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County staff propose public newsletter to improve outreach; commissioners discuss cadence and access
Summary
Staff proposed launching a public newsletter (initially quarterly) linked from the county website to improve outreach, with content such as a commissioner note, project updates and a meeting calendar; commissioners emphasized accessibility for residents without email and asked staff to advertise the sign-up via existing channels.
Staff working on communications (Brianna and Rhiannon) presented a public newsletter template and recommended starting quarterly distribution with an option to expand to monthly items such as meeting calendars, a service spotlight and calls to action. "We should be able to set it up so folks can sign up for the newsletter, and we can push the newsletter out," planning staff said.
Commissioners discussed distribution cadence and accessibility. One commissioner suggested starting quarterly to ensure the county can sustain production, while another recommended including a monthly meeting calendar so residents can see upcoming opportunities for public comment. Residents questioned whether the newsletter would highlight items still open for public comment; staff said the newsletter could include both retrospective items and upcoming opportunities. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a short one-time newspaper announcement to drive sign-ups and to include links from the county meeting calendar to agenda packets and the public-portal packet so readers can find detailed materials. Staff said packets may be large and that the newsletter would link to the public portal rather than attach full packets to email.
