Work Session - Takoma Park
Work Session
Agenda Item #
2
Meeting Date
June 1, 2015
Prepared By
Suzanne Ludlow City Manager
Discussion Item
Discussion of the Takoma Park Newsletter
Background
Several Councilmembers have expressed interest in learning more about and discussing the role of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The newsletter is issued monthly and mailed to every household in the 20912 zip code and to City of Takoma Park households in other zip codes. It is the primary means by which Takoma Park residents learn about community and city government activities, as shown by the results of the 2014 Residents Survey. The Takoma Park Newsletter is somewhat unusual for a municipal newsletter in that it is edited by a contracted editor who has independent authority regarding the content and design of the publication, providing they are consistent with the provisions of Council Resolutions 1992-36 and 2000-12. Editor Virginia Myers will attend the Work Session to share her approach to the design and content of the Newsletter and to answer Council questions.
Fiscal Impact Attachments
None Resolutions 1992-36 and 2000-12 providing editorial policy and mission statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter Information from 2014 Residents Survey
Recommendation Special Consideration
Discuss the Newsletter
Introduced by: councilmember Leary (Drafted by: P. Jewell)
.
RESOLUTION #1992-36 ADOPTING THE.MAY 1992 EDITORIAL POLICY AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE TAKOMA PARK NEWSLETTER
WHEREAS,
in July 1983, .the City Council adopted an Editorial Policy for the Takoma Park Newsletter, which was amended May 19~C?,; AND --··
WHEREAS,
this Policy sets forth policies governing the operation of the City.'s Newsletter; AND
WHEREAS,
in November 1991, the City"s Newsletter Review committee submitted to the council a report of their findings about tl'le operation of the Newsletter and a proposa-l for revising the Newsletter Guidelines and Mission Statement; AND
WHEREAS,
since November 1991, th~ city Council has held ~number · of publie m•~etings a.n d has met in wd'rksessions to review and suggest revisions to the Committee's recommended Guidelines and Mission State~ent; AND
WHEREAS,
the recommended final: version of the Guidelines and Mission Statement incorporates suggestions from citizens, ~mployees, and the city council, and was: publisbed in two issues of the Newsletter.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED, THAT the Editorial Policy and Mission Statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter, dated May 1992 are hereby adopted; AND BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Editorial Policy and Missi.on Statement are incorporated by reference and made a part of this Resolution; AND
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Editorial Policy and Mission Statement become effective immediately upon passage of this Resolution.
Dated this Bth day of June, 1992.
Mission Statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter (Adopted by council Resolution #1992-36 on June a, 1992}
The mission of the Takoma Park Newsletter is to inform the residents of the city about the activities of their local government, community and neighbors. ·The Newsletter's goal. is to enable and encourage residents to participate in their city's government and community life. In order to achieve this goal, the Newsletter will: 1.
Inform l:"esidents about the activities of the city Council, Mayor, City Administration, City departments, City-appointed committees, community organizations, and residents;
2.
Provide factual, accurate information about pol.icies and programs and other issues of
the City's concern to
resident~;
3.
Provide an open forum for the discussion of City affairs;
4.
Publish official notices of legislation, referenda, hearinqs, elections, .appointments, committees, position vacancies, and other city business;
5.
Inform residents about services provided by the City, and about events sponsored by the City and community organizations;
6.
Abide by the Newsletter Editorial Guidelines adopted by the city.
,
.)
'
'
section 4: City News and Official Notices a.
Official public notices and announcements wi11 be published as directed by the city Administrator.
b.
Reports of those activities of the City council and departments that have broad interest will be published in a timely, accurate and objective manner.
Section 5: Advertisements a.
commercial, classified or political advertisements will not be published in the Newsl.etter. The Department of Housing and Community Development may put in the Newsletter on a one-time basis, a n9tice• about a new City business.
b.
Non-commercial advertisements of public and c·o mmunity events sponsored by Takoma Park businesses or community organizations may be published as space permits. In addition, these events may be listed in the calendar section of the Newsi etter. Advertisers will ensure that the names of business sponsors are discreet in appearance so as not to be misinterpreted as commercial advertisements for the businesses.
section 6: Political Endorsements and Election coveraqe a.
Political endorsements will not be published in the Election coverage will be limited to City Elections.
Newsl.etter. b.
