Advisory board urges county to address local "news desert"; communications director outlines digital and outreach plans

Linda Holtzbauer, chair of the county's Public Information Advisory Board, told the Government Operations Committee the board will "encourage meaningful public involvement" and sponsor public forums and op-eds to counter what she called a growing local news desert.

"We feel that we support [the communications director] because she's so competent and so thorough in her job," Holtzbauer said, adding the board hopes to "create a community conversation to raise these issues up and to make people aware of what's going on." Ron Van Ormer, the advisory board secretary and vice chair, described outreach that includes networking with donors and foundations to bolster local reporting.

Monica, the county communications director, said the office supports the legislature and county departments with two full-time staff: the director and a media production specialist who ensures meetings are livestreamed. She outlined internal initiatives including an intranet for staff resources, monthly staff town halls and a centralized calendar to promote America250 events funded by a $15,000 state grant.

"We're looking at a centralized calendar where all those events can be collected and then promoted," Monica said, describing plans to prioritize equitable exposure for smaller-town events as well as city activities.

Committee members pressed on legal and practical limits to shifting the county's legal paper-of-record status. An executive identified with the Ithaca Voice explained that current New York State law generally recognizes print newspapers for legal notices and that changing that designation would require state action. County staff said the county currently publishes required legal ads in the Ithaca Journal and places public-hearing notices in Finger Lakes Community News, while noting there is no prohibition on additional publication in other outlets if the county chooses to pay that cost.

Monica also listed technology priorities: purchasing a media-monitoring service to aggregate coverage from traditional outlets, podcasts and social media, and exploring AI-driven website chat tools that can return narrative, source-linked answers instead of only links. Several legislators voiced concerns about accuracy and liability for chatbots and asked that vendor validation and reference links be required.

Committee discussion closed with a request that the advisory board and staff provide more information about costs and options for supplementing legal-notice distribution and for vetting digital tools. Monica said updates and potential recommendations will come back through administration and the committee process.