How to Gain Citizen Buy In

Palm Beach County, Fla. is a populous and growing region with rapidly aging infrastructure. In the wake of the latest economic downturn, the implementation of the county’s improvement plan suffered as revenues decreased: Many capital improvement and repair projects went unfunded, and county-owned facilities and roadways started to show signs of significant wear.

Palm Beach County was not alone in facing these challenges. Thirty-nine municipalities within the county’s borders and the county’s school district also had crumbling infrastructure. Working together, the county reached an agreement with the cities and the school district to raise funds to improve aging locally owned infrastructure. The proposed solution was a one-cent sales tax distributed three ways: 50 percent to the school district, 30 percent to the county and 20 percent to cities (See Figure 1). The tax would sunset after 10 years and was projected to raise $2.7 billion.

“Transparency was key. We opened our books. Every time [opponents] would come up with a different issue, we would address that issue. Both major regional newspapers endorsed our sales tax because of transparency. It is key – just put it out there.”

–Verdenia Baker, County Administrator,
Palm Beach County, Fla.

To gain support for the one-cent sales tax, the county reached out to and worked with the business community, civic organizations and homeowners’ associations to educate the community on the need to address the aging infrastructure.  Educational materials were created, including a website, to identify county, school and city projects in specific neighborhoods. The media was invited to accompany the mayor and staff on site visits to facilities that showed signs of distress and needed repairs.

Working with the cities and the school district, Palm Beach County constructed the language of the ballot measure based on where each entity would spend the additional revenue. By detailing how the governments would use the extra funds, residents could see how the buildings, roads and buses they use every day would be improved. As a result, residents voted to increase the one cent sales tax with over 56 percent of voters in support.

According to Ms. Baker, THE KEY WAS TRANSPARENCY, particularly with opponents of the increase. Those who opposed the tax increase were invited to examine the county’s budget to get assurance that funds were being spent properly and that bonding for projects would not be a viable, long-term solution. The county also invited independent third parties to examine its financial records and provide feedback to concerned parties and the public. Additionally, the county showed local businesses how failing infrastructure can impact their operations. For example, an aging bridge may not be able to hold the weight of a semi-truck carrying goods. Palm Beach County provided documentation to the local newspaper editorial boards that demonstrated transparency throughout the entire process. Ultimately, the local newspapers endorsed the sales tax ballot measure due to the high level of transparency.

Figure 1. Distribution of One-Cent Sales Tax

In Ohio, county auditors wear many different hats. They serve as the county’s chief fiscal officer, as the assessor for property taxing purposes and as the sealer of weights and measures. Any commercial device used to weigh or measure products for sale, including gas pumps, must be tested by the auditor’s office.

During a routine inspection in 2013, Mr. Keith’s office found a card skimmer at a gas pump. These devices allow individuals to steal credit card information from unsuspecting consumers. In Ohio, 51 card skimmers have been found in 19 counties since 2013.

“To raise public awareness of this [card skimmer] issue, the first thing we did was host Skimmer Summits around the state at different sites to take advantage of the media market in those areas.”

–Karl Keith, County Auditor,
Montgomery County, Ohio

To raise public awareness on this issue, the state's auditor association MET RESIDENTS WHERE THEY WERE: they held skimmer summits in eight counties throughout the state to reach as many Ohio residents as possible. At these summits, education was provided for law enforcement, weights and measures officers, gas station owners and concerned residents on how to spot card skimmers. County auditors also held a skimmer sweep over Labor Day weekend where they inspected 12,000 gas pumps and found five skimmers.

The statewide sweep provided an opportunity for auditors to meet with media to discuss how Ohio residents could be affected by a skimmer crime. As a result, there were 70 news stories among 10 media markets. Social media was also used as another avenue to maintain the auditors’ engagement with citizens.

As Mr. Keith explained, the public is the best line of defense in protecting against the illegal activity of card skimmers. County auditors in Ohio engaged with their residents through the summits, sweeps and resulting media attention. The result was consumers, gas station owners and weights and measures sealers making a concerted effort in looking for card skimmers to protect against theft and fraud.

What are card skimmers?

“Electronic devices which steal credit card information from card readers on gas pumps and ATMs”

LEARN MORE

Dr. Emilia Istrate
Managing Director, Counties Futures La
research@naco.org

Andrew Hartsig
Research Manager
research@naco.org