.. c.
coverage of City elections is limited to: the results of the City Nominating c~ucus; -a listing of all candidates and issues on an election ballot; the municipal election results; and a section containing brief statements from all candidates (guidelines for these statements are in section 6:c). As an effort to inform registered voters and encourage them to vote in City elections, the Newsletter that precedes a City election may contain a section of brief statements from all the candidates. This section is intended as a service to voters and not as an endorsement of any candidates. The guidelines for this section ara: 3
statements of up to 150 words in length are allowed from each candidate. small photographs at candidates are allowed, and all must be of equal size. In order to avoid preferential placement, the statements will be listed in alphabetical order for each ward, with the mayoral candidates appearing first, followed by Ward 1, Ward 2, and so forth. A disclaimer will be published with this section that states: the following intent: "The following statements from candidates are provided as a service to voters in the upcoming· City electipn. No endorsement of any candidate .i.s intended. Each candidate was · asked to submit a statement of up to 150 words, which is reprinted here as submitted. Every effort has been made by the Newsle~ter to provide· equal access to all the candidates." d.
Reqardinq issues and referenda on a ballot, the Newsletter will qive·equal access to pro and con discussions-· to referenda.
e.
coverage of limited to·:
elections
outside
Takoma
Park
is
announcements of election debates and forums; and listing of candidates in elections for which Takoma Park residents are eligible to vote Section 7: Access for City Departments a.
As an effort to inform residents about the activities and programs of the City, all City depa~t~ents will have access to the Newsletter.
b.
Reports from city departments may be· edited for clarity and conciseness. The publishing schedule will provide enough lead time to allow departments to review edited reports for accuracy.
c.
Events sponsored by City departments also may be listed in the calendar section of the Newsletter. 4
section
a:
Access for Civic and community orqanizations a.
In an effort to inform residents about the activities of civic and community organizations in Takoma Park, these organizations will have access to the Newsletter through a regular column clearly labeled as news from organizations. The content of these reports is limi"t:-ed to events and official actions. The author's name and affiliation with the organization will be published.
b.
Events sponsored by these organizations also may be listed in the calendar section of the Newsletter.
c.
Expressions of controversial or political. opinion will be treated as either lett~rs to the Editor or guest op1.n1.on pieces, a.n d must follow those . guidelines. They will be published at the Editor's discretion.
Section 9:
Guest opinion Pieces and coverage of! Controversial Xssues
a.
Guest opinion pieces are defined as materi~l -that is clearly the opinion of~ the author. They may be unsolicited or submitted at the request of the Editor. They must be clearly labeled "opinion" and must identify the author. All such pieces will be published at the discretion of the Editor.
b.
Controversial issues of interest to residents will be handled in a balanced, objective manner. The Editor will ensure that equal access is given to all sides by presenting pro and con discussions of controversial issues in the same issue whenever possible.
Section 10: oversight and Chain of Authority a.
The City Administrator is the direct supervisor of the Editor and is responsible for monitoring each issue of the Newsletter for compliance with these guidelines before publication. The City Administrator shall formally review the Editor's performance three months after the Editor is hired, and at least three months prior to expiration of the Editor's contract, and then annually every twelve months.
5
•
l
. '
... b.
The Editor is responsible for overseeing the production of the Nevsletter in accordance with these guidelines. The Editor is also responsible for supervising arty hired individuals, contractors, volunteers, writers, artists and photographers working with the Newsletter.
c.
on an as needed basis, the City Council shall appoint a committee to review the Newsletter and these guidelines, with an opportunity for public comment.
6
I
.,,
Introduced by: Councilmember Williams
RESOLUTION #2000-12
CLARIFYING RESOLUTION #1992-36 WlllCH ADOPTED THE EDITO~ POLICY AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE TAKOMA PARK NEWSLETTER
WHEREAS, in June 1992, the City Council adopted the May 1992 editorial policy and mission statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter; AND WHEREAS, that resolution did not state specifically that the Council was not to interfere editorially with the Newsletter.
NOW, THEREF6RE,-BE-IT RESOLVED, THAT the City Council of Takoma Park, Maryland, hereby wishes to make it clear that the Mayor and Council n:embers do not have the power to edit any part of the Newsletter; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Council has issued a statement regarding the incident involving the publication of the March 2000 edition of the Newsletter; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Council reaffinns that the editor of the Takoma Park Newsletter has sole responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in the paper.
ADOPTED this 61h day of March 2000.
