County polling shows tentative support for public safety levy; library steering committee to test two rates

Washington County commissioners received results on Jan. 14 from EMC Research showing qualified voter support for a proposed public safety levy replacement and updates on library-levy planning.

EMC Research senior principal Ian Stewart told the board the December 2024 countywide survey of 400 likely November 2025 voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. “Anything you’re looking at is … accurate within that plus or minus 4.9 percentage points,” Stewart said during the presentation.

The county team presented results in stages. When asked a generic “renewal” question with no cost or ballot language attached, 72% of respondents said they were very or somewhat likely to support replacing the expiring levy. When shown draft ballot language and a first-year average homeowner cost, initial support fell to about 57%. After the survey provided the cost as a renewal (described in the poll as an approximate $69 increase in year…