COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

City of Boulder City, Nevada

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 Purpose

This comprehensive Communications Plan and Media Guidelines serves as a guide to

achieve the communications and media relations objectives of the City of Boulder City.

Objectives

The goal of the Boulder City Communications Plan is to provide a general guide to
maximize effective communications with current and future residents and businesses.
Accordingly, the plan provides a roadmap of how to inform and empower all
stakeholders in Boulder City to become more engaged members of the community.

The plan encourages decentralized communication in the organization and the use of
cost-effective social media sources. Specific objectives of the plan are listed below:

• Inform the community about pending/announced decisions made by the City of

Boulder City so it can engage in the process and support outcomes.
• Communicate quickly and effectively in a crisis situation by developing key messages
and delivering them in an organized fashion by trained spokespeople.
• Provide feedback mechanisms so municipal customers may comment about City
Council actions, city staff, city services, and programs.
• Promote effective internal communications within the City of Boulder City
organization, using a regular exchange of information and programs that allow city
employees to be “in the loop” on major issues affecting the city, and also perform
their jobs more efficiently, cooperatively, and with a greater sense of satisfaction.

Communications Philosophy

The City of Boulder City is committed to developing and maintaining an interactive

partnership with all segments of the community through ongoing and meaningful
communication with citizens, civic clubs, places of worship, city boards and
commissions, local businesses, community-based organizations, elected officials,
and city employees.

The city is committed to a proactive approach to communications. Each department is

responsible for producing accurate and timely communications about city programs,
services and activities, and developing feedback opportunities to ensure efforts meet
the community's needs.

Effective communications will:

• Help policymakers and constituents cooperatively create and achieve common goals
that will further the city’s organizational goals.
• Support the City of Boulder City's philosophy of providing quality services to all
customers equitably and in a responsive and caring manner.

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• Strengthen the City of Boulder City’s image and build support for municipal
programs.
• Allow Boulder City residents to be informed about, and take full advantage of, city
services.
• Educate and enhance citizens' understanding of issues facing the City of Boulder
City.
• Promote an understanding of, and compliance with, city ordinances.
• Reinforce a sense of openness that encourages citizen participation in local
government.
• Foster a sense of community among Boulder City residents.
• Grow relationships with other units of government, business and civic groups, and
organizations active in Boulder City such as the Chamber of Commerce and major
employers.
• Encourage ongoing open communication among customers, community groups, City
Council members, and city employees.

Target Audiences

Current residents. Inform them and keep them engaged in the city as stakeholders
that aspire to be kept “in the loop.” Be sensitive to members of diverse communities
within Boulder City and encourage the involvement of people from all backgrounds.

Current business owners. Show them support for locating in Boulder City, inform them
of local business developments, ordinance changes, etc. Ensure they are receiving
accurate information to help their businesses thrive in the city.

Prospective residents. Highlight why others have chosen to live in Boulder City
and encourage prospective residents to choose Boulder City and help them
become a productive part of our community.

Prospective business owners. Through the forward efforts of the internal and external
economic development groups, recruit businesses to locate in the city to improve the
diversity of commercial opportunities. Boulder City can recruit new businesses by
showcasing its one-stop shop approach to city services, along with its great location and
any applicable development incentives.

Residents and government officials in nearby cities and communities. Maintain a

positive reputation for Boulder City, help build bridges between communities for mutual
benefit, encourage intergovernmental partnerships. Make sure Clark County and the
State of Nevada are engaged partners with a stake in the success of Boulder City.

Business owners in nearby cities. Encourage businesses to add second locations in

Boulder City to expand their customer base.

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County, state, and federal officials. Boulder City must keep these individuals apprised of
local issues, successes, and concerns so they can be the best possible representative of
the community at various levels of government.

Media in the Las Vegas region. Boulder City is part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area
and covered by the major network news channels and newspapers. It is important to
proactively keep journalists informed of developing stories, so the city is not taken by
surprise or put on the defensive.

Communications Tools
The City will utilize the following communication tools and strategies:

 Online Communications (Digital Media)

 Government Access Television Station
 Resident Surveys
 Press Communication (interviews)
 Crisis Communication
 Newsletters (electronic and traditional print)

Each tool or strategy is discussed in detail below.

