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Gig Harbor to keep using FlashVote after pilot shows email newsletter is top channel
Summary
Communications manager Laurie Mericle told council a FlashVote survey of 331 participants showed the city's email newsletter is the preferred channel and supported using FlashVote for fast, statistically valid input; the city has a contract for six surveys annually and plans to reactivate unused surveys.
City Communications Manager Laurie Mericle briefed council on the FlashVote engagement platform and the results of a February survey used as a pilot for rapid community input.
Mericle explained FlashVote offers short, voluntary, statistically valid surveys delivered by text, email or voice, and said the city can obtain usable input within 24–48 hours. The February survey had 331 participants and produced an overall rating of 3.39 out of 5, which Mericle described as more positive than negative.
Key finding: Mericle said the city's email newsletter substantially outperformed social channels for both current behavior and resident preference: "our Gig Harbor email newsletter is by far our best performing channel, and people, actually prefer email over social media as far as how they want to get their news or information from the city." She recommended continuing to use FlashVote for timely, scientific community feedback.
Contract and next steps: Mericle said the city is contracted for six surveys per year and that the existing three‑year contract recently expired; she is working to extend contract paperwork and to roll forward unused surveys. Council members asked about usage frequency and technical safeguards; Mericle said data remain anonymized in the system and staff can filter and inspect response metrics in the results dashboard.
No formal action was taken; staff will pursue contract extension and incorporate FlashVote into public engagement plans where appropriate.
