Minutes 04-08-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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With the assistance of Rod Visser or other School of Government professionals, draft a Strategic Communications Plan to be presented to the Board in September, 2014. Phase One & Two is estimated not to exceed $10,000. Chair Jacobs asked if Michael Talbert wants answers to all six questions tonight. Michael Talbert said the initial six questions will probably be answered through the process with Rod Visser. He thinks there are very strong opinions on the Board regarding what the plan could or should be, so coming up with consensus will require someone from the outside. Commissioner Rich said this is a good start. She asked about the different communication plans in each of the departments and asked if there is communication and overlap amongst departments. Michael Talbert said sometimes there is not a lot of coordination, and they are each doing their own thing. Commissioner Rich asked about the use of twitter sharing. Michael Talbert said there have been opportunities for tweets to be re-tweeted, and there has been some intercommunication. Lucinda Munger said this topic had come up at one time, and there was discussion about using each others' twitter feeds to reach a broader audience. She said this has come in to some play. She said her staff is seeking to work on communications on an interdepartmental level in order to understand the initiatives for each department and how to best support each other. She said this kind of sharing is mostly happening on an informal level. Commissioner Rich said that is exactly how it works, and the way to use technology to your advantage is to coordinate with other departments and between entities. She said it is a good idea to integrate this into all of the departments. Lucinda Munger said one of the questions on the manager's recommendation notes that it would be helpful to have a formal communications team. She said this team could gather on a regular basis to do this on a more formal level and share initiatives. Michael Talbert said this is evolving as the technology evolves. Carla Banks said when departments decide that they want a social media page she encourages them to like and follow all of the departments that are active on social media so that everyone is aware of each other's pages. She said the new website design will include a page that shows all of the social media accounts. Stacy Shelp is the Communications Manager from the Health Department. She said knowing your own target audience and understanding how to integrate the newer social media with traditional media is a key element. She said it helps that she and some others in the room are on the larger countywide communicators work group that also works with the municipalities. She said this support is key in situations like inclement weather or emergencies. Commissioner Price said what she does not see here are goals and objectives. She also asked about a timeline. Stacy Shelp said this depends on the department and what needs to be communicated. She said the goals can be different for each one. She said the main overall goal can be the same, but how you get there is changing so quickly and the communication differs depending on the audience. She said it is important to integrate a variety of tools. Chair Jacobs said this process is designed to get the Board to a strategic plan. Commissioner Gordon said given the time constraints, she wants to make sure some kind of blessing is given to this approach so that it can get them to a strategic plan. She said