Online Communications Strategy

Within a few short years, online communications – and social media in particular - have
revolutionized communications and information sharing worldwide creating what some
experts call the most significant shift in world culture since:

• The Industrial Revolution

• The automobile
• The airplane
• Television

Traditional methods of communication are still important but social media – conversation
supported by online tools – has fundamentally changed the way our citizens discover,
consume and share information, and it has enabled millions of people and organizations
worldwide to connect and communicate in new and innovative ways.

Making the shift

Social media is changing the world, and it is changing stakeholder expectations or how
they will receive information from – and engage in a dialogue with – businesses and
governments worldwide. This fundamental change in how our world communicates is
forcing organizations like the City of Boulder City to rethink communications and
marketing strategies and to learn to navigate this new online landscape – or risk being left
behind.

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Currently, the City of Boulder City focuses the vast majority of its resources and efforts on
communicating with its stakeholders through traditional forms of communications and
marketing such as print (newspaper), and direct mail through utility bill inserts.

While the city has begun to do some initial work in online communications,that work had
been done without an adopted strategy, or prioritization directive from the City
Administration.

Boulder City’s website, www.bcnv.org, will remain the city’s primary tool for sharing
information online for the foreseeable future. However, in today’s connected world a
single website is simply not enough. The city is not taking full advantage of a number of
online communications technologies that could assist it in reaching its stakeholders –
including some groups it has traditionally found difficult to reach and engage such as
youth, new residents, and potential visitors and investors far beyond Boulder City’s
borders.

Boulder City’s Online Communications Strategy positions the city for the present, as well
as the future, by beginning to make a critical shift in communications resources and
strategy towards a more balanced approach to the use of traditional and online
communication methods.

It is important to note that this strategy is about better balancing and integrating all of the
communications tools used by the city for maximum benefit and results. It is not about
getting rid of traditional forms of communications – many of which have benefits and
reach audiences where online communications do not.

A more balanced approach to the city’s communications will ensure it is reaching more
people, engaging more stakeholders and operating in a more open and transparent
manner.

The need for change

By embracing the world of social media through the development of a comprehensive
Online Communications Strategy, the City of Boulder City will participate in online
discussions that are already happening today.

In combination with traditional communications, the city will leverage these highly-effective
online channels to inspire, enable, nurture and facilitate more relevant, more authentic
and more effective stakeholder communications and engagement.

The use of social media will also help:

• Enhance and increase the ways the city listens and reaches out to stakeholders.

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• Improve information flow and transparency.
• Create a more informed and engaged community.
• Engage stakeholders traditionally difficult to reach.
• Enhance the city’s customer service efforts by providing online channels for inquiries
and requests.
• Enable better monitoring, tracking, and evaluation of all the city’s communications and
marketing efforts.

Meeting expectations
Research and community consultations in similarly situated communities demonstrate that
in all instances that community stakeholders (including citizens) expect information to be
available online – including but not limited to the city’s website, and via social media tools
like Facebook and Twitter.
For example, the 2009 Environics survey of a similarly sized community indicated:
• 40% of respondents use Facebook daily or weekly.
• 34% watch videos on YouTube or visit photo sharing sites like Flickr daily or weekly.
• 20% of respondents said they fill out online surveys and read blogs daily or weekly.

Additionally, the respondents expressed a strong desire to have more access to city
information online.

Strategy development
Recommendations in the strategy are based research and analysis on more than 40
relevant topics and tools. Additionally, significant research was conducted into how other
municipalities are using social medial and their own work to develop formal social media
strategies and policies.

Research for the Online Communications Strategy identified several best practices which
have informed the strategy’s recommendations in areas such as:
• Effective web writing
• Keeping web content current
• Online graphic design
• Online recruitment
• Search engine optimization

Recommendations for the Online Communications Strategy were developed based on this
research.

