Town council adopts strategic communications plan; directs language access plan and community engagement task force

On July 21, the Town of Jackson Town Council approved a strategic communications plan presented by Susan Carlotta, the town’s director of external affairs, and directed staff to develop a language access plan and form a community engagement task force.

Carlotta told the council the plan seeks to centralize the town’s internal and external communications work, build trust and brand awareness, and shift the town’s outreach toward an “80/20” content rule — roughly 80% informational/educational content and 20% requests for action. “People support what they help create,” Carlotta said while describing the plan’s engagement approach.

The plan, which Carlotta described as a mix of public relations and purpose-driven marketing, lays out goals and a five-year appendix of tactics, including plain-language training for staff, improved forms and user experience, expanded outreach at community events, and steps to roll out consistent visual branding across departments. Carlotta highlighted language access as a priority: staff estimate that roughly one in three front-desk visitors has limited English proficiency and the plan proposes a written translation program, use of a language phone line for interpretation, and a formal language access policy and implementation procedures.

During questions, Council members pressed Carlotta on the scope and remit of the external affairs office and how strategic communications would relate to daily public notices and the town’s public information officer. Town Manager Tyler explained that external affairs was intended to be the broader, more strategic umbrella while the public information officer would continue to handle tactical, day‑to‑day notices.

Council members then considered three staff motions tied to implementing elements of the plan. The council voted to: (1) direct staff to work on a language access plan; (2) direct staff to establish and facilitate a community engagement task force; and (3) approve the strategic communications plan subject to minor edits by staff. Each motion passed with a single recorded abstention by Councilman Schechter.

The approved language access direction asks staff to inventory town contacts with limited-English-proficiency residents, evaluate current translation/interpretation resources, develop a policy to provide meaningful access, and institute training for town staff. The community engagement task force was described as a standing, center‑of‑the‑spectrum advisory group meant to serve as a sounding board, ambassador pool and resource for outreach planning.

Council members who spoke in favor said they viewed the plan as a way to make government more accessible and to better articulate what the town does for residents; one council member said the plan would help answer questions such as “what is the town actually doing?” Others urged clearer success metrics and stronger prioritization before full implementation.

The council directed staff to return as needed with implementation details and offered specific follow-up requests, including training for council members in plain-language communications and the integration of the plan’s actions into the town’s annual work planning and budgeting. Carlotta said the external affairs team will work with departments across the organization and bring prioritized, year‑by‑year milestones back to council for tracking.