Public input split on taxes and priorities; about 200 survey responses analyzed

The work group emphasized community engagement as central to any revenue conversation. Ms. Nadeau said the survey, open from May 15 to July 15, received about 200 responses and included multiple-choice, ranked-choice and open-ended questions in several languages (Amharic, French, Korean, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese).

"General consensus across the board was that the county has a spending problem, not a revenue problem," Ms. Nadeau summarized from open-ended responses, but she also noted there was "no consensus on what investments are most critical" — some respondents strongly prioritized schools while others said schools already receive too much funding. The public also showed appetite for public–private partnerships and reallocating funds but was mixed about adopting new taxes unless the tax was clearly tied to named projects.

Committee members said this split underscores the work group's recommendation to pair any proposed revenue measure with clear, project-specific communications and early community engagement.