Supporting City strategies

Successfully implementing the Online Communications Strategy will enable the city to
improve information sharing; engage more residents and be more open and transparent;
while at the same time supporting some other existing strategies or policies including:

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• The City of Boulder City Strategic Plan
• Economic Development Strategy (to be developed)
• Community Engagement Strategy (to be developed)

Strategy outcomes
Where once, organizations believed that the web and social media – and how they were
used – could have a direct negative impact on their reputation, today research
demonstrates that not using these tools will have a far more negative impact on an
organization’s reputation and its policy decisions.

Research demonstrates that more and more, people have come to expect that they will be
able to find and connect with organizations – like their local government – online, through
real-time social media platforms. Being a part of social media will enable the city to build
relationships, trust, and credibility with stakeholders, engage them in an online
conversation – and listen to them:

– in ways that were never before possible.

- In an age where the best and brightest talent expects to find employers of choice
recruiting through social media tools; where residents want to use.
– and are using Facebook to request and receive customer service.
– and where bloggers and their followers routinely discuss city projects, business and
decisions.

Research conducted during the development of the Online Communications Strategy has
to lead to a consensus on the best approach to beginning to shift the city’s
communications resources and strategy to a more balanced approach by increasing its
online communications. That approach can be summed up as follows:

• Start small. Do a few things well. Grow from there.

• Centralize responsibility for maintenance of City social media accounts.
• Dedicate resources to manage and monitor content.
• Support staff with policy, guidelines, and training.

Tools recommended for City use

After research into a wide range of social media tools, the Online Communications
Strategy recommends the creation of a single City account for several online tools. These
recommendations are based on a number of factors, including volume of users of a
particular tool, the number of Boulder City-based users, popularity with the general public
and ease of use. The online tools recommended for use by the city are:

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• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Podcasting/Video blogs
• LinkedIn
• RSS feeds (existing option in current website)
• E-newsletters (existing capability in current website)
• Email signatures

The city website serves as the official voice of the city. This is where formal
communications related to city events and projects including news articles, events, and
calendar updates are posted. The website also has information about city parks,
cemeteries, volunteer opportunities and job postings.

Social media allows for the option of real-time communication with citizens. The city posts
information related to emergencies, utility outages, road closures, meeting
announcements, etc. Currently, the city updates Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on these
topics.

Existing Online communication sites are as follows:

City website: www.bcnv.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bouldercitynv
Twitter: www.twitter.com/bouldercitynev
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/BoulderNevada
Video-On-Demand: www.bcnv.org/191/city-council-meeting-live-stream-video
Streaming: bcnv.org/436/boulder-city-television-channel---live-s

These online sites (and the additional tools such as Podcasting, Twitter, and Instagram)
offer an opportunity to communicate with a group of Boulder City residents that have been
unreachable, uninterested and unrepresented in local government. The social networking
sites help residents to become engaged in local government, including younger
generations. Ultimately, the goal is to see these age groups represented on boards and
commissions, as elected officials and in other aspects of the decision-making process for
local government.

Several of these social media tools (website and Facebook) have been used with some
success to gain exposure for various public service announcements, and promote various
public meetings at no cost other than staff time to post information on the sites.
Expanding the use of additional social media tools will help the City reach the younger
demographic who prefer digital media such as Twitter and Instagram.

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Tools not recommended
Some of the online communications tools that were examined as part of this strategy were
determined to be cost prohibitive or ineffective for the city’s purposes, and they are not
being recommended for City use at this time. Those tools include Craigslist, MySpace,
Digg, Yahoo Ads, Google Ads and YouTube Ads.

Measuring and monitoring the effectiveness

Monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of the city’s social media efforts will ensure
the city is using the right online tools, the right way – and that we are staying on top of
new tools and emerging trends. It will also ensure staff time, and other resources continue
to be used most effectively in sharing information with stakeholders.

Because social media is still so new to municipal governments, no specific standards for
measuring the effectiveness of each tool have been developed. The City will continually
be reviewing best practices to identify Specific effectiveness measures which are
developed for each online tool recommended in the strategy.

Staff will prepare an annual report to evaluate the effectiveness and use of the city’s
online communications tools which will explore any additional opportunities for in-
creasing online communications that may emerge – or recommend discontinuing the use
of tools shown to be ineffective.

Staff resources
In order to ensure that the City of Boulder City’s online and social media presence is
effectively monitored and maintained, the Online Communications Strategy recommends
that the Communications Manager serves as a centralized resource for the oversight,
content creation, monitoring, and evaluation of online communications tools.

