AGENDA #9a
BUDGET WORKING PAPER
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Report on Duties of a Public Information Officer
DATE: April 30, 2003
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum responds to a Council request at the February 28, 2003 Budget Work Session for the Manager to consider funding a Public Information program for the Town.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
At the Budget Work Session on February 28, the Council Committee on Communications, consisting of Mayor Foy and Council Members Strom, Verkerk, and Wiggins, introduced a memorandum regarding the Council’s goals for public information. The Committee had met with Cary’s Public Information Officer, who had explained how the Town could benefit from having a Public Information Officer position. We have provided a copy of the Quick Report from the Committee’s meeting as Attachment 1. Mayor Foy explained that if the Town’s goal is to have informed and involved citizens, then it needs to have an ongoing, neutral communications outreach program. We have provided the Town of Cary’s Media Relations Quick Reference Guide for your information (Attachment 2).
The 2003-04 Manager’s Recommended Budget recommends reclassifying the Assistant to the Manager position to Public Information Officer, effective July 1, 2003, with no change in cost. The Assistant to the Manager is increasingly involved in public information efforts, and we believe this position would best be suited to take on additional responsibilities with media relations, marketing of Town services, and conducting citizen surveys of Town services. However, some of the position’s key duties would change, and we believe that these duties will evolve over time at the direction of the Council.
Key duties for a Public Information Officer could include:
· Conducting a consistent public information program that regularly communicates to the public about the actions of the Council and the services provided by the Town of Chapel Hill.
· Providing information about special events and emergency conditions.
· Planning and conducting periodic citizen surveys to assist the Council and the Manager in evaluating the effectiveness of public services.
· Assisting other Town employees in communicating with citizens about Town programs.
· Assisting citizen groups, neighborhood associations, and others in understanding Town policies and processes, and in how to be most effective in pursuing their needs and interests related to the Town.
· Managing the Town’s use of public communication assets, including the use of the government access cablevision channel and Town web site.
We note that the current Assistant to the Manager is working half-time at the Town Transportation Department, providing needed assistance during a staff shortage in that department. We expect for that work to continue at least until the Assistant Transportation Director position vacancy can be filled, which we believe could take place this summer. Although the Public Information Officer position would be effective July 1 if approved by the Council, the Public Information Officer duties would likely evolve over the course of several months as vacancies are filled and some duties are shifted.
CONCLUSION
As stated in the Manager’s Recommended Budget, we recommend that the Assistant to the Manager position be reclassified to Public Information Officer. We provide the attached information for your review and would be glad to discuss goals that the Council has for this position.
1. February 28 Quick Report from Committee on Council Communications Meeting (p. 3).
2. Town of Cary Media Relations Quick Reference Guide (p. 5).