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Benton Harbor officials report social‑media gains and push to add mass texting for resident alerts
Summary
City staff said social‑media engagement has risen and highlighted commission recaps and community stories; commissioners urged investigation of mass texting and raised limits on staff images in posts.
Nick Gunn, the city’s social media presenter, told the Public Relations Committee that Benton Harbor’s official accounts have seen steady growth and are being used to correct misinformation and share project updates.
Gunn said Facebook followers have climbed past about 1,040 and Instagram recently passed 100 followers. A commission recap video posted in September has drawn nearly 9,900 Facebook views and about 3,300 views on Instagram with 59 recorded shares; staff also reported more than 200,000 total views across platforms in the past 90 days, a 72% increase from the prior 90‑day period.
Committee members and staff said the posts aim to keep residents informed about ordinances, commission actions and city projects. Gunn described a recent community block grant story about a Shaw family home repair and photos and posts about the Benton Harbor Waterfront Plaza nearing completion. He also previewed an Ox Creek Photo Walk event organized with the arts coordinator and said the Boys and Girls Club had expressed interest in bringing students to a photography session.
A commissioner asked staff to limit the use of Gunn’s personal image in posts and requested that resident faces be handled carefully. City staff framed the accounts as educational tools intended to correct misinformation and to provide factual, timely updates on commission work.
The committee also discussed mass texting as an outreach tool. One commissioner pressed staff to accelerate work on a mass‑texting capability and requested a proposal at the next monthly meeting; staff said the city is already testing systems that send automated notifications but that sign‑up/opt‑in and legal considerations remain. A staff member said they would investigate options and present proposals next month.
Gunn said commission recap posts were started in response to misinformation around the Harbor Towers resolution and are intended to provide factual context after every commission meeting. He said staff plan to continue posting project updates and event information to increase engagement and transparency.
Staff and commissioners did not vote on new policies during the discussion; they directed staff to return with more detailed information about messaging options and a possible mass‑texting implementation plan.