ATTEST:
Takoma Park Resident Survey June 2014 Figure 27: Use of City Outreach and Media Sources Compared Over Time In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you done the following? 93% 89% 85% 81% 74%
Read the Takoma Park Newsletter
Referred to the City of Takoma Park Recreation Guide
60% 68% 63% 52%
Visited the City’s website at takomaparkmd.gov
2014
25% 25% 28% 24% 20% 24% 23% 24% 29% 18%
Watched other programs on the City's cable channel
Attended a City Council meeting in person Watched a City Council meeting on cable TV (Ch. 13/28) Visited the Takoma Park Facebook page Watched other City programs on the website or YouTube
17%
Watched a City Council meeting on the City's website
16% 16%
2009 2007
9%
Visited the New Ave website
9%
Read tweets from Takoma Park (on Twitter)
7%
Read tweets from the Library
7%
Read tweets from the Police Department
7%
Visited the Police Department’s Facebook page
5%
Visited the New Ave Facebook page
5%
Viewed the Takoma Park Instagram account 0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Percent at least once in last 12 months In 2009 and 2007, the scale was never, less than 12 times and 12 or more times while in 2014 the scale was never, rarely, sometimes, usually and always. In 2009, "Watched a City Council meeting on cable TV (Ch. 13/28)" did not reference (Ch. 13/28), "Watched a City Council meeting on the City's website" also included other programming.
Report of Results © 2014 National Research Center, Inc. Page 41
Takoma Park Resident Survey June 2014 Figure 28: Information Sources Used for City Government Activities Compared Over Time How much information do you get about the City of Takoma Park government activities from each of the following sources? 91% 88% 87% 82% 79% 75% 76% 69%
The monthly Takoma Park Newsletter Special mailings from the City of Takoma Park The City of Takoma Park Recreation Guide
74% 76% 73%
Word of mouth The City of Takoma Park's website (takomaparkmd.gov)
64% 61%
2014
56% 64%
2007
47%
The Silver Spring - Takoma Park Gazette
2009
74%
52% 44%
Posters or flyers in public buildings The Washington Post Neighborhood and community listservs
40% 36% 28% 33% 27%
Mayor or other City Councilmember E-mail notices from the Takoma Park Police Department
52% 55% 60% 51% 49%
23%
E-mail notices from other Takoma Park departments
20% 21% 28% 17%
The City of Takoma Park's cable television channel Weekly e-news
14%
The City of Takoma Park's posting on Facebook
10%
The City of Takoma Park’s posts on Twitter
10%
The Silver Spring Regional Center's e-mail notices 0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Percent reporting getting "some," "a lot" or "most" of their information In 2009 and 2007, "Neighborhood and community listservs" was " "Neighborhood and community e-mail lists."
Report of Results © 2014 National Research Center, Inc. Page 43
Agenda Item #
2
Meeting Date
June 1, 2015
Prepared By
Suzanne Ludlow City Manager
Discussion Item
Discussion of the Takoma Park Newsletter
Background
Several Councilmembers have expressed interest in learning more about and discussing the role of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The newsletter is issued monthly and mailed to every household in the 20912 zip code and to City of Takoma Park households in other zip codes. It is the primary means by which Takoma Park residents learn about community and city government activities, as shown by the results of the 2014 Residents Survey. The Takoma Park Newsletter is somewhat unusual for a municipal newsletter in that it is edited by a contracted editor who has independent authority regarding the content and design of the publication, providing they are consistent with the provisions of Council Resolutions 1992-36 and 2000-12. Editor Virginia Myers will attend the Work Session to share her approach to the design and content of the Newsletter and to answer Council questions.
Fiscal Impact Attachments
None Resolutions 1992-36 and 2000-12 providing editorial policy and mission statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter Information from 2014 Residents Survey
Recommendation Special Consideration
Discuss the Newsletter
Introduced by: councilmember Leary (Drafted by: P. Jewell)
.
RESOLUTION #1992-36 ADOPTING THE.MAY 1992 EDITORIAL POLICY AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE TAKOMA PARK NEWSLETTER
WHEREAS,
in July 1983, .the City Council adopted an Editorial Policy for the Takoma Park Newsletter, which was amended May 19~C?,; AND --··
WHEREAS,
this Policy sets forth policies governing the operation of the City.'s Newsletter; AND
WHEREAS,
in November 1991, the City"s Newsletter Review committee submitted to the council a report of their findings about tl'le operation of the Newsletter and a proposa-l for revising the Newsletter Guidelines and Mission Statement; AND
WHEREAS,
since November 1991, th~ city Council has held ~number · of publie m•~etings a.n d has met in wd'rksessions to review and suggest revisions to the Committee's recommended Guidelines and Mission State~ent; AND
WHEREAS,
the recommended final: version of the Guidelines and Mission Statement incorporates suggestions from citizens, ~mployees, and the city council, and was: publisbed in two issues of the Newsletter.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED, THAT the Editorial Policy and Mission Statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter, dated May 1992 are hereby adopted; AND BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Editorial Policy and Missi.on Statement are incorporated by reference and made a part of this Resolution; AND
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Editorial Policy and Mission Statement become effective immediately upon passage of this Resolution.
