ST. LOUIS, Missouri — County Executive Sam Page's 'State of the County' address included answers to several pressing questions, like: Which county taxes or fees can you pay online? Will you soon have to pay taxes for things you buy online? And... is Sam Page a Swiftie?
Page, who isn't exactly known for delivering dynamic oratory, borrowed a little star power and a few lyrics from pop star Taylor Swift as he made his case that county government can sound exciting enough to attract major businesses, recruit top workforce talent, and reverse generational trends of stagnant or declining population.
"I can picture it now," Page told the crowd at the Touhill Performing Arts Center Wednesday morning. "Taylor Swift flies across the state after attending a Chiefs game to practice her next record-breaking tour, right here in Saint Louis County. That would be better than our wildest dreams."
After a smattering of laughs, mild applause, and a few groans, Page said, "We'll work on that."
The bigger reveal came at the end of Page's speech when he rolled out a newly designed logo to rebrand the county.
After determining the county "lacked an identity," the County Executive tried his hand as Chief Marketing Officer, promoting improving public safety statistics, unveiling a new logo, and launching a new marketing campaign, 'Opportunity Central.'
"Defining our brand helps market the county to the rest of the world as a place united, a place excited, a place that you want to be your future," Page said. "Our brand should serve as a point of pride for the residents of the most populous county in Missouri. We are your path to success and we are 'Opportunity Central.'"
"I'm very gung-ho about 'Opportunity Central,'" Council Chairwoman Shalonda Webb (D) said. "I'm, like, extremely excited. I'm going to be putting it on everything because that Opportunity Central means hope, it means possibilities. It means that we are now open for business."
The logo shows a woven circle, which together represent the Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec Rivers, surrounding a fleur-de-lis, which pays tribute to the region's historic ties to French settlers and French culture. The rose-red combined the color palettes of the St. Louis Cardinals and CITY SC.
"We are currently shopping for the biggest welcome mat possible," Page said, before ribbing members of the county council who've clashed with him on spending. "I am sure that the county council will be happy to appropriate the funds to buy it.... Maybe."
According to Page's office, a marketing firm called Elasticity designed the logo and messaging campaign for $90,000.
Republican County Councilman Mark Harder suggested the broader costs of incorporating a new logo countywide could put further strain on the budget deficit.
"Now we've got to convert all of our logos, all our trucks, all of our stationery, everything that has a logo associated with it," Harder said. "And that's going to cost a lot of money over time at a time we don't have a lot of money to play with."
Page's office dismissed most of Harder's critique, saying the logo would be "slowly integrated" when the county purchases new government vehicles or uniforms, and that most letterhead is digital.
Still, the county's financial pressures pose a long-term challenge, especially as costs continue to rise faster than revenues.
"We cannot cut our way out of a deficit when costs continue to rise," Page said during his speech.
"We work to be fiscally responsible while providing the services our residents have come to expect, and we can't let them down," he said. "But that's what we're going to do if we don't make these difficult decisions to increase revenue streams. The county tax rate has not been increased since 1984. And several of my staff members weren't even born the last time county government increased its tax rate."
He credited the new marijuana sales tax for boosting county revenues by $3 million this year, but said that won't cover the fiscal gap.
"We have to look at other avenues, and that includes an online sales tax to level the playing field for our small businesses," he said.
Page projected an online retail sales tax would net the county $10 million a year, but voters had already previously rejected a ballot question that would've authorized the tax. Page and other members of the County Council signaled that question could come back again.
"We did not have a good campaign the last time this was out," Councilwoman Rita Heard Days said. "I think this time we'll do a little bit better."
Page also said the county created a new online marriage license registration form, and will soon introduce a new credit card payment system, "creating another way to make it easier to do business in Saint Louis County."