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Communications team unveils website redesign schedule, survey findings and new newsletter plan
Summary
County communications staff reviewed a 2024 public communications survey, announced a website redesign scheduled for early 2025, described new newsletter and outreach plans and asked council to use county messaging templates when speaking publicly.
Erin Andrews, San Juan County communications manager, briefed the council on the communications office’s 2024 survey findings, channel preferences, and planned changes to the county website and outreach program.
Key items presented: Andrews said the county received more than 700 survey responses in 2024 and follow‑up interviews; the main takeaways were that residents prefer regular newsletters and the county website as primary information channels, many community members still rely on local print newspapers and that Facebook groups remain a major source of local news for some residents. The communications office is preparing a website redesign and refreshed department headers; staff said implementation of the new design is scheduled for March 2025, dependent on IT coordination, and that they will expand links to the Engage project platform to make it easier for residents to subscribe to project updates.
The office also plans a quarterly newsletter, continued press release distribution to local media, regular print columns and targeted outreach tools such as the budget “brief” and project postcards. The communications manager told the council that the office will continue to update the communications resource hub on SharePoint (logos, email templates, press‑release templates) and encouraged council members to use county‑generated messaging and materials so the county can present coordinated communications.
Language access and translation: Andrews said a language‑access program is in development and that the health department has already piloted Spanish distribution for some health content. The communications manager said full translation resources will require additional planning and likely new resources to implement across all county departments.
Why it matters: The work aims to increase public awareness of meetings, project timelines and major county decisions, and to offer residents multiple ways to access information. Council members praised the redesign plans and asked the communications office to continue outreach work that reaches seniors and non‑online residents.
Next steps: The communications office will proceed with the website redesign and expand the Engage links on the site; staff will pilot the quarterly newsletter and report results to the council and will continue to implement the 2025 communications work plan.