Dated this Bth day of June, 1992.
Mission Statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter (Adopted by council Resolution #1992-36 on June a, 1992}
The mission of the Takoma Park Newsletter is to inform the residents of the city about the activities of their local government, community and neighbors. ·The Newsletter's goal. is to enable and encourage residents to participate in their city's government and community life. In order to achieve this goal, the Newsletter will: 1.
Inform l:"esidents about the activities of the city Council, Mayor, City Administration, City departments, City-appointed committees, community organizations, and residents;
2.
Provide factual, accurate information about pol.icies and programs and other issues of
the City's concern to
resident~;
3.
Provide an open forum for the discussion of City affairs;
4.
Publish official notices of legislation, referenda, hearinqs, elections, .appointments, committees, position vacancies, and other city business;
5.
Inform residents about services provided by the City, and about events sponsored by the City and community organizations;
6.
Abide by the Newsletter Editorial Guidelines adopted by the city.
,
.)
'
'
section 4: City News and Official Notices a.
Official public notices and announcements wi11 be published as directed by the city Administrator.
b.
Reports of those activities of the City council and departments that have broad interest will be published in a timely, accurate and objective manner.
Section 5: Advertisements a.
commercial, classified or political advertisements will not be published in the Newsl.etter. The Department of Housing and Community Development may put in the Newsletter on a one-time basis, a n9tice• about a new City business.
b.
Non-commercial advertisements of public and c·o mmunity events sponsored by Takoma Park businesses or community organizations may be published as space permits. In addition, these events may be listed in the calendar section of the Newsi etter. Advertisers will ensure that the names of business sponsors are discreet in appearance so as not to be misinterpreted as commercial advertisements for the businesses.
section 6: Political Endorsements and Election coveraqe a.
Political endorsements will not be published in the Election coverage will be limited to City Elections.
Newsl.etter. b.
.. c.
coverage of City elections is limited to: the results of the City Nominating c~ucus; -a listing of all candidates and issues on an election ballot; the municipal election results; and a section containing brief statements from all candidates (guidelines for these statements are in section 6:c). As an effort to inform registered voters and encourage them to vote in City elections, the Newsletter that precedes a City election may contain a section of brief statements from all the candidates. This section is intended as a service to voters and not as an endorsement of any candidates. The guidelines for this section ara: 3
statements of up to 150 words in length are allowed from each candidate. small photographs at candidates are allowed, and all must be of equal size. In order to avoid preferential placement, the statements will be listed in alphabetical order for each ward, with the mayoral candidates appearing first, followed by Ward 1, Ward 2, and so forth. A disclaimer will be published with this section that states: the following intent: "The following statements from candidates are provided as a service to voters in the upcoming· City electipn. No endorsement of any candidate .i.s intended. Each candidate was · asked to submit a statement of up to 150 words, which is reprinted here as submitted. Every effort has been made by the Newsle~ter to provide· equal access to all the candidates." d.
Reqardinq issues and referenda on a ballot, the Newsletter will qive·equal access to pro and con discussions-· to referenda.
e.
coverage of limited to·:
elections
outside
Takoma
Park
is
announcements of election debates and forums; and listing of candidates in elections for which Takoma Park residents are eligible to vote Section 7: Access for City Departments a.
As an effort to inform residents about the activities and programs of the City, all City depa~t~ents will have access to the Newsletter.
b.
Reports from city departments may be· edited for clarity and conciseness. The publishing schedule will provide enough lead time to allow departments to review edited reports for accuracy.
c.
Events sponsored by City departments also may be listed in the calendar section of the Newsletter. 4
section
a:
Access for Civic and community orqanizations a.
In an effort to inform residents about the activities of civic and community organizations in Takoma Park, these organizations will have access to the Newsletter through a regular column clearly labeled as news from organizations. The content of these reports is limi"t:-ed to events and official actions. The author's name and affiliation with the organization will be published.
b.
Events sponsored by these organizations also may be listed in the calendar section of the Newsletter.
c.
Expressions of controversial or political. opinion will be treated as either lett~rs to the Editor or guest op1.n1.on pieces, a.n d must follow those . guidelines. They will be published at the Editor's discretion.
Section 9:
Guest opinion Pieces and coverage of! Controversial Xssues
a.
Guest opinion pieces are defined as materi~l -that is clearly the opinion of~ the author. They may be unsolicited or submitted at the request of the Editor. They must be clearly labeled "opinion" and must identify the author. All such pieces will be published at the discretion of the Editor.
b.
