were split between a live-interviewer phone sample and an online text-to-survey sample. He emphasized the sample represented likely special-election voters, who tend to be older and more often homeowners than the general population.

Why it matters: the levy would fund local fire and emergency medical services and the city is weighing whether to ask voters for a higher rate to cover rising costs. Councilors asked whether the levy dollars would cover…