CC Minutes - 09/21/11 Work Session

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Mayor Piercy was pleased with the work that had been done. She appreciated the improvements that had been made to the City's current Web site and looked forward to having a more functional web site that engaged the public to a greater degree in the City's work. Ms. Bohman anticipated the City's new Web site would be launched in May 2012. She invited content suggestions from the council. Mayor Piercy suggested the City's communication efforts should acknowledge the good work done in the past that the City had built upon. Mr. Pryor suggested that the discussion was about branding and the two -way communication that implied, which highlighted the importance of ensuring that the City's message was authentic and delivered with truth and authority. In addition, the message must be accountable. If the message had those elements people would believe in it and it would have impact. Mr. Pryor said the City's communications initiative should be inclusive of the entire organization, including the City Council. He said the council needed to reinforce the City's message of authenticity in its role, and he committed to doing so. Ms. Ortiz questioned how the City could use its Web site to counter negative stories or perceptions and tell the organization's side of the story. Mayor Piercy agreed with Mr. Pryor about the role the council had in reinforcing the City's message, and suggested that the council think about how to reflect the organization's cultural values in its own goals work. Mr. Clark expressed appreciation for the staff work. He concurred with Mr. Pryor's remarks. He suggested that the council goals process could add further clarity to the initiative and he looked forward to that discussion. Mayor Piercy acknowledged that the strategy was focused on the City organization but she was also interested in telling the story of the community and the history that made Eugene what it was. Ms. Bohman said that 2012 will be Eugene's 150 anniversary and a City staff team was meeting with community partners about ways to commemorate the anniversary. She thought that it would be a good opportunity for the community to tell its story and emphasized the many people who were interested in participating in that effort. Ms. Taylor encouraged Ms. Bohman to take advantage of the Masonic Cemetery and the history that could be found there. Ms. Ortiz hoped the effort acknowledged things that were not so positive, such as the racism faced by past African American citizens. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 12:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Beth Forrest City Recorder (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 21, 2011 Page 3 Work Session