If I contact a City Official on a general municipal issue (e.g., revenue shortfall in the budget), does that count as a lobbying contact?
It depends. If your communication may reasonably be considered an effort to get a municipal decision underway (e.g., getting the City Council to adopt an ordinance to reverse the budget shortfall, to prevent future shortfalls, etc.), then it is a contact even though there is no decision docketed when the communication is made. On the other hand, if the communication is not reasonably likely to lead to a municipal decision, then it is not a contact.
Related Questions
- If I contact a City Official on a general municipal issue (e.g., revenue shortfall in the budget), does that count as a lobbying contact?
- Has any city official explained the failure to predict a revenue decline as the economy faltered?
- Why doesn the City sell surplus assets like Metro Hall to make up for the budget shortfall?
