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Communications director updates commissioners on web traffic, public outreach and role expansion
Summary
Eaton County's communications director reported a rise in website sessions and social-media engagement tied to public-safety and millage content, outlined the responsibilities of the newly created communications role, and described ongoing work on accessibility, grant-support and emergency public information.
EATON COUNTY, Mich. — Eaton County's communications director summarized digital engagement metrics, community outreach and the expanding responsibilities of the communications office during an Apr. 11 Ways and Means briefing.
Traffic and engagement: The communications director reported a roughly 36,000-session month-on-month increase on the county website and noted high engagement on pages tied to the public-safety millage and ongoing sheriff's office incidents. JavaScript error rates decreased about 5% after recent technical fixes and content reorganization.
Role explanation and scope: The director described the position as more than a social-media or PR role: responsibilities include website maintenance and accessibility, press relations and acting as the county's public information officer for emergencies. The director said the office supports departments across the county with writing, graphic design, advertising and grant communication; the role also helps coordinate with state and federal officials to pursue infrastructure and grant funding.
Transparency and outreach: The communications director emphasized that stronger, earlier county communications can reduce confusion during budget and service changes and that better outreach helps inform residents about services such as veteran services, resource-recovery events and election information. The office is preparing materials for early-voting notices and consolidated precinct information for the upcoming special election.
Other responsibilities: The director said the office assists with grant-writing and management where appropriate, supports live-streaming and technology for public meetings and maintains a newsletter and other resident-facing tools to boost transparency.
Next steps: The communications office will continue to expand accessibility work on the website, improve public information about elections and millages, and coordinate with departments that need help promoting programs or securing grants.
