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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-04-23; City Council; 16731; Communication Plan For The City Of Carlsbad7 CITY OF CARLSBAD -AGENDA BILL iB# 16,731 m: IIITG. 4/23/02 IEPT. LIB CITY MGR Communication Plan for the City of Carlsbad ?ECOMMENDED ACTION: \Jo City Council action necessary; this is an Informational item only. TEM EXPLANATION: 4 Management Goal Team was established this fiscal year to develop a Communications 'Ian targeting the City of Carlsbad's internal and external customers. The Plan identifies :urrent methods of internal and external communication as well as recommendations for mprovement within the organization and throughout the community. The Goal Team :onsists of Lynn Diamond, Police Department; Lorraine Wood, City Clerk; Tonya Rodzach, 4rts Office and Dana Hartshorn, Library; with Melissa Ruch from Public Works serving as a eam resource. :ommunication Plan Mission, Vision and Goal wlission: The City of Carlsbad is committed to the continuing enhancement and improvement of its communication efforts to increase Community awareness of City services and programs and to strengthen the active participation and involvement of both the Community and City employees in all aspects of the organization and civic life. Jision: 3ur vision is that all who live, work and play in the City of Carlsbad: Are informed about City services and activities Can easily find information about the services they need Feel invited to participate in City programs and in the improvement of their City Feel their communication needs are met Are encouraged to provide feedback and evaluation !001-02 Council Strategic Goal: Ensure that citizens, staff and Council are well informed, leading to a more responsive government and a higher level of confidence. ncorporating the above Mission, Vision and Goal, the team developed communications Ibjectives (two internal and two external) along with several recommendations for their accomplishment as follows: Objective #I: To increase public awareness and knowledge of City services and activities. Formalize an Organization-wide Communications Committee Conversion of Existing Community Services Brochure to a Quarterly News Magazine Information Hotlines Telephone On-Hold Messages PAGE 2 OF AGENDA BILL NO. 16r731 New Resident Program Continue to Improve and Update the City Website E-Mail Notification Service Cable TV Programming and Advertisement Include Outreach to Diverse Communities Create a Media Checklist for Staff Objective #2: To increase public accessibility and participation in City issues, decision-making and government processes. Formalize a Speakers Bureau Homeowners Association Communication Conversion of the Quadrant Meetings to Special Purpose Workshops on Current Issues Increased Publicity Regarding Volunteer Opportunities within the City Publicize Carlsbad Really Means Service (CRMS) Request for Action Program Signage and Mapping Survey Questions for 2002 Public Opinion Survey Continue Providing the Citizens Academy Objective #3: To increase en$@y& awarenes@;&& knowletfggiif City actii&t&s. Continue to Develop lntranet and Ensure Availability to All City Staff Continue Weekly E-mail Updates from the Department Head Meetings Institute Monthly Citywide Employee Newsletter Continue the Experience Carlsbad Program Objective #4 To enhance and strengthehi:@articipatikih,l#~f:.employe~s~in'the development and implementation of Cityihitiatives and'a'ctiuities, creating a sense of citywide community and reinforcing the drganization's culture. Enhance Social Opportunities Among Employees Support for the Peer Advisor Liaison (PAL) Program Incorporate Appreciative Inquiry as a Part of City Culture , .'. , , ,(, , ,, As an interesting coincidence, recent Citizens Academy graduates were asked about their thoughts on how the City could better connect with the community. Many of their open- ended comments for improvements were these above recommendations in this Plan. Implementation of many of the specific recommendations in the Plan is a 2002-03 Management Goal. FISCAL IMPACT: None in FY 2001-02. Some financial resources will be required to implement the Plan in FY 2002-03. EXHIBITS: 1. Proposed Communication Plan. EXHIBIT #1 COMMUNICATION PLAN A STRATEGIC APPROACH COMMUNICATION TO EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL FEBRUARY 22,2002 City of Carlsbad Communication Plan A Strategic Approach to External and Internal Communicat-ion I. Team Members 3 11. Introduction to the Plan 4 111. Section One: Mission, Vision, Goals and Objectives 5 N. Section Two: Recommendations 6 V. Section Three: Measurement 13 VI. Appendix 14 VII. Reference Materials 20 Team Leader - Dana Hartshorn, Senior Management Analyst, Library Lynn Diamond, Senior Management Analyst, Police Tonya Rodzach, Community Arts Education Coordinator, Cultural Arts Melissa Ruch, Management Assistant, Public Works Lorraine Wood, Records Manager, Administrative Services 3 The goal of this plan is to develop a Communiwtions Plan fir the City of Carlsbadd's internal and external customers. It identifies cumnt methods as well as makes recommendations to improve communications within the organization and throughout the Community. The plan is organized into three sections. Section One'details the City's Mission, Values and Strategic goals that have formed the basis for the Communication Plan. Section two lists the internal and external objectives and recommended action items that support these objectives. Section three outlines evaluation strategies that measure if the objectives are being met. The Appendix and Reference Materials list provide various supplemental information used by the team in the formulation of this plan. This Communication Plan has three target audiences: The Carlsbad City Council, the employees of the City and the Community of Carlsbad. The term Community applies to all who live, work and play in Carlsbad. 