Kingsburg finance committee recommends local firm to handle Measure E informational marketing

The Kingsburg Finance Committee recommended that the full City Council contract with local marketing firm Oak and Oak to produce informational materials about Measure E, the city’s 1% public safety sales tax, during a meeting on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.

The committee’s recommendation came after a presentation by Member Alexander Henderson, who summarized three vendor proposals and reviewed a timeline that anticipates a council resolution to place the measure on the June 2026 ballot and a legal filing deadline around March 6, 2026. Henderson told the committee that BBK, the city’s retained law firm, has reviewed the legal framework and will screen materials to ensure they comply with election law.

Henderson outlined three bids: a national firm, Elevate Strategies, offering a core package described in the packet at roughly $2,000 per month for up to 10 hours of core services but a quoted base of about $65,000 for broader services; Pivotal Strategies of Los Angeles, which staff said is experienced but outside the city’s likely budget; and a local proposal from Oak and Oak (Quinn Hurt), a marketer who works with the Kingsburg Business Improvement District. Oak and Oak’s proposal is a flat $15,000 and includes one long-format video, four short videos, six infographics/print designs, social media content and a print mailer design.

Henderson said the city’s role would be limited to producing factual information and that BBK would review materials to avoid prohibited advocacy. "But everything that whether we were doing it or whether, you know, somebody else does it is gonna get funneled through, you know, BBK to make sure that from an advocacy standpoint, it is following the rules," Henderson said.

A resident who spoke during public comment asked, "How can the city legally hire a marketing company to do anything for this?" Henderson and other committee members responded that the city can produce factual information about the measure and its fiscal impacts, but city-funded content must not cross into advocacy. Committee members noted private groups and associations may carry out advocacy independently and can use factual materials produced by the city if they do so within legal limits.

Committee members discussed budget constraints and local knowledge as deciding factors. Several members said Pivotal Strategies appeared outside the budget; several favored Oak and Oak because of Quinn Hurt’s familiarity with Kingsburg and speed of coordination with staff. One member noted the council had previously budgeted roughly $50,000 for marketing-related expenses.

After discussion, Member Alexander Henderson moved to recommend that the full City Council approve the Oak and Oak contract as proposed; an unnamed committee member seconded the motion. The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote. The committee also approved minutes from its July 28, 2025, meeting by voice vote earlier in the session.

Next steps identified in the meeting: staff will return recommended contract terms to the full council and continue coordination with BBK on permissible content; the council will consider a resolution to place an extension of Measure E on the June 2026 ballot on a schedule that could include a January 2026 adoption date and a legal filing deadline near March 6, 2026.