AGENDA #5f
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: 2005-06 Town of Chapel Hill Communications Plan
DATE: November 21, 2005
This memorandum provides a summary of the 2005-06 Town of Chapel Hill Communications Plan, a guide to administrative action. A draft plan was reviewed by the Council Committee on Communications. The purpose of the plan is to provide an overall framework for planning, constructing and managing the wide variety of communications that occur within the Town organization. It addresses audiences, messages, media and evaluation. The goal of Town communications is to provide relevant, accurate and consistent information to the public.
BACKGROUND
The Town recognizes that it communicates with the public in many ways, including web pages, brochures, recreation catalogs, bus posters, parking signs, letters to citizens, news releases, media interviews, and televised meetings on the government access cable channel. The Communication Plan determines the most appropriate vehicles to transmit general messages and specific information to the public.
The Town Information Officer will revise and expand the tools used in Town communications and use the Plan as a guide to continually assess the effectiveness of outreach. The Plan should help Town communications move beyond a reactive approach that only responds to inquiries toward a proactive approach that also aims to achieve established goals.
The Council Committee on Communications reviewed a draft Communication Plan on October 5, 2005, and November 11, 2005, and gave input that led to today’s revisions. The revised plan now is being presented to the entire Council.
CONCLUSION
This Communications Plan is presented as a guide to achieve the communication goals of the Town of Chapel Hill. It will be updated periodically based on experiences and changes in needs.
ATTACHMENT