4 In concert with the City’s Mission, Vision and Goals, the Communication Plan is based on the following: City of. Carlsbad Communication Mission The City of Carlsbad is committed to the continuing enhancement and improvement of its communication efforts to increase Community awareness of City services and programs and to strengthen the active participation and involvement of both the Community and City employees in all aspects of the organization and civic life. City of Carlsbad Communication Vision Our vision is that all who live, work and play in the City of Carlsbad: $. Are informed about City services and activities. e Can easily find information about the services they need. $- Feel invited to participate in City programs and in the improvement of their .($ Feel their communication needs are met. City. Are encouraged to provide feedback and evaluation. City of Carlsbad Communication Goal: 2001 - 2002 Strategic Goal Ensure that citizens, staff and Council are well informed, leading to a more responsive government and a higher level of confidence. Using these elements, the Communication Team has developed two external and two internal communication objectives with recommended action items for each: Objective #l - To increase public awareness and knowledge of City services and activities. Objective #2 - To increase public accessibility and participation in City issues, decision-making and government processes. Objective #3 - To increase employee awareness and knowledge of City activities. Objective #4 - To enhance and strengthen participation of employees in the development and implementation of City initiatives and activities, creating a sense of citywide Community and reinforcing the organization’s culture. 5 OBJECTIVE #l To increase public awareness and knowledge of City services and activities. A. Formalize a Citwvide Communications Committee With an overall charge of coordination of communications, public information, and marketing efforts among city departments, this group would work toward the adoption of one generally accepted look for city-sponsored marketing and communication pieces. Rather than being comprised primarily of department heads, the committee should ideally include departmental representatives who actually have day-to-day experience with the creation of internal and external documents. The group's charge would include regular review of communication needs, coordination of effort and recommendations of future communications activities. With a committee in place, the quantity as well as the quality of media exposure coming from the City would be improved with coordinated messages and consistent styles and themes. The committee would be chaired by a manager with experience in public information, marketing, printing and graphic design. Our team recommends that a communications consultant fill this role. The Committee would have full training on media relations by the Chair. Also, this committee would coordinate many of the recommendations in this report. 8. Conversion of Existina Communitv Services Brochure to a Quarterly Citv News Maaazine A City newsletter distributed to the public would be an excellent tool for Community communication. The team discussed the incorporation of a newsletter into our existing Community Services Brochure. This "Carlsbad News", produced quarterly, would include current information gathered from all Major Service Areas (MSAs) and give the residents new and important information as well as the recreation program schedules and registration forms. Currently a committee is reviewing some proposed changes to the existing brochure. In the 2001 Public Opinion Survey, residents listed the brochure as their number one source of information about the City. C. Information Hotlines In the 2001 Public Opinion Survey, residents ranked phoning the City as the number two source of information. Our team believes that an Information Hotline of taped telephone messages regarding City activities and news is an 6 excellent way to communicate. Our citizens could hear the latest on special events, new gallery exhibits, new services or road closures. It would need to be managed by a staff member on a regular basis and be changed regularly to reflect City updates. D. TeleDhone On-Hold Messaae Along with the Hotline, we recommend changing the "On-Hold Message" on the City phones from music to brief updates about the City as identified above. This