How Eagle Mountain City Passed the RAP Tax with Strategic Public Relations and Community Engagement
Client Background
Eagle Mountain is one of Utah’s fastest-growing cities. Today, its population exceeds 70,000, and long-term projections top 200,000. Because of this rapid growth, city leaders proposed a Recreation, Arts, and Parks (RAP) Tax to protect quality of life and support open spaces. To reach voters, the City turned to XL PR for ballot measure communications.
In August 2025, the City successfully placed the tax on the November ballot. Utah Valley requires each city to vote on and establish the tax individually, and Eagle Mountain was one of the few without it. However, strict legal guidelines limit how a city can advocate for a ballot measure. As a result, both the City and XL PR had to communicate carefully. The City needed a partner that could balance education, persuasion, transparency, and compliance. At the same time, that partner had to build trust with residents across diverse demographics.
Research
XL PR began with a comprehensive research phase. The goal was to understand the political landscape, community sentiment, and legal constraints surrounding the RAP Tax. First, the team interviewed city leadership. Next, it reviewed the community Facebook group, the city website and its community newsroom, and past media monitoring. The team also reviewed previous primary research and supporting marketing materials.
The research showed that many residents valued parks and recreation. However, confusion about taxation and skepticism toward government initiatives created a significant barrier. Therefore, the strategy needed to be accessible, hyper-local, and grounded in clear facts.
Planning the Ballot Measure Communications Strategy
Using these research insights, XL PR developed a multi-phase communications plan. The plan followed government regulations on what the City could and couldn’t say at each stage of the campaign. The goal was to pass the tax with more than 50% approval.
The phased plan included three parts:
Writing a Strategic Communication Plan
Persuasion
Education
First, XL PR drafted a Strategic Communications Plan that identified key publics in the community. These included young families, longtime residents, retirees, small business owners, and bilingual households. As a result, the team could tailor messaging without fragmenting the campaign. Next, a message architecture created one central narrative. It explained what the RAP Tax is, what it is not (not a property tax), and how the City would use the funds. Importantly, it did this without assuming voter support. Finally, the plan brought earned media, digital content, print materials, events, and stakeholder toolkits together into one cohesive system.
Overall, this planning phase ensured that every tactic reinforced clarity, credibility, and compliance.
Implementation
During the persuasion phase, the team created and released tactics according to a set calendar. In total, XL PR drafted ten pieces of content in both persuasion and education language. These included landing pages, a campaign educational video, a voter’s brochure, and one-sheeters.
Once the tax reached the ballot in August, the education phase began. Throughout both phases, XL PR and the City ran an omnichannel campaign. The partners also coordinated daily so each phase used the right messaging.
Educational content development: Creation of 10+ core assets, including a press kit, FAQ documents, a voter education brochure, campaign video, fact sheets, and a RAP Tax landing page
Media relations: Strategic pitching to local outlets resulted in sustained coverage explaining the RAP Tax’s purpose, structure, and local relevance
Community engagement: On-the-ground presence at farmers’ markets and events, supported by clear, easy-to-understand materials
Digital and social strategy: Coordinated messaging across city channels to maximize reach while maintaining an informational tone
Stakeholder toolkit: Providing community leaders, nonprofits, and advocates with accurate, ready-to-use information to share independently
Risk management and crisis clarification response: Quickly addressing misinformation (such as confusion around a proposed recreation center) with timely, factual communications
Results
The ballot measure communications campaign ended with a successful vote and measurable outcomes.
RAP Tax passed with 57.82% voter approval, exceeding the required simple majority
17 earned media placements across digital, print, broadcast, and social outlets, including KSL, Daily Herald, and Utah Business
10 educational content pieces produced to support voter understanding
53,284 engagements, 500,600 reach, and 6+ million impressions across digital and social platforms
Strong participation at in-person community events with positive feedback
Explore more of XL PR’s PR success stories.
Client Endorsements
“This was an uphill climb from the start, and the RAP Tax was met with strong criticism and opposition, but success was accomplished with creativity, hard work, and integrity. I just wanted to say what a privilege it has been to work with the XL-PR team. You have earned our admiration for your efforts, your recommendations, and your guidance throughout the process. More importantly, each of you are good and kind people, and I don’t think that’s mentioned enough in the professional setting. Eagle Mountain City made the right choice when hiring you.”
— Tyler Maffit, Eagle Mountain City
