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Leon County, FL’s Children’s Services Council: A November 2020 Ballot Measure Case Study

A case study about how campaign organizers in Leon County, FL, created a new voter-approved children's fund that will serve children, youth, and families.

Leon County, FL’s Children’s Services Council: A November 2020 Ballot Measure Case Study

In December 2019, a committee of Leon County, FL, leaders released a report detailing the unmet needs of children and youth in the county. Among other needs, the report revealed the county’s high youth arrest rate (10.8%) and low rate of accredited child care programs (12%—less than half the state average).1 To address these needs, a group of advocates pushed for the county commission to place a measure on the ballot to establish a Children’s Services Council (CSC)—an independent governing body with the power to levy taxes and direct the revenue exclusively to services for children, youth, and families. In November 2020, their efforts succeeded and nearly two-thirds of voters chose to raise taxes to create a new CSC that is projected to raise approximately $7 million annually.

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