process would also need a staff member to manage and update the messages on a regular basis. E. New Resident Proaram We envision new residents to the Community being personally greeted by City employees. Employee volunteers and interested Citizens Academy Graduates could take on this role. These employees would visit the new homes, introduce themselves to the homeowner(s) and present a full packet of information about the City. This would be a wonderful way to greet newcomers to the Community and would "put a face on City Hall." F. Continue to ImDrove and Ufxlate the Citv Web Site Since the website's debut in September 1999, it has been a tremendous source of information and a useful communication tool. Interactive components and e- commerce have been added to continually provide a higher level of service and usefulness to site visitors. The 2000 Public Opinion Survey showed that 76% of those surveyed had Internet access, which suggests our Community seems to be comfortable with learning and communicating via online technology. The Website Committee is continually looking for new ways to update and improve the usability and effectiveness of the website. Possible suggestions for the future include online Recreation Program registration, online utility bill payments, interactive mapping and a subscription e-mail service to obtain updated information on selected City topics. The Website Committee is also developing a "virtual tour" of current development and construction in the City. G. E-Mail Notification Service The e-mail notification service is a unique way for Internet users to obtain information on any topic in the City. Community subscribers could sign up for an unlimited number of topics on which they are interested in staying abreast. When topics such as new jobs, recreation programs, bid openings, construction projects, or agenda items appear in any City electronic format, this data may be automatically e-mailed directly to the subscriber. H. Cable Tv Proarammina and Advertisement One unique way to communicate with the public is via KDCI Cable Channel 3, and community access stations. In doing so, we feel that research should be done to determine how to optimize the usefulness of the Government Channel. One recommendation to increase this usefulness is to have more action oriented videos (such as the Community Services video) available for the public. If a viewer is presented with a well-produced program about an issue of significance, or with a live (or taped) broadcast, there is a good chance that the viewer will be compelled to stop and watch. Staff members in the City Manager’s Office are working with Video Production Consultant Val Brown on several unique ways to use cable television to communicate information to the citizens. Also, we strongly recommend that the City begin to advertise when they will be “on the air” and print the times and the channel numbers for our citizens. In the future, this information could be distributed in the newsletter, telephone hotline and other media opportunities listed herein. I. Include Outreach to Diverse Communities We strongly recommend that staff responsible for communication throughout the Community include considerations of diversity on their media checklists. For example, if an important message is posted via the Internet, there must also be a program in place to disseminate that information to those without computer access or training. J. Create a Media Checklist The creation of a media checklist would help assure that staff maximizes exposure in their public communication efforts. A sample list is included in the Appendix. Objective #2 - To increase public accessibility and participation in City issues, decision-making and government processes. A. Formalize a SDeakers Bureau Many times community groups or organizations request a speaker to discuss topics of interest. Currently, staff members respond to these requests on an informal basis. Many organizations in the City do not know this service is available. We recommend that the City formalize this entity and publicize it to the Community. A list of topics such as storm water protection, trails, etc., should be created and be made available to the public. B. Homeowners Association (HOA) Communication There are many opportunities to communicate to the Community via homeowners associations. The e-mail subscription service and the speakers bureau would be excellent points of contact for each HOA president. We also recommend that the current HOA presidents be invited to attend a mini or full Citizens Academy. C. Conversion of the Quadrant Meetinas to SDecial PurDose WorkshoDs on Current Issues A well-publicized workshop or Town Hall-type meeting on current City issues is a new and interactive way to create a dialog with the Community. This format would encourage a two-way dialogue and allow citizen input on issues before Council addresses the issue at a formal Council meeting. D. Increased Publicity Reaardina Volunteer Omortunities within the City Many departments have areas where they could use the help of volunteers. As we are gaining a large interest in community service (i.e. from Citizens Academy graduates), there is some