Council presses staff to sharpen communications after retreat reportbacks highlight trust concerns

During reportbacks at the Feb. 20 retreat, several council members said public trust is slipping in some quarters and recommended more proactive, targeted communication and tools for council members to act as advocates. "People tell us what's on their mind in different ways and there's a trend... a breakdown of trust," a council spokesperson said during the customer-satisfaction reportback, urging the city to make information more available and bite-sized.

Council members urged investments in communication technology, the use of boards and commissions as community ambassadors, and staff-supplied talking points. "Give me the message," one council member said, asking staff to provide ready-made priority points they could promote. Staff asked council to clarify what “communication excellence” would look like to them and said they will return with measurable proposals. City Manager Grimes acknowledged the need to translate retreat input into SMART objectives for May.

Staff and council discussed pacing and platform strategy—how often to refresh core messages, whether to push the same few priorities repetitively, and how to reach nontraditional platforms where negative sentiment can circulate. Several council members suggested a modest cadence (for example, a message every two weeks) and recommended using boards, commissions and scheduled community events to broaden reach. Staff also flagged that some council members lack the time or inclination to be primary messengers and suggested a small dedicated communications support role might help amplify consistent messages.

No formal communications policy was adopted at the retreat; staff committed to draft objective language and tactical recommendations for council review ahead of May.