Orange County NC Website
34 <br /> 1 the Board could get regular updates on communications. She said when they receive it, it could <br /> 2 also allow time for the community to participate. <br /> 3 Vice-Chair Hamilton said there hasn't been continuity on the Board, and the importance <br /> 4 of the group had not been passed on to new members. She said it is an opportunity to create a <br /> 5 real advisory board. She said the number one issue that came up with the strategic plan is <br /> 6 communication. She said she hears all the time that people can't find things on the website. She <br /> 7 said she wanted the group to hear from other parts of the county on how they are communicating. <br /> 8 She said that community members should have a place to talk about how they want to hear from <br /> 9 the county and what the networks are. She said it may not need to have commissioners on it. <br /> 10 She said they need input from the community on what works for them. She said they should <br /> 11 consider what the charge should be for the group. She said the structure of the group should be <br /> 12 clear. <br /> 13 Commissioner Greene asked if this should be ongoing or a time-limited task force. <br /> 14 Vice-Chair Hamilton said she thought it should be ongoing due to changing <br /> 15 communication methods and needs. She said the dynamic nature of media and communications <br /> 16 means that it should be ongoing. <br /> 17 Commissioner Fowler asked if staff got a lot of input during the two community forums. <br /> 18 Wil Glenn said there were about 20 people present over two forums. He said they also <br /> 19 got input through surveys. <br /> 20 Commissioner Fowler asked if it led to anything new that the county wasn't doing. <br /> 21 Wil Glenn said they heard that residents get information from those they trust or <br /> 22 community influencers. He said they are now trying to determine who those groups are and <br /> 23 incorporate them into the communications strategy. He said that residents said it's important to <br /> 24 have informational handouts. He said they are trying to make sure that people who are not using <br /> 25 digital media are informed. <br /> 26 Travis Myren said they are putting together reports from the forums and will share with the <br /> 27 Board. <br /> 28 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if they got feedback on the website, especially with <br /> 29 need for plain language on the website. <br /> 30 Wil Glenn said they are still working on that. <br /> 31 Commissioner Fowler said that was one of the goals when she first joined the work group. <br /> 32 Commissioner McKee said he hears from the public that the website is difficult to use. He <br /> 33 said communication should be multi-pronged. <br /> 34 Commissioner Greene said she finds the website very difficult to use. <br /> 35 Vice-Chair Hamilton said one of the reasons she advocates for community members to <br /> 36 be part of the group is because of the skills and talents in the community. She said getting their <br /> 37 input would really help. <br /> 38 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the forums will be ongoing. <br /> 39 Wil Glenn said they plan to keep them going. <br /> 40 Commissioner Carter asked if it is a good time to rethink the approach for communications. <br /> 41 She said she would like to hear from Community Relations on a regular basis. She asked if they <br /> 42 should sunset this particular group and then considering creating a new group after reviewing the <br /> 43 new strategic communications plan. <br /> 44 Commissioner McKee said there were about seven people in attendance at the public <br /> 45 input sessions. He said that the word did not get out widely, and he wasn't sure it was worth the <br /> 46 staff's time. He asked if it would be more effective for staff to propose a new solution to get the <br /> 47 community engaged. <br /> 48 <br /> 49 The Board agreed by consensus to sunset the strategic communications work group as it <br /> 50 is currently structured. <br /> 51 <br />