confusion about ways to volunteer with the city, in addition to serving on a City Board or Commission. A consolidated brochure of the many volunteer opportunities within the City would be a plus for the City and Community. This new brochure would be well-publicized and featured in many media venues. E. Publicize Carlsbad Reallv Means Service [CRMS) The new request for action program, CRMS, will provide the City with an excellent way to track the public's concerns and questions. This system demonstrates to the public that we, the City organization, are accountable, by logging questions and concerns and assuring follow-up. When the system is ready for "prime time," it will be important to publicize the CRMS as an excellent way for the Community to voice their ideas and concerns. F. Sianaae and MaDDinq A key area of customer care is signage - both to inform and to establish and maintain a consistent image. Improving signage at City satellite offices will enhance the ability to conduct business. Signage also needs to have a welcoming motif. The unity of the City in a campus setting such as the newly acquired Farmer's Insurance building will alleviate many of these concerns. Another signage suggestion would be related to signs on-site at City projects. For example, with respect to the Alga Road median work, a sign both east and west explaining the type of improvements, estimated dates until completion and the fact that this is a City sponsored project. G. Survev Ouestion for 2002 On the next survey, it is recommended that we ask citizens if they would like to increase their participation in city issues and decision making in the City, and if so, how they would prefer to do so. H. Continue Providina the Citizens Academy The Carlsbad Citizens Academy has been a huge success since it started in February 2001. Teaching small groups of 30 - 50 citizens about how the City operates has been a positive tool in building citizen trust and confidence, as measured by the 2001 Public Opinion Survey and the final Academy evaluations. Methods are being researched to increase the Community reach of each Academy production. 10 Objective #3 - To increase employee awareness and knowledge of City activities. A. Continue to deVelOD Intranet and Ensure Availability to All Staff Many employees use the Intranet every day. As more Departments continue to submit information, the value of this resource will grow. We suggest the creation of an "employee bulletin board" where employees can field work-related questions to other staff members. Another suggestion is to develop a section on the Intranet for non-work-related items relating to staffs personal use i.e. garage sales, fund raisers, Chargers tickets, etc. It is also recommended that multi-user computers be made convenient and available for staff members, both full and part time, who don't have easy access to the Intranet due to their work schedules or locations. This way, they may take responsibility to update themselves on City business. 6. Continue Weeklv E-Mail UDdateS from the DeDartment Head Meetinas These informal and weekly announcements are important to maintaining communication to all City staff to keep them informed on newsworthy and time- sensitive issues. C. Institute Monthlv Citvwide EmDlovee Newsletter Because our staff works in many locations both with and without computers, there is a need for a monthly employee newsletter, originating from the City Manager's Office. The newsletter could incorporate information from the existing newsletters, as well as a briefing from the City Manager on issues he feels are important to share. Information on new developments, CIP projects, construction updates, police activity, recreation activities and job opportunities are just a few of the topics that would be useful to staff. A well-informed staff is more confident and is able to provide a higher level of customer service, leading to all staff being qualified Ambassadors for the City, as they understand major city issues and projects. D. Continue the ExDerience Carlsbad Proaram This program is an excellent venue for orienting new and tenured employees regarding the City's history. The program includes an introduction to the City, two customer service workshops, an overview of opportunities that are available to employees and a bus tour showing some of the projects and developments taking place within the City and the location of City facilities. 