A single City account will be established for each recommended social media tool from
which information from across the City organization will be disseminated.

Implementing the Online Communications Strategy and increasing the city’s use of online
communications will be supported by individual City departments. “Departments” as used
in this document includes the six City Departments and the four City appointed officials.
Each City Department will designate a primary and secondary staff member to be the
digital media content editors for that Department. For those departments with many
different functions, at the discretion of the Department head, additional persons may be
designated to cover their unique function (i.e., “Youth Sports”). The designated staff
members will be responsible for ensuring the digital media content is current, relevant,
and proactive to support the City’s communication strategies.

The City’s Communication Manager will establish policies for publishing content on the

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City’s home page for the website (i.e., the primary banner images, graphic links and
NewsFlash), as well as for the City’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Additionally, a formal social media training program will be developed and offered to all
staff to ensure consistency in, education about, and awareness of City social media
efforts, best practices, and policy.

Protection of privacy and personal information

In recent months increased attention has been paid to issues of the protection of privacy
and personal information online – and especially through social media networks. The city’s
Online Communications Strategy takes a proactive approach to addressing these issues
by:

• Developing and communicating a comprehensive City Social Media Policy which

includes specific direction about inappropriate content, privacy, and protection of
personal information.
• Developing and communicating Social Media Guidelines for Staff.
• Developing and implementing social media training for all city staff.
• Developing a disclaimer to be included on the city’s Facebook page explaining criteria
for inappropriate comments and reminding fans that their personal information is being
managed and stored by a third party. The disclaimer also reminds users to ensure that
their privacy settings are set appropriately.
• Creating a dedicated staff resource to ensure consistent and timely maintenance and
monitoring of online social media tools.

City social media policy

The Communications Manager will establish a formal City Social Media Policy. The policy
will cover a wide range of topics related to the implementation of the Online
Communications strategy, including:

• Sets out how we’ll establish and monitor City social media sites and tools.
• Centralizes oversight of City social media accounts.
• Determines criteria for inappropriate content - which will be removed.
• Provides protocol for response to sensitive or negative posts.
• Ensures timely and accurate information and responses are provided.
• Allows staff to monitor online conversations about City of Boulder City and business on
work time.
• Ensures the city continues to meet its responsibilities for the protection of privacy and
personal information and records management and retention
• Does not allow staff to view or update personal social media sites on work time
– Staff must continue to follow the adopted Civil Service Rules & Regulations.

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Online Communications Strategy Media Conclusion
Online communications, and social media, in particular has radically changed the way
people discover, consume and share information. It has also changed their expectations
for how their government shares information and engages them in decisions.

The City of Boulder City’s Online Communications Strategy responds to this fundamental
shift in society by beginning to transform the way the city is communicating with its
stakeholders towards a more balanced approach between traditional and online tools –
and it does so within existing resources and through a well thought out and planned
approach aimed at maximizing the benefits to the City organization and its stakeholders.

Other Communications Tools

Local Government Access (BCTV)
The Communications Manager is responsible for assessing the current status of BCTV,
evaluate the adopted BCTV Policy and make recommendations for future BCTV policies,
and to create a plan for moving forward.

BCTV and Valley Government Access Television Background

The local Cox cable television system encompasses the County and the cities of Las
Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City. When the five franchises were
granted to Cox in 1998, there was a provision in each for one shared digital "community
access" channel that would require approval of the governing bodies of the five
jurisdictions in order to activate it.

A task force met over several months and identified community standards that the
jurisdictions would require on such a channel (i.e., to restrict obscenity programming), but
no funding source was designated for the channel. None of the jurisdictions was willing to
dedicate the resources necessary to fund such a channel, as it would take money from
crucial services.

The task force concluded that to activate the community access channel a person or
organization would first need to submit a proposal to each of the five jurisdictions outlining
how the channel would be managed to maintain community standards and what the
funding source would be. The proposal would then require approval by the five
jurisdictions. However, since that time, the Nevada State Legislature took franchising
control away from the local jurisdictions and turned it over to the state. As a result, the
Nevada Secretary of State issues a Certificate of Authority to video service providers like
Cox Communications.

