Municipal Bonds Advocacy Toolkit

America’s counties use tax exempt municipal bonds to invest in roads, bridges, public transportation, ports, libraries, police stations and more. Preserving the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds will ensure counties can build critical local infrastructure for residents without burdening taxpayers with higher costs.

Below, find resources designed to help county officials educate Congress, the administration and the public on the importance of protecting the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.  

Write Your Members of Congress

Download NACo's letter template and send a letter to Congress written on county letterhead, either through the U.S. Postal Service or via email, that explains why it is critical to your county that Congress preserves the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. Information on office locations and contact numbers can be found on members’ websites. Links to U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate websites can be found below.  

• Sample Letter
• Contact Your Representative
• Contact Your Senators

Publish a Letter to the Editor

Connect with your local media outlets to highlight the importance of Congress to preserve the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. Write and submit op-ed columns, letters to the editor or guest commentaries to local newspapers outlining the importance of municipal bonds to your county and urging Congress to take action. Below are issue-specific talking points to consider. Remember, tailoring the message to fit your community is important to publishing an op-ed. County-specific examples and other local information will significantly enhance your advocacy. NACo’s Media Relations Guide for Counties is also available to assist county officials with local media outreach.

• Op-Ed Template
• Talking Points: NACo Municipal Bond One Pager
• Talking Points: Protecting Bonds to Create Infrastructure and Protect Jobs
• Talking Points: Understanding Financing Options Used for Public Infrastructure

Engage Your Members of Congress on Social Media

Demonstrate how counties are built by bonds by sharing pictures and stories to encourage Congress to preserve their tax-exempt status. Most Senators and Representatives are on Twitter and monitor their Twitter feeds regularly. The easiest way to find your members of Congress is to utilize the search function on Twitter or by visiting your members’ website. In addition to reaching out to your members of Congress on Twitter, consider targeting House and Senate leadership. You can keep NACo in the loop on your social media advocacy by being sure to include both @NACoTweets and #BuiltByBonds in your tweets.

Sample Tweets

• With tax-exempt municipal bonds, state and local governments have invested 2.5 times more in our nation’s infrastructure than the federal government. Congress, counties are #BuiltByBonds
• #Municipalbonds underpin $4 trillion in infrastructure investments, including roads bridges, ports, and libraries. Counties are #BuiltByBonds
• Municipal bonds help #counties own and operate 45% of public roads and highways. Congress must protect the tax- exempt status of municipal bonds because counties are #BuiltByBonds
• [Name] County is #BuiltByBonds and supports preserving the tax-exemption so we can continue to save taxpayers money while building critical infrastructure
• Eliminating the tax-exemption of municipal bonds could result in $823 billion in new borrowing costs for state and local governments. Counties are #BuiltByBonds