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Home My WebLink About1B, Communications Committee lt -` R)�EN HILLS Request for Council Action 1B Prepared By: Patrick Klaers, City Administrator Work Session Date: December 17,2012 Communications Committee Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: n/a n/a n/a Discussion Topic: Discussion regarding options for the future of the newsletter and the Communications Committee. Supporting Documents: 1. Memorandum from Patrick Klaers, City Administrator, dated December 17, 2012. 2. Screen print of Communications Committee webpage. 3. Council Liaison Nick Tamble email dated November 27, 2012. 'It --4RPEN HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: December 17, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Patrick Klaers, City Administrator SUBJECT: Communications Committee Backjjround/Discussion Membership of Committees and Commissions fluctuate from time to time in all municipalities. The members of a Committee or Commission depend a lot on the nature of the City and the responsibilities attached to the Committee or Commission. There are a few membership challenged Committees and Commissions in Arden Hills (such as the EDC),but this is not unusual for a City that has a lot of Committees and Commissions. In Arden Hills the response from the community for membership has generally been good but a current and somewhat urgent issue—due to the nature of the Committee—is the membership of the Communications Committee. Attached is the website page for the Communications Committee. This page includes the membership roster. Both Arlene (the Chair for the past three years) and Brenda have indicated that they will not be seeking reappointment. This leaves the Committee with three vacancies and no current applicants. Also it should be noted that Mary Nosek is the Editor for the Newsletter and this leaves Susan Cathey and Kristine Goodrich as potential new Chairs for the Committee and as the only two volunteers doing any writing of newsletter articles. The significant turnover in the membership of the Communications Committee makes me concerned about the future of the Newsletter. Council Liaison Nick Tamble has expressed similar concerns in his email to Arlene dated November 27, 2012 (see attachment). Arlene has been invited to attend this work session to answer questions from the Council and to discuss options for the future of the Newsletter and the Communications Committee. Arden Hills, MN - Official Website - Communications Committee Page 1 of 1 +myConnections: Engage your community-connect to news,events and information you care about. View more informationsi9n in Search Q Home>Government>Committees&Commissions>Communications Committee Communications Committee Economic Development Authority Main Duties Planning Commission • Write,edit,and produce the City newsletter(10 issues/year) Economic Development • Assist in other ways(including the City website)to keep residents and businesses informed Commission • Advise the City Council and staff on ways to meet City communication needs Communications Meetings Committee The focus of the meeting is editing the newsletter and planning stories for the next issue.The deadline to Financial Planning& submit stories is generally the first Friday of the month. Analysis Committee • Second Tuesday of the month Karth Lake Improvement • 5:30 pm District • City Hall 1245 W. Highway 96 Parks,Trails&Recreation Arden Hills, MN 55112 Committee 0 Agendas&Minutes IPREPORT A Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval. CONCERN View All Agendas and Minutes I View Archives NOTIFY ME Membership The Communications Committee can have up to five members.The Arden Hills Communications Committee currently includes the following members: At AGENDAS • Susan Cathe • Mary Nosek y &MINUTES • Kristine Goodrich • Vacant(opening for a writer to assist with the $ BILL PAY • Brenda Holden Arden Hills Notes newsletter) • Arlene Mitchell Liaisons • Amy Died(Staff Liaison) • Nick Tamble(Council Liaison) Home Contact Us Calendar Employment Site Map Accessibility Internet Policies Copyright Notices Powered by CivicPlus Arden Hills City Hall: 1245 West Highway 96,Arden Hills,MN 55112•Ph:651-792-7800•Regular Hours:Monday-Friday,8:00 am-4:30 pm http://www.cityofardenhills.org/index.aspx?NID=131 12/13/2012 Patrick Klaers From: Nick Tamble [Ilgardens @yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 5:18 PM To: Arlene Mitchell Cc: Amy Dietl; Patrick Klaers Subject: Communications Committee and Newsletter-Where we are at Arlene, To date and to my knowledge, no one has stepped forward to fill the editor position for the Communications Committee. Also, Brenda is planning to step away from her volunteering on the committee as well. I presume my spot will potentially be filled with Dave McClung; do you know of any others who are leaving? If you know of anyone stepping forward or thinking of doing so,please bring it to my attention as I want to be in clear communication with city staff about the future of this committee. Nothing has been formally discussed, except that Pat Klaers mentioned the topic in comments last night and I spoke some on the topic as well, and have addressed the need for voluntters on multiple occasions. Would it be pertinent to "advertise" for this position in the Bulletin? I know its getting late... I will throw out some possible directions that the committee may choose to take depending on volunteers and other variables... 1) A new editor is recommended and appointed in the first quarter of 2013,we may be able to get a March issue produced without interruption. 2) No one steps up as editor, the newsletter is reduced to a quarterly publication headed up by the desktop publisher who works through the Deputy Clerk to get piece ready for print. Current writers continue to produce articles, but more infrequently,benchmarks are regularly published to the website, with the help from the current liaison. 3) Communications Committee dissolves until another committed editor steps up for the volunteer position. 4) A small sub-committee meets for a very short time (3 months) to integrate the newsletter onto the website, streamlining content and possibly allowing the newsletter to continue on at its current frequency or even every month with little/no desktop publishing need and less committment by the editor, due to the systems created by said sub-committee. In my opionion, this is the direction that the newsletter should go, or some hybrid version thereof. The document created via our website could be sent to print to Allegra or whoever with a click. I think an important factor to the credit of this committee is that it has been a volunteer committee with the exception of a small fee to the desktop publisher. I am indifferent to the idea of this committee having a paid chair, and think it would be difficult to justify,given the operation of the other committees and commissions. These ideas should be communicated to the Committee by yourself and/or me so that everyone knows what is going on, and has the opportunity to engage in this dialogue. The Communications 1 Committee is very hands on as you well know, and without the commitment of a dedicated editor it would be a challenge for this committee to continue smoothly and timely. Please let me know your thoughts on this and I would also appreciate a meeting to discuss the systems you have set up - so that future members can benefit...thanks Arlene your volunteer hours have been a gift to the city that only few know well - I know and I recognize your devotion to this great city - hats off to you! Nick Nick Tamble 612.819.7995 LLG Ltd. President Arden Hills Citv Council www.LLGARDENS.com www.HG\'ids.com 2