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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-04-21 Administrative Comm MinutesDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE Tuesday, May 4, 2021 4:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Meeting Minutes Vice Mayor De Rosa called the May 4, 2021 Administrative Committee meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Present were: Vice Mayor De Rosa, Ms. Alutto, Ms. Fox Staff present: Mr. McDaniel, Ms. Weisenauer, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Earman, Mr. Farrar, Ms. Noble, Mr. Anderson, Ms. Nardecchia, Mr. Brown, Mr. Ashford, Ms. LeRoy, Chief Paez, Ms. Schoning Also present: Mr. Greene and Mr. Stang, planningNEXT DEI and Ethics Training for Council, Boards and Commissions Mr. Rogers shared information he has compiled for Ethics and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings for Council members and Board and Commission members. He shared the following training proposal which includes:  DEI – “Managing Implicit Bias and Racism: 1 hour in-person training, cost is $1,250 per session – estimated 2 or 3 sessions needed;  DEI – a self-paced e-Learning module: 50 - 60 minutes (9 micro-sessions) total – no added cost; and  Ohio Ethics Law e-Learning Course: 1 hour and no additional cost. Ms. Alutto stated that she likes the proposed trainings. It seems reasonable to ask of our members. She appreciated the shorter virtual and self-paced sessions. Ms. Fox stated that she also likes it. She asked about the funding available. There is currently $30,000 available for training. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that she also likes the proposal. She would like Council to go through the training first so they can share feedback. She asked about group sizes and whether or not smaller groups would be better. Ms. Alutto stated that she can see a benefit to taking the training with the Board and Commission members as it allows for additional interaction with them. She suggested asking the balance of Council for their thoughts on that issue. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that they will report back to Council and ask for approval at the May 24 Council meeting. Administrative Committee Meeting May 4, 2021 Page 2 Council Communication/Engagement Update Ms. Weisenauer reviewed the action items that were given to Communication and Public Information (CPI) at the December 4, 2020 meeting. Those action items include:  Zencity access and training;  Individual Council interviews;  “next-generation” public engagement plan; and  Explore having a dedicated resource to assist with Council communications and public engagement. She noted that Ms. Fox asked about the Hilliard Talk2Us platform at the April 12 Council meeting and she would address those questions as well.  Zencity Zencity is a valuable tool that CPI has been using for a few years that monitors and consolidates electronic communications. It also provides insights for better engagement with the public. She stated that it has been valuable to mitigate rumors and direct people to correct information about a topic. She stated that staff will be providing a brief overview of Zencity at Council’s work session on May 17. Following the work session, staff intends to schedule small group executive trainings. She stated that Zencity is an important first step in enhancing Council communication efforts with residents because it provides insight on what platforms the residents are using the most and with what topics they are engaged.  Next Generation Public Engagement Plan Ms. Weisenauer stated that CPI staff intends to set up one-on-one interviews with each Council member to measure and evaluate the extent to which they wish to further engage with the public. She shared that the same questions will be asked of each member for consistency and stated the results will be shared with the Committee. After reviewing results, Committee will provide recommendations to Council regarding a public engagement plan. The questions that will be asked were shared with the Committee for their feedback. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that she would provide the tools we are already using in the first question rather than ask what tools they are aware of. She also suggested asking if the use of the DublinGo app could be expanded in some way and the website enhanced in a certain way. She stated that she is happy to help provide specific examples that will get to what they need to know from Council. How do we use and leverage what we currently have? Ms. Fox stated that she agrees it would be helpful to know what tools we have and currently use. She stated knowing what we have access to will help ask questions. Ms. Alutto suggested asking about social media etiquette and pitfalls. It would be helpful to understand the social media savvy that each member has and their comfort level. She stated the “do’s and don’ts” need to be shared. Ms. Weisenauer stated that she will provide the Social Media Policy to Committee members and information on best practices. Administrative Committee Meeting May 4, 2021 Page 3 Ms. Fox stated that a question need to be, “what is the goal or objective of a communication plan?” She stated that there may be members that may believe engagement is fine the way it is and others that want to be more micro-engaged. Ms. Alutto stated that she agrees people may feel differently about it. She suggested that it is also important to find a way to engage with each other about the engagement with the residents. She stated that there may be something that the balance of Council needs to be aware of. Ms. Fox stated that the spectrum of engagement with residents can go from informing