Controversial issues of interest to residents will be handled in a balanced, objective manner. The Editor will ensure that equal access is given to all sides by presenting pro and con discussions of controversial issues in the same issue whenever possible.
Section 10: oversight and Chain of Authority a.
The City Administrator is the direct supervisor of the Editor and is responsible for monitoring each issue of the Newsletter for compliance with these guidelines before publication. The City Administrator shall formally review the Editor's performance three months after the Editor is hired, and at least three months prior to expiration of the Editor's contract, and then annually every twelve months.
5
•
l
. '
... b.
The Editor is responsible for overseeing the production of the Nevsletter in accordance with these guidelines. The Editor is also responsible for supervising arty hired individuals, contractors, volunteers, writers, artists and photographers working with the Newsletter.
c.
on an as needed basis, the City Council shall appoint a committee to review the Newsletter and these guidelines, with an opportunity for public comment.
6
I
.,,
Introduced by: Councilmember Williams
RESOLUTION #2000-12
CLARIFYING RESOLUTION #1992-36 WlllCH ADOPTED THE EDITO~ POLICY AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE TAKOMA PARK NEWSLETTER
WHEREAS, in June 1992, the City Council adopted the May 1992 editorial policy and mission statement for the Takoma Park Newsletter; AND WHEREAS, that resolution did not state specifically that the Council was not to interfere editorially with the Newsletter.
NOW, THEREF6RE,-BE-IT RESOLVED, THAT the City Council of Takoma Park, Maryland, hereby wishes to make it clear that the Mayor and Council n:embers do not have the power to edit any part of the Newsletter; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Council has issued a statement regarding the incident involving the publication of the March 2000 edition of the Newsletter; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the Council reaffinns that the editor of the Takoma Park Newsletter has sole responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in the paper.
ADOPTED this 61h day of March 2000.
ATTEST:
Takoma Park Resident Survey June 2014 Figure 27: Use of City Outreach and Media Sources Compared Over Time In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you done the following? 93% 89% 85% 81% 74%
Read the Takoma Park Newsletter
Referred to the City of Takoma Park Recreation Guide
60% 68% 63% 52%
Visited the City’s website at takomaparkmd.gov
2014
25% 25% 28% 24% 20% 24% 23% 24% 29% 18%
Watched other programs on the City's cable channel
Attended a City Council meeting in person Watched a City Council meeting on cable TV (Ch. 13/28) Visited the Takoma Park Facebook page Watched other City programs on the website or YouTube
17%
Watched a City Council meeting on the City's website
16% 16%
2009 2007
9%
Visited the New Ave website
9%
Read tweets from Takoma Park (on Twitter)
7%
Read tweets from the Library
7%
Read tweets from the Police Department
7%
Visited the Police Department’s Facebook page
5%
Visited the New Ave Facebook page
5%
Viewed the Takoma Park Instagram account 0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Percent at least once in last 12 months In 2009 and 2007, the scale was never, less than 12 times and 12 or more times while in 2014 the scale was never, rarely, sometimes, usually and always. In 2009, "Watched a City Council meeting on cable TV (Ch. 13/28)" did not reference (Ch. 13/28), "Watched a City Council meeting on the City's website" also included other programming.
Report of Results © 2014 National Research Center, Inc. Page 41
Takoma Park Resident Survey June 2014 Figure 28: Information Sources Used for City Government Activities Compared Over Time How much information do you get about the City of Takoma Park government activities from each of the following sources? 91% 88% 87% 82% 79% 75% 76% 69%
The monthly Takoma Park Newsletter Special mailings from the City of Takoma Park The City of Takoma Park Recreation Guide
74% 76% 73%
Word of mouth The City of Takoma Park's website (takomaparkmd.gov)
64% 61%
2014
56% 64%
2007
47%
The Silver Spring - Takoma Park Gazette
2009
74%
52% 44%
Posters or flyers in public buildings The Washington Post Neighborhood and community listservs
40% 36% 28% 33% 27%
Mayor or other City Councilmember E-mail notices from the Takoma Park Police Department
52% 55% 60% 51% 49%
23%
E-mail notices from other Takoma Park departments
20% 21% 28% 17%
The City of Takoma Park's cable television channel Weekly e-news
14%
The City of Takoma Park's posting on Facebook
10%
The City of Takoma Park’s posts on Twitter
10%
The Silver Spring Regional Center's e-mail notices 0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Percent reporting getting "some," "a lot" or "most" of their information In 2009 and 2007, "Neighborhood and community listservs" was " "Neighborhood and community e-mail lists."
Report of Results © 2014 National Research Center, Inc. Page 43
