Preliminary Scope of Communications Plan

As part of the City's Strategic Plan (Strategic Imperative IV: An Effective Organization), council has requested the City adopt a formalized communications plan.  The purpose of this case is to have a discussion on the preliminary scope of the plan and to receive initial direction from the council.  Staff has brought forth a summary document and a draft communications plan for this discussion.  Please note, the proposed timelines and required resources are conservative and may include contingencies until final tactics are confirmed.

Introduction:
The City of Ramsey is committed to improving and maintaining efficient and effective communication efforts with all of its key constituents.  The City recognizes that good communication plays an integral role in its ability to responsibly grow the community, and provide quality, cost-effective, and efficient government services.  This plan will outline the various audiences the City of Ramsey must communicate to on a regular basis, the overall objectives the City wishes to address in order to achieve good communication, and the ways in which the City will accomplish these objectives. 
 
Purpose:
To be effective and credible, communication efforts must be coordinated, consistent, easy to understand and on-going.  The purpose of this communication plan is to evaluate all avenues of communication currently utilized by the City and proposed for future practice, in order that the City may manage expectations and image, have a consistent voice and message, and educate and engage with its audiences.  This plan includes current and on-going tactics, recently completed tactics, as well as projected tactics.  
 
Audience:
The City of Ramsey’s audiences can be broken down into five main categories:
 

• Ramsey Residents- This is a high priority targeted audience.  Strengthening the relationship between the City government and its nearly 26,000 residents is an underlying theme of the communications plan.
• Current Business Community- This audience is critical to the vitality of the Ramsey community, thus two-way communication with this audience is crucial.
• Developers/Prospective Businesses- Communicating effectively with this audience is key to shaping the City’s future and achieving the City of Ramsey’s mission to responsibly grow the community.
• Employees and Council/Boards/Commissions- enhancing internal communication efforts is imperative, as this audience is responsible for communicating on behalf of the City.
• Media- This is an important audience to address because their coverage can significantly impact the public’s perception of the City.

Objectives: 

1. To Enhance the Municipal Image/Brand: The city plans to enhance its image and brand by first clearly defining the Ramsey brand, by promoting its mission statement and strategic plan, through its approach to customer service, and by promoting the overall Ramsey brand while still supporting sub-areas of the community.
2. Administer Strong Internal Communication Efforts:  The city plans to administer strong internal communication efforts through timely and accurate dissemination of information to its employees/council/boards, and through the establishment of consistent internal communication practices.
3. Provide Strong External Communication Efforts: The city plans to provide strong external communication efforts through timely, accurate, and user friendly dissemination of information, through encouraging citizen engagement and media engagement, through expanding its reach via digital communication avenues, by developing improved marketing materials for prospective developers/businesses, and developing strategic communication efforts around specific key projects.

Attached to this case is a Summary Document outlining the objectives, initiatives and tactics proposed in the draft communications plan.  Staff recommends that this document be the focus of the case, with the purpose of assisting in the initial scoping discussion.  Also attached to this case is a full Draft Communications Plan, which provides an example of what this plan will look like in its entirety.  The details of the tactics provided in the table can be discussed at a later date.

30 - 45 min

May be derived from multiple funding sources, depending on scope of tactics decided on.

Nichole Wenberg

Review the Summary Document attached to receive initial direction from the council on the scope of the communications plan moving forward.  Specific details of the plan's tactics can be discussed at a later date.