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Ceres council directs staff to expand online public-hearing notices; declines costly utility-bill mailings
Summary
After a lengthy discussion, council asked staff to prioritize website updates, social media posts, the city’s 'Notify Me' subscriptions and the Chamber eblast for public hearing notices, and to pilot the options; council members rejected routine utility-bill inserts because of high cost and timing limitations.
The Ceres City Council on April 14 gave staff direction to pursue expanded, lower-cost notice options for public hearings and to return with a memorialized approach after a pilot trial.
City staff outlined options that go beyond the California Government Code minimum, including posting notices on the city website and calendar, using social media, sending notices through the city’s built-in “Notify Me” subscription system (email/text), using the Chamber of Commerce eblast for no charge, and purchasing additional newspaper ads (staff estimated $110–$475 per publication depending on the paper). The clerk described utility-bill inserts as a possible option but said the inserts require a four-week lead time and would cost about $1,700 per notice.
Residents and council members generally favored boosting website and social-media outreach and expanding the city’s existing 'Notify Me' subscription features so residents can opt in to public-hearing alerts. Council members also asked staff to evaluate using the Chamber eblast, promote the city’s subscription options at community events (for example, the street fair), and consider a brief pilot to test whether broader outreach increases attendance. Several members said they could not support routinely paying for utility-bill inserts because of cost and timing constraints.
Council emphasized that statutorily required newspaper publications would continue where applicable and that staff should return with a proposed, costed policy and a recommendation for an initial pilot period.
Staff follow-up: Confirm feasibility and costs for Chamber eblast scheduling, add “public hearings” or a similar category to the 'Notify Me' system if possible, and propose a 3–6 month pilot and reporting metrics.