11 Objective 84 - To enhance and strengthen participation of employees in the development and implementation of City initiatives and activities, creating a sense of citywide Community and reinforcing the organization's culture. A. Enhance Social ODDortunities Amona EmDlovees Lunchtime events are popular for many City employees, allowing them time to meet and catch up on their personal and work lives. In addition to the United Way luncheon and the Health Fair, two other luncheons during the year could be added. The luncheons could have unique themes and be coordinated by Human Resources. Also, sports teams and/or tournaments could be developed for cross-departmental fun and teambuilding, perhaps even competing against other cities. B. SUDDO~~ for the Peer Advisor Liaison (PAL1 Droaram This program enhances the notion of reinforcing the culture of the City. Each new employee will have a Peer Advisor Liaison (PAL) to help them become familiar with the City's culture and create a positive start with their employment with the City. The Strategic Change Team is assisting the roll out of this program. C. IncorDorate ADDreciative Inauirv as a Part of Our Culture Positive thinking is a powerful tool. The ability to plan our future by recalling the best of the past is an energizing experience. The Strategic Change Team used the Appreciative Inquiry process in examining the issue of life balance. The process generated positive and meaningful communication among City employees. We recommend this positive communication method be taught to the City's management staff and possibly other staff as well. 12 @ Both external and internal measures and evaluations can be made for any implemented action items included in this plan. External evaluation questions can be added to the City's Public Opinion Survey in future years. For example, after the implementation of the CRMS and e-notification systems, we would measure Internet usage to see the interest these programs had generated. In looking at some other cities' internal communication methods and reviewing the inventory of our own methods, it is apparent that staff is doing well in communicating internally. At a future date, the Internal Communication Survey, previously administered by SANDAG through the Strategic Change Team, should be revised and updated. After the implementation of new communication tools recommended here, survey results can be compared to prior results to measure improvement. 13 @ 1. Media Checklist 2. Survey of City Staff's Internal and External Communication Methods Appendix Item #l MEDIA CHECKLIST Listed below is a media opportunities checklist complied by the Communications plan Team. City staff responsible for communication can use this checklist as a way to reach target markets. External .$ HOA Connection +b Water Bills +b Website .rP E-mail notifications e Mailers e Citizen Forums e Telephone On-Hold Messages $, Cable Access @ New Resident Packet 4 Special Events + city Council Announcements + Speakers Bureau .$ Public Service Announcements +!+ Press Releases .$ Advertising on Extra Ballot Pages +b Brochures e Videos .$ Kiosks .rP Surveys Information Hotlines Community Service Guide/City Newsletter Internal e Citywide E-mails e Internal Newsletter Intranet Internal Speakers Bureau to MSA All-Hands Meetings Appendix Item #2 City of Carlsbad Communications Inventory Fall 2001 Staff Newsletters 8 departments have staff newsletters ranging from monthly to quarterly. There is one MSA-wide newsletter in PW, but otherwise, they are by department. All are posted on the lntranet for a citywide audience. Posted flverslcalendars Departments use these items (flyers, calendars and schedules) sporadically, mostly as needed. Purchasing actually routes a hard copy to staff. Others are handed out, or posted in the work or break areas. Distribution of minuteslmemos Most departments distribute their staff meeting minutes or memos weekly, or monthly. The method varies, including email, bulletin board posting and routing a copy through the staff ranks. lntranet About half of the departments have lntranet pages for their areas, however all departments have this capability to share information with other staff in the city. The City Webmaster, as needed, updates the current lntranet pages. Dept-wide emails All departments use this method, as it allows quick and efficient transmission of information. Social eventslsports tournaments Only a few departments have social events for their staff. Birthday and holiday celebrations/luncheons are the most common. Others include the annual Health Fair, award celebrations and PD sports tournaments Staff meetinas: All Department Staff All Departments with the exception of Safety Departments have regular meetings of all staff. The smaller Departments, such as Risk and the Council Office meet informally in the course of work. The frequency of most meetings varies from weekly to quarterly. Staff meetinas: Manaaement Only The majority of Departments with Managers meet on at least a weekly or bimonthly basis. Many smaller Departments meet on an ad hoc basis. Staff Meetinas: Maior Service Area Manaqement fMSA) With the exception of Community Services, who meets weekly, the majority of MSA’s meet monthly or quarterly. Staff Meetinas: All Hands per MSA Safety Services and Community Development do not have a regular meeting. Public Works meet once a year and Community Services meets 2 to 3 times a year. Administrative Services meets quarterly. Posted flverslcalendars Most departments post flyers and calendars. A few smaller departments so not, and one circulates the information in a folder for all staff. Most post information weekly, some bi-weekly, some as needed. Social EventslSports Tournaments Most departments said this did not apply to them. A few have an annual department event, one holds informal sports tournaments, one - a monthly birthday club and one a professional growth day. Other Recreation has part time staff