State law in NRS 711 governs video service providers. It would appear that anyone or any
entity seeking to create a public access station would need to do so either directly through
Cox Communications or some other television service provider or through the state
legislative process.

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Current BCTV Status and Function

BCTV is a government-access television (GATV) channel that occupies Channel 2 on the

Cox Cable network for Boulder City Cox customers. GATV stations are regulated under
47 U.S.C. section 531. The channel feed is simultaneously streamed live over the
internet on the City’s website. From time to time, programs of local significance are also
placed on YouTube for video-on-demand type playback by interested persons.

BCTV employs one part-time Studio Technician. The Studio Technician provides the
technical resources to record City Council meetings for playback on BCTV.

The Studio Technician prepares the community calendar information and air the content
on government access channel. From time-to-time city departments will provide content
for broadcast.

BCTV Content Creation

The Communications Manager is responsible for content for broadcast.

Boulder City may partner with Boulder City High School for additional content and
potential use of their recently constructed studio. The City also receives content from
other government entities for rebroadcast on our GATV channel.

The operation of BCTV as a government access channel shall be in accordance with

the adopted Policy as amended from time to time by the Communications Manager
and approved by City Council.

Crisis Response Communications

The City of Boulder City’s actions before, during, and after crisis situations will be
determined by the severity of the situation. It may involve all city departments, Clark
County, the State of Nevada, the federal government, and other emergency service
organizations. The city’s crisis communications plan establishes policies for the effective
development, coordination and dissemination of crisis information to the public, media,
city elected officials, and City of Boulder City employees.

The goals of the city’s crisis communications plan are:

- To warn of dangers, their effects and proper countermeasures

- To coordinate the city’s release of public information
- To instruct the public on survival and recovery measures
- To increase the public’s capability to survive and recover
- To control rumors and reassure the public about emergency operations
- To train city staff on emergency communications

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 - To instruct the public on disaster and recovery services and procedures

Internal city communications may occur through meetings, phone calls, emails, memos,
intranet, and posted notices. External communications may occur through news releases,
city website, media interviews, social media, news conferences, memos and phone calls.

The City of Boulder City’s Crisis Response Team (CRT) consists of the Mayor, City
Council members, City Manager, Communications Manager and key city staff. Key staff
will vary depending on the emergency, but will always include the City Manager and
Communications Manager. Each CRT member should have an updated copy of the media
guidelines document at their workstation and home.

By establishing an ongoing relationship with appropriate media outlets, the City of Boulder
City will be ready in the event of a crisis to initiate the first media contact, rather than
being in a reactive mode. The city must ensure all reporters that information it gives out is
accurate and as timely as possible.

Appointing a spokesperson

To control the flow of information coming from the city, all information must be channeled
through a single spokesperson. To ensure that the city is speaking with one voice, no one
should be permitted to speak with the media other than the designated spokesperson.

Typically, the spokesperson should be the City Communications Manager, Police Chief or
Fire Chief. An elected official may serve as the spokesperson. The City Communications
Manager, Police Chief and Fire Chief have received specialized media training geared
toward crisis situations. The spokesperson should keep the Mayor and City Council
members informed as conditions warrant.

The CRT will be formed and called together by the City Manager. The CRT will discuss
what each team member can contribute and also work closely with emergency personnel.
The CRT will also determine if the news media should be contacted and then assess
which communications channels should be used.

Any release of information will be done in accordance with state and federal data
practices law. You may wish to contact the City Clerk’s and/or City Attorney office for
clarification if needed.

Before speaking with the media, the spokesperson should:

- Be briefed by relevant CRT members on what has happened, what’s being done, and
why.
- Anticipate questions that will likely be asked by the media.
- Seek legal advice and decide beforehand which questions or issues would be best
handled by the city, and which would be best handled in cooperation with legal

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 representatives.
- Work with the CRT to prepare the city’s key messages.
- Create messaging that includes just the information that tells the story without
including speculation or irrelevant information.
- Be able to speak knowledgeably about the situation, answer questions under
pressure, and present information in a calm manner.
- Tell audiences what is known, when it is known, and what steps are being taken.
- Understand that statements should be limited to city information only.

