{"id":19375,"date":"2016-08-26T06:02:09","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T10:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=19375"},"modified":"2016-08-25T18:33:08","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T22:33:08","slug":"does-the-town-need-a-consultant-to-improve-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/does-the-town-need-a-consultant-to-improve-communications\/","title":{"rendered":"Does the Town need a consultant to improve communications?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you feel like you know enough about what\u2019s going on at the Town of Huntsville? Or if you don\u2019t, are you confident that you know how to find out?<\/p>\n

If not, you\u2019re likely not alone and Town staff want to fix that. It may, however, come with a hefty price tag and some councillors want to know if it will be worth it.<\/p>\n

The Town\u2019s CAO Denise Corry presented a report to General Committee on August 24 to request that the cost of retaining a communications consultant be considered during 2017 budget deliberations. She wasn\u2019t asking for the funds to be approved just yet, in other words, but instead was gauging interest for the initiative to even be on the budget table before Town staff pursue it further.<\/p>\n

We strive for open communications with staff, Council and taxpayers. But the times are changing. There\u2019s a lot of focus now on social media and digital media; there are lots of venues that we don\u2019t want to be missing with respect to our communication. I do feel that although we have a good handle on communications today, we do need experts to help us figure out what the communications of tomorrow look like. I think we are missing the mark on our ability to get the message out there. We need for people to know what direction we are taking, how we plan to get there, and what their role is as ratepayers.
\nDenise Corry, CAO for the Town of Huntsville<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The report also noted that under the Municipal Act, \u201cmunicipalities have a legal obligation to communicate with citizens since they make decisions for and act on behalf of the public\u201d, and that \u201chonest, coherent and well-structured communications facilitate citizen confidence in government and community support of government decisions. Based on this, communication needs to be a priority in government organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

No Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued yet, but Corry estimated \u2013 based on conversations with other municipalities and companies who have already expressed interest in providing such a service \u2013 that the cost of retaining a consultant would be approximately $20,000.<\/p>\n

That price tag didn\u2019t sit well with some councillors.<\/p>\n

I do agree with the potential economic benefits of communicating better, although in the two short years I\u2019ve been here, consultants in my opinion haven\u2019t been worth the money. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m keen to spend $20,000 on another consultant.
\nCouncillor Bob Stone<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano said that she had no concerns about considering the initiative within budget deliberations, but that she wanted details on what the results would be. \u201cI agree that $20,000 for somebody to tell us how to talk to the people we are supposed to be talking to seems pretty steep\u2026 I really want to know specifically what somebody\u2019s going to tell us that we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n

That appeared to be the biggest question around the table: what value would a consultant bring?<\/p>\n

Mayor Scott Aitchison suggested that it could be good value for the cost. \u201cI agree with Deputy Mayor Terziano: $20, 000 for someone to tell us how to talk is not a good idea and clearly that\u2019s not what this is. (This) is a way for us to capitalize on existing and emerging technology to communicate much better with our constituents and people who are coming to visit us\u2026 How we can better use social media and the tools that exist to be constantly informing the public and our visitors about what\u2019s going on, why they should visit here, and how they can spend their money here\u2026 I think once the terms of reference are settled and once you see some RFPs come in you\u2019ll see some pretty creative ideas of ways we can use technology that we haven\u2019t thought of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aitchison then provided an example of what could be possible: \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great if we could have on our website a map showing where the snowplow is on your route? It\u2019s one minor example of what we could be doing within the existing realm to serve our constituents better.”<\/p>\n

The tools that we have and the emerging tools offer an incredible opportunity for us to put Huntsville on the map in a really unique way. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any other municipality that is that digitally connected and engaged with their constituents and visitors and it would be just one more way that shows Huntsville is ahead of the curve.
\nMayor Scott Aitchison<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In response to a question from Councillor Dan Armour about whether a joint venture with other Muskoka municipalities was possible, Corry replied that it is as is sharing services with the District of Muskoka. But, she added, “I don\u2019t want to undermine the importance of this. It has a huge effect on our economic development, and just keeping our ratepayers informed. As I noted, your constituents are interested in what\u2019s happening and I think we should be providing them with every opportunity to have their input.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chair Brian Thompson reminded the committee that they were not committing to anything yet, at which point they voted to allow the initiative to be considered as part of 2017 budget deliberations.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free, twice-weekly newsletter here<\/a><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you feel like you know enough about what\u2019s going on at the Town of Huntsville? Or if you don\u2019t, are you confident that you know how to find out? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1903,"featured_media":2414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-19375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-breaking"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoes the Town need a consultant to improve communications? - Huntsville Doppler<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you feel like you know enough about what\u2019s going on at the Town of Huntsville? 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