Adopt Resolution #19-176 Approving PRIME Advertising Contracts for Ramsey Resident Newsletter and Annual Community Resource Guide

The purpose of this case is to request the City Council to approve PRIME Advertising Contracts for the Ramsey Resident Newsletter and Annual Community Resource Guide.

As discussed in previous Work Sessions, the change will reduce the overall cost of the Ramsey Resident newsletter and  allow the Administrative Department to allocate more time to other tasks such as records retention. The goal is to make this process more efficient and cost-effective as outlined in our Strategic Plan. 

The City Charter requires the City to publish a minimum of six Newsletters per calendar year. (Sec. 12.13).  Currently, the City publishes a bi-monthly Ramsey Resident Newsletter which fulfills this requirement. In addition, the Community Development Department publishes one to two Ramsey Recycler newsletters per year which fulfills the Select Committee On Recycling Environment (SCORE) funding requirements. These newsletters are bulk mailed to every address in Ramsey, including all businesses, for a total of approximately 10,600 addresses.  The newsletter is currently printed by Countryside Printing with ads being sold by Scott Robinson of Universal Apparel. The revenue from ad sales is split 50/50 between the City of Ramsey and Universal Apparel. The invoicing for ads is handled by the City's Finance Department.

Staff has conducted research in terms of how other cities of similar population handle their newsletters and what other vendors exist that can handle the design, printing and solicitation of ad sales. Other than PRIME, staff found no other vendor that coordinates the design, printing and advertisement sales. Most companies, on the chart provided, only have the capabilities to handle the design and printing. 

By outsourcing the design work, combined with condensing the number of publications and the number of pages per publication, the City can cut its annual newsletter expenditures to an estimated $32,500. By taking these steps, it would also allow the Administrative Department to accomplish more tasks with its existing staff.

To reduce costs and staff time spent dedicated to the newsletter, staff is recommending the City publish: Four quarterly newsletters, PRIME's Annual Community Guide and at least one Ramsey Recycler.
 

	16-page PRIME
	$36,664
	-4,164 (SCORE)
	$32,500

These numbers are an estimate and may fluctuate slightly due to ad sales, printing and postage. Please note the current amount spent on the Ramsey Resident is $42,190.50. This option yields a cost savings of approximately $10,000 annually.

Staff is recommending a contract start time of January 1, 2020. PRIME will begin work on the 2020 Newsletters and Guide no later than Oct. 1, 2019 to meet the Jan. 1, 2020 publication date.

The funding for the Ramsey Resident is a line item in the General Fund Budget. The funding for the Ramsey Recycler is initially paid for by the City and is later reimbursed via the Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE) funds, which the City receives as part of its Recycling Agreement with Anoka County. Please note that the City must publish education material regarding changes in global recycling patterns in order to be reimbursed by SCORE. The staff time spent designing the Ramsey Recycler is charged to the Ramsey Resident line item.

Adopt Resolution #19-176 Approving PRIME Advertising Contracts for Ramsey Resident Newsletter and Annual Community Resource Guide.

Motion to adopt Resolution #19-176 Approving PRIME Advertising Contracts for Ramsey Resident Newsletter and Annual Community Resource Guide.