meetings to discusslupdate facilities and sports field issues. Fire has weekly morning briefings in addition to directives, which are put into a manual at each facility. Human Resources does some mailing to staff home addresses for benefits info or surveys. Some Leadership Team members also have individual meetings with their department heads as well. Newsletters There is not one citywide newsletter for the public. However, Recreation and Arts send a newsletter monthly to their participants/subscribers. Housing and Redevelopment will do a specific newsletter to participantslowners as needed. Mailerslflvers Most deDartments distributed mailers and flyers to the public as needed for thinas such as’programs, events, Neighborhood Watch, and bid packets. Distribution includes mail, posting on public bulletin boards, and water bill stuffers. Citizen Meetinqslworkshops By far, the Citizens Academy is the most popular workshop within the city. All of the MSAs are represented in the program. In addition, a few departments offer citizen workshopslmeetings for the budget, quadrant issues, major development or PW projects, and instructional workshops for coaches and sportsmanship. - Internet All departments with public service capabilities have representation on the city website. Static information is provided with some interactive and e-commerce capabilities. In addition, directory information is available for contacting staff by email, phone or physical address. NewsDaper Ads Newspaper ads are used as needed, by departments needing to advertise for positions to be filled, as well as for public notices, which are required by law. Also, three times a year, Citizen of the Year nominations are solicited in the newspaper, Notifications Several Departments notify citizens as a legal requirement. Others send notice of Commission meetings. Bulletin Boards The Library, Arts and Recreation take advantage of this medium to communicate with the Public. Planning and the City Clerks Office use Bulletin Boards to display the agendas for public meetings. Letters, Fax and Phone These instruments are heavily used within the City to communicate with citizens. E-mail is also emerging as an alternative to the big three. Departmental Brochures Most departments produce brochures as needed, some said on-going and a lot and one department produces a once a year annual report. Community Service Brochure Community Services departments offer information three times a year. Other departments are included in the City portion of the brochure as needed. Special Events Departments produce a wide range of special events from the triathlon and jazz concerts to ground-breakings, dedications and award ceremonies. Some were on going, some as-needed, some monthly and some "a lot". Citizen Outreach/Speakers Bureau Approximately half of the responding departments report some sort of citizen outreach or speakers bureau activity. Examples include the arts department speaking to clubs and committees 30 to 50 times per year, the police department speaking to groups several times per week, housing office staff speaking to non- profit groups, and departments such as planning, the city manager's office, and economic development speaking to groups when requested. Press Releases More than half of the 21 departments responding to the survey prepare press releases at least periodically. Most prepare them on an “as needed basis (ex: fire, housing, finance, public works) while several (ex: senior center, police, arts) distribute press releases at least weekly and sometimes more often. Some departments never use press releases as a method for communication (ex: building, GIS, economic development). Sunrevs A majority of the departments are participating in some sort of survey activity. Some are participating via the citywide public opinion survey (ex: arts, building, police, public works, etc.) while others have a regular, ongoing survey program (ex: police, fire, planning, housing, seniors). Of the ongoing programs some are distributed via mail (police and fire) while others are “counter cards” (housing, planning). Other external surveys are done on a quarterly or biannual basis (library, recreation). Only seven departments of the 21 responding reported no survey activity (ex: GIs, finance, risk, etc.). T T 1. Internal Communications Survey - City Staff, 1998 2. Internal Communications Survey - City Staff, 2000 3. 2000 Public Opinion Survey 4. 2001 Public Opinion Survey 5. Communication Plans from various California Cities 6. “Delivering the Message: A Resource Guide for Public Information Officials” published by the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) 20 @ n 0 > m Ll I L L .I I S 0 c v) U L m I m SI: m L n m... - m W 0 dm 0 0 S nJ 1- 0 a L 3 v) S w II 0 .- u S u 0 a c Y L > U S m E" m 0 0 Q L L SL .- .- a- u U .- u .uF QE ow cr> n -- t > .- .G a, -L a,u L a, .- U S m Y U m a U a, a, rc a, U > 0 Q 0 U a, .- L u v) a, 7 3 cr av) La, ms os wo E m L OI Q)CI >3 a, I- CI Y .- 0 a, 3!P S 0 Q L U v) 4 3 v, .- c, .- U S m m S II m u a, Q .- a, a, S 3 L CI - >” a, al m S 0 v) a, > 0 Q .- L E H aJ a a, L 3 VI S LLI U S m a, 1 U E 0 rc. 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