Platte County Commission entered into a contract to pay a public affairs firm up to $48,816 to perform what one commissioner described as ‘targeted education’ of potential voters. Per the contract, the ‘targeted education’ campaign could mean up to four phone calls and up to eight direct mail pieces to identified voters who have voted in at least two of the past four primary elections in Platte County. The contract calls for Clout Public Affairs, LLC to conduct “sales tax issue education” of tax questions the county commission plans to put on the ballot later this year, most likely in August.
If the county commission follows the recommendation of a committee it appointed to study the situation, the tax questions to be decided by voters will consist of a proposal of a quarter cent sales tax for law enforcement operations and a quarter cent sales tax for parks and stormwater. Any taxes approved by voters in August would take effect beginning Jan. 1. The county’s existing half cent parks tax expires on Dec. 31.
Clout Public Affairs, is a division of noted political consultant Jeff Roe’s Axiom Strategies firm.
Services outlined in the contract include Clout being paid to execute a direct mail plan “to educate voters” on the issue and lead efforts for phone campaigns to educate voters.
Clout will identify voters in Platte County that will likely have an interest in the topic and will lead the process of developing messaging for a palm card for the information campaign.
In the contract, Clout mentions that it has identified 17,742 households in Platte County that have voted in at least two of the most recent four primary elections in the county. Clout says its modeling suggests that if the county wants to reach voters that are interested in tax issues, it has identified 9,476 with an interest in tax issues who have voted in at least two of the last four primaries in the county.
“We believe that mailing to voters (in this category of having voted in two of the last four primaries) is a very affordable and effective plan,” Clout said in its written proposal to the commission.
“We believe that mailing to voters (in this category of having voted in two of the last four primaries) is a very affordable and effective plan,” Clout said in its written proposal to the commission.
A draft budget of charges outlined in the contract by Clout includes:
- Palm cards, quantity of 5,000: $500.
- Website and management: $1,000.
- Facebook page and management: $1,000.
- Direct mail, up to eight targeted mailings to the identified households: $42,816.
- Phone campaign, with four phone calls to the identified households as mentioned in their modeling: $1,000.
- Video production (organizing a film shoot with local community leaders as it relates to the education campaign for use on social media and other assets): $2,500.
According to the contract, the county shall pay Clout on a per project basis for products for services, plus any pre-approved expenses.
Per state law, when taxpayer money is used, as is the case per this contract, the act of educating voters has to be different than campaigning with an intent to persuade voters.
Asked by The Landmark if he feels an act of four phone calls to households targeted via voting history or eight pieces of direct mail to households targeted via voting history is intended to educate or is an attempt to persuade or campaign, John Elliott, second district commissioner, said it will be “targeted education.”
In a Jan. 25, 2019 public session with its legal counselor Bob Shaw attended by The Landmark prior to the time last year’s jail tax proposal went to voters, Shaw advised the commissioners on what can and cannot be done with public resources in regard to election issues. At that meeting, Shaw advised one way to prevent potential murky legal waters is to let an outside campaign committee–formed separately from county officials and without public money–lead a ‘vote yes’ campaign.
In a conversation with The Landmark after Monday’s commission meeting, Elliott said it’s possible there will be an outside campaign committee that will do “persuasion.” Only “education” would be done with tax money per the Clout contract approved Monday, Elliott said.
Elliott said the commission did not put out a specific request for bids. State law does not require formal a bidding process for professional services. Elliott said the commission “sought quotes” from Clout and one other firm and Clout’s quote was considerably less than the other firm.
THE TAX QUESTIONS
The Platte County Sales Tax Structure Advisory Committee completed a written report and presented it to the commission, with the recommendation of asking voters for a quarter cent sales tax for law enforcement (sheriff, prosecutor, judiciary) and a quarter cent for parks/stormwater.
The committee’s summary conclusion reads like this:
“The recommendation to the commission is to place before county voters a quarter cent retail sales tax for law enforcement and a quarter cent retail sales tax for parks/stormwater, both sunsetting 10 years from commencement. The parks/stormwater portion is intended to be used to continue development and construction of trails, for enhancements of existing parks, as a supplement to the current capital improvements reserves held for completion of the current master plan projects, for continuation of stormwater infrastructure projects, and for annual operating expenses and maintenance, and is not intended to be used for any form of community center expansion or remodeling. The law enforcement portion is intended to be a supplement to, and not a replacement of, current general fund allocations to law enforcement, and is to be specifically directed to annual operating expenses for judicial, prosecutor, and sheriff as illustrated in the proforma analyses presented and discussed by the committee and included as an attachment to these minutes. Further, none of these sales tax revenues are to be used for payment of any form of long term debt, whether specifically approved by voters in the future or through certificates of participation, whether existing or new.”
The tax proposals would be separate questions on the ballot and not tied directly to one another. For instance, it’s possible one could pass while the other fail.
The deadline to get a ballot issue placed on the August ballot is May 26.