To: Mayor Skeels and Members of Council From: Casey Grundy, Deputy Corporate Officer Date: June 2, 2015 Meeting Date: June 22, 2015 Subject: Amendment to the Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02 RECOMMENDATION That Council adopt the amended Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02 PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to outline amendments to the existing ‘Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02’ to embed guidelines for the use of Social Media within the existing Policy. Council and staff recognize the need to be able to offer new methods for residents, businesses and visitors to connect with and be informed with the business of Bowen Island Municipality (BIM) through a variety of methods. Social Media is intended to be a considerable component in the Communications strategy for the Municipality, as identified within the 2015 Council Strategic Plan. DISCUSSION The amended ‘Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02’’ is intended to provide guidance to staff in the communication of municipal business or municipally-related business in a timely, accurate and effective manner to residents and visitors through various methods of communication including social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and others, as necessary. Council may wish to invite feedback from the community prior to finalizing the revised policy. Council may also wish to consider monthly reporting by staff to keep Council aware of the activity, demographics and content on the social media sites it uses. Further, Council may wish to direct staff to include links to the BIM website, Facebook website, twitter account or other sites, in staff signatures, for example: Casey Grundy Bowen Island Municipality www.bimbc.ca Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS The Manager of Finance reports that to implement the Communications Coordinator position as described in the revised Communications Policy, requirements for staff time would be approximately .25 FTE. The allocation of this position could be fulfilled within the existing position of the Finance Clerk. CONCLUSION Council is asked to review the amended “Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02” for consideration and adoption. Attachments and References: Amended Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02 Bowen Island Municipality Communications Policy #07-02 as adopted May 28, 2007 Local Government Management Association of British Columbia “Primer for Effectively Using Social Media” SUBMITTED BY: __(ORIGINAL SIGNED)__ Casey Grundy Deputy Corporate Officer REVIEWED BY: __(ORIGINAL SIGNED)___ Kathy Lalonde Chief Administrative Officer Bowen Island Municipality POLICY Policy Drafted: February 21, 2007 Policy #07-02 Policy Amended: COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC POLICY OBJECTIVE: Bowen Island Municipality seeks to engage citizens and provide information through a variety of communication strategies and tools. Communication from the Municipality shall be accessible, well managed, cost effective and responsive to the information needs of the public. Public consultation and engagement is encouraged. SCOPE: This policy applies to municipal staff, contractors, and elected or appointed officials, including committee chairs and members. PRINCIPLES: 1. Provide the public with timely, clear, factual, consistent and complete information about municipal policies, bylaws, programs, services and initiatives. 2. Employ a variety of strategies to communicate to and with the public. 3. Identify and address communication needs and issues as part of the development, implementation and evaluation of municipal policies, bylaws, programs, services and initiatives. 4. Manage municipal funds responsibly to obtain good value for all communication activities. 5. Meet all statutory requirements for notification and consultation. 6. Respect citizens’ privacy and rights by ensuring compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other relevant legislation such as the BC Human Rights Code. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Municipal staff, contractors, and elected or appointed officials share responsibility for communication with the public. All are required to treat sensitive or confidential information with discretion. 1. The Mayor and Council have overall responsibility for communicating with the public. Communication with the Public – Policy#07-02 Page 1 of 7 2. The designated spokesperson is the Mayor. 3. The Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for ensuring the Policy Objective is met. 4. The Communication Working Group contributes to developing policies and identifying strategies for communicating with the public. The CWG includes representatives of Council and staff. 5. The Communication Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and implementing strategic communication plans, using a variety of communication strategies and tools. 6. Municipal staff and contractors may communicate with the public about policies, bylaws, programs, services and initiatives for which they are responsible. Staff and contractors are expected to provide current, accurate and impartial information. COMMUNICATION TOOLS: As part of communication plans, some or all of the following tools may be used. Additional tools may be included at a later date. Written and online communication from Bowen Island Municipality typically includes the municipal logo and may include the Islands Trust and Metro Vancouver logo(s). Municipal Website – updated regularly. Serves as the primary online tool for communication with the public. Includes email links or a form for public feedback. Ensure that printed material for public distribution is published on the website. Council and Committee Meeting Agendas and Minutes – published on the municipal website with a hard copy available for public inspection, with the exception of meetings that must be closed to the public under section 90 of the Community Charter. Video Recording of Municipal Council and Committee Meetings – livestreamed and then posted on the municipal website, with the exception of meetings that must be closed to the public under section 90 of the Community Charter. Other Meeting Formats – as required. Includes Committees of the Whole, public hearings, town halls, information sessions and facilitated special-purpose meetings. Mayor’s Reports – written monthly. Includes current activities and issues facing Council. Published in the local newspaper(s), included on council agendas and posted on the municipal website. Municipal Update – written monthly. Lists the prior month’s activities by all municipal departments. Included on council agendas and posted on the municipal website. Staff Reports – prepared as needed. Identify and address communication needs and issues in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, bylaws, programs, services and initiatives. Prepared in a standard template provided by the Deputy Corporate Officer or designate. Communication with the Public – Policy#07-02 Page 2 of 7 Council Meeting in Brief – brief summaries of a council meeting and distributed following council meetings through the electronic mail list for municipal news and notices and posted on the municipal website. Municipal Annual Report – prepared by June 30 of each year as required under section 98 of the Community Charter. It must be available for public inspection prior to the actual public presentation. It reports on the prior year’s activities, includes the audited annual financial statements and plans for the upcoming year. Counter Service at Municipal Hall – ongoing. Telephone and Voicemail – as required. Ensure voicemail messages are kept up-to-date and minimize the number of times a caller is transferred. Calls should be returned the same day if possible. Correspondence from the Public – ongoing. Council, committees and staff routinely receive phone calls, letters, faxes or emails from members of the public requesting resolution or information on a variety of issues. Correspondence from the public should include a name and civic address. (a) Encourage the use of special email addresses such as [email protected] or committee email addresses to help ensure logging of correspondence and timely review by all relevant staff, Council and committee members. (b) Acknowledge receipt of correspondence to Mayor and Council and include the correspondence in the next scheduled council meeting agenda package as an information item. Anonymous or unsigned correspondence will not be included. Correspondence to Mayor and Council will be reviewed by the Mayor and CAO to determine or recommend to Council the further action required. (c) Acknowledge receipt of correspondence to municipal committees and include the correspondence in the next scheduled committee meeting agenda package as an information item. Anonymous or unsigned correspondence will not be included. Committee members should discuss and establish their preferred protocol for handling email correspondence. The committee chair is responsible for ensuring that correspondence to a committee has been reviewed by the committee and has received a response. (d) All correspondence sent to or from the Municipality belongs to the Bowen Island Municipality and is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Ongoing Electronic Communication – prepared as needed. Include on the website a signup option to join an electronic mail list for municipal news and notices. May also be distributed