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Douglas County approves two RAD Strategies contracts to support county and sheriff PIO functions
Summary
The board approved two separate professional services contracts with RAD Strategies to augment the County Manager's Community Relations Team and to provide public information services to the Sheriff's Office; contracts are separate and permit coordination during emergencies.
Douglas County commissioners voted unanimously to approve two professional services contracts with RAD Strategies for fiscal year 2025–26 on June 19.
What the contracts cover
- Contract A: Support for the Community Relations Team in the County Manager’s Office to assist countywide communications and augment existing staff capacity. - Contract B: Support to the Sheriff’s Office to serve as a contracted public information officer (PIO) and handle sheriff-specific press releases and social media.
County Manager Jennifer Davidson said RAD Strategies was selected after a competitive recruitment process and that the approach provides flexible professional services instead of hiring a full-time staffer for the county. The two contracts are separate: the Sheriff’s Office will manage its own public information output, but the County Manager’s office will continue to provide support for county-wide incidents or when RAD Strategies is overwhelmed.
Why it matters: The contracts allow the county to buy external communications expertise without creating a full-time position; the Sheriff’s Office’s evolving outreach demands prompted using a professional services model to ensure sufficient capacity.
Board action
Commissioner Tolbert moved to approve both contracts; Commissioner Rice seconded. After asking for public comment (none), the board voted unanimously to adopt both contracts.
Ending note
Staff said RAD Strategies has been used previously by county departments and will coordinate with existing communications staff to support both day-to-day outreach and high-profile incidents as needed.