If the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated, the city’s Communications

Manager (also functioning as the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the EOC) will be
called to respond.

If the EOC is activated, the city may consider holding a news conference to report
activation, explain why, announce the PIO, and discuss when reporters can expect the
next news conference or press release. Some crises may warrant establishing a Media
Center, which is set up away from the EOC. There, news releases should be posted in a
visible location, along with a news conference schedule. Extra copies of the news release
should be made available and accessible.

The city website and all social media channels are good mechanisms to release accurate,
timely information to the public, as well as city employees. The city should also use the
intranet to communicate with employees and look for alternative ways to share information
with city staff without computer access. Frontline employees who may receive inquiries
from residents and the media must be provided with prepared statements and instructed
to stick to the message provided and not speculate or give opinions. They should
immediately notify the CRT/ICS and the City Manager of the questions they were asked,
and also about any rumors they may have overheard.

After the crisis is over, the City of Boulder City should tell its key audiences how the issue
was resolved. If applicable, report that the EOC has been deactivated and provide media
with a contact name and phone number for further inquiries. Keep in mind; it may be
necessary to issue a status report well after the situation is over (such as in the event of a
earthquake or other disaster).

Print Media Guidelines

The City of Boulder City must be proactive in providing reliable information of concern to
residents, employees, the news media and local businesses.

Goals
The goal of the City of Boulder City’s Print Media Guidelines is to ensure that all city
employees and elected officials are familiar with best practices that will guide their
interactions with the print news media.

All city officials should aim to have a healthy relationship with the local media and be

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prepared for effective media interaction so that Boulder City residents, business owners,
and other stakeholders are equipped with accurate information on city-related all topics
covered by the press. Accordingly, the plan will provide guidance on how to inform and
empower all stakeholders to become more engaged members of the community.

These topics include:

- City of Boulder City policies, views, and activities

- New developments being proposed for Boulder City
- City programs and services
- Ways, the city, is trying to attract new businesses, residents, and visitors
- Situations that could impact the city’s integrity or reputation

Guidelines

- Information provided to the media should reflect the consensus opinion of the
Boulder City Council or the city administration’s interpretation of the City Council’s
policy, and should not reflect the personal views of a city employee.
- When contacted by the media, employees and elected officials should contact the
Communications Manager before the interview. Staff will assist with developing key
messages for the interview. If this is not possible, the official should contact the
Communications Manager shortly following the interview.
- Assume that everything said to a reporter is ON the record.

Key tools

- News releases
- Media list (contact information for all reporters and news outlets)
- Fact sheets
- City information (maps, demographics, safety records, organizational chart)
- Interviews
- Public meetings
- Press conferences
- City correspondence (letters, emails, utility bill inserts, city newsletter)
- City website
- Letters to the editor
- Guest columns

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 Addendum

Additional suggestions to enhance City of Boulder City Communications

Ensure there is a steady flow of press releases coming from City Hall. The City of Boulder
City proactively develops relationships with members of the news media. The city must
ensure that it stays in touch with the media with positive information (activities, new
businesses, appointments, ordinances, parks, and recreation news, etc.) The city also
provides news releases for all public safety incidents such as fires, street closures, water
main breaks, major police department events, etc. When negative news arises, the city
will already have a positive, trusting relationship with reporters and editors covering these
stories - this will go a long way to determine how negative stories are ultimately covered
and how the city’s image is affected. A good rule of thumb is that 90 percent of your
interactions with the news media should be positive. Treat them as your partners in the
communications process.

Continue to hone Boulder City’s identity (brand) and determine how the city government
can assist. Boulder City is a great, unique community and it will benefit from sharing its
story with audiences both inside and outside the city. This must be done in a coordinated
fashion that involves all stakeholders. The city needs to take an active role in driving this
process and ensure that residents and business owners are kept informed along the way.

Create additional citizen outreach opportunities. Find new ways to get more Boulder City
residents involved in their community.

Increase the city’s emphasis on quality customer service. For many residents, the only
contact they’ll have with a city official is a brief interaction on the phone or a short encounter
at a city-sponsored event

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