Yarmouth ramps up communications: website overhaul, podcast, and tighter Cape Media oversight

Town communications staff and the assistant town administrator briefed the Select Board on May 12 on an expanded public outreach effort that the town says is intended to make local government information easier to find and to strengthen community engagement.

Amy Fragility, assistant town administrator, said the communications team has launched a regular Select Board ‘spotlight’ email, worked with Cape Media to improve town meeting coverage, and rolled out a redesigned municipal website built on a CivicPlus template. The team said it has removed about 200 dead links, is one‑third complete on a search‑engine overhaul, and is promoting a ‘Notify Me’ subscription service that lets residents receive email updates on dozens of topics.

The team described a mobile‑friendly site and an integrated reporting tool (a ClickFix‑style app) that lets residents submit photos and tickets for potholes, downed signs, and other non‑emergency issues. Staff cautioned that the reporting tool is not a substitute for calling 911 for emergencies and said they will add clarifying language to the site.

Communications staff also highlighted a podcast series (14 episodes to date) used to explain town initiatives and upcoming meetings, and said the team intends to standardize message requests across departments with a short intake form so that messaging is posted consistently across Facebook, YouTube, Channel 8 and the town website.

Select Board members pressed staff on timing — several residents said they were unclear about whether a recent town meeting vote made a subsequent ballot question moot — and asked for a clear, factual explainer on the town website and by robocall ahead of the May 19 ballot. Board members also asked the communications team to prepare a formal, board‑reviewable communications plan and an updated social‑media policy.

The board applauded progress on the website and the studios but signaled the expectation that the administrator’s office, department heads, and the select board will all play a more active role in supplying timely content and meeting the team’s posting deadlines.

"If you're signed up for podcasts with Apple or Spotify or Amazon, you're going to find the podcast there as well," a staffer said, summarizing distribution channels. The team noted that Cape Media has been responsive recently — providing sound equipment at the town meeting when an in‑venue system failed — and that the town will remain engaged in the director search for the nonprofit that operates Channel 26.

The communications group plans to continue monthly analytics reporting to senior staff and to propose a written communications plan and an updated social‑media policy for board review.