City readies mailer, town halls and open house for proposed police facility bond

The City of Rexburg’s finance staff presented a proposed mailer and outreach plan for a proposed $16,750,000 police facility bond and asked council for approval to proceed with printing and distribution.

Matt Nielsen, chief financial officer, said the planned mailer would go to addresses in the city limits and include the mandatory non‑purpose disclosure estimating interest and estimated cost per $100,000 of assessed value. Nielsen noted addressing technical constraints: mailing by ZIP code might include addresses outside city limits and route-based mailing can likewise include non‑city addresses, so the mailer will add a clarifying line that “bond election applies to Rexburg City residents only.”

Nielsen said the vendor offered a printing discount and estimated the targeted mailing cost would likely be in the $4,000–$5,400 range once routes are narrowed. The outreach plan includes a town-hall Q&A on 10/15 and a police-station open house on 10/28; the mailer and a brochure will also be posted to the city website and include a tax calculator linked to the city GIS so residents can estimate their own assessed value impact.

Nielsen also reviewed a conceptual site plan developed by consultants showing a building footprint, shell space for future expansion, and a community room sized to hold roughly 80–100 people. Councilmember Colin Erickson emphasized the value of the planned community room for meetings and rentals, noting the city needs additional public meeting capacity.

Why it matters: The mailer and outreach are intended to inform city residents about the bond question and site plan before a voter decision. The materials include projection assumptions (15-year bond term, estimated interest rate) and must carry the statutory disclosure language for mailings about a ballot bond.

Council response: Council discussed mailer wording and routing; staff said they had reviewed the language with legal counsel and a steering committee. Council did not take a formal vote on the mailer at the meeting but approved moving forward with the outreach plan and requested staff to finalize the mailing routes and disclosures.

Next steps: Staff will finalize the printed mailer and website brochure, proceed with the town-hall and open-house events, and publish the tax-impact calculator link for residents.