City of Georgetown | 2023 Bond Election

Project Description

In August 2023, the City of Georgetown called for a $130-million bond package for the November ballot. Perennially named as one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, many of Georgetown’s facilities are significantly undersized for the population they serve today, driving city leaders to propose four bond propositions that would provide much-needed expansions to customer service, animal shelter and recreational facilities.

Buie & Co. was hired soon after the bond was called to lead the public education campaign, and with less than three months until Election Day, we jumped in quickly to get our work underway. To start, we held focus groups with local Georgetown community leaders to gather feedback on initial materials and determine which messages resonated with voters. Buie & Co. also led training sessions for City Council and staff to ensure all spokespeople were armed with the same talking points and responses to frequently asked questions.

After finalizing messaging, we worked closely with the City to create a community presentation, design fact sheets and FAQs for each of the four propositions, draft website copy for the new bond website, and design ads for local publications and a direct mailer that went out to more than 30k residents. We also coordinated a photography and video shoot that was used for TV ads and social media. Additionally, throughout the campaign, Buie & Co. handled media inquiries and coordinated interviews to garner positive coverage about the bond, resulting in 16 stories that reached an estimated audience of 248k. 

Despite low turnout in an off-year election, all four propositions were approved on Election Day. We are thrilled to see each of these bond projects come to life for the benefit of Georgetown residents!