Benton Harbor committee requests audit of city communications, eyes senior outreach and emergency alerts
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Summary
The Communications & Public Relations Committee asked for a comprehensive audit of Benton Harbor's communications systems—covering website, social platforms, text alerts, historical broadcast assets and ADA compliance—and discussed senior outreach and emergency alerting; the chair will meet the city manager and report back next month.
BENTON HARBOR — The Communications & Public Relations Committee on Feb. 23 asked city staff for a comprehensive audit of Benton Harbor’s communication systems and discussed ways to improve outreach to seniors and residents without internet access.
The committee’s chair, newly appointed to lead the group, told members she wanted "a comprehensive audit of the city's current communication infrastructure, the assets and policies," listing items to be reviewed including website and social-media ownership, administrative credentials, any automated calling or text systems, prior or current PEG or cable agreements, inventory of audio and video equipment, analytics and engagement data, emergency communication protocols and ADA accessibility compliance.
Why it matters: Committee members said the city currently has no dedicated communications budget and limited staff capacity, which constrains outreach. Commissioner Henry summarized the funding situation bluntly: "There's no money budgeted for communication." The chair said the audit is intended to clarify what the city already has, what it lacks and what options might be feasible.
City staff described existing subscription and alert systems tied to the city website. "There is a section of the website where you can subscribe," staff member Clark said, and provided a text-alert sign-up: "Text alerts to (269) 256-8349." Clark added the system currently requires manual input by staff and that the city is "working on expanding" category options for targeted text messages.
Committee members discussed legacy broadcasting assets. The city manager and other members recalled a local access cable channel from the 1980s and two FCC low-power radio licenses awarded at earlier times; some equipment may have been transferred to local schools or private parties, and the current status of that equipment is unclear.
Public-safety concerns were raised during the meeting. Commissioner Emma emphasized the need for reliable, tested mass-notification tools because the city lies "between two nuclear plants" and urged regular testing of emergency alerting. Staff and members said the county has run phone-based tests in the past that sent alerts to all cell phones in the region.
On social media and message distribution, the committee discussed who manages the city’s accounts. The manager said a small contracted amount of Facebook activity is handled through a vendor, Mr. Gunn, and warned that while individual commissioners are free to post on their personal accounts, posting "as a member of the committee" could expose them to complaints or liability.
The committee also proposed a senior outreach initiative to survey older residents through the senior center, churches and other channels to determine how well the city’s messages are reaching them and what alternative delivery methods—such as printed newsletters or mailed notices—might be needed. In public comment, a resident argued for returning to a printed newsletter to reach people "not computer literate," and offered to help mobilize other citizens.
Next steps: The chair said she will meet with the city manager, gather the requested information and report back at next month’s meeting with recommendations and follow-up. No formal motions or votes were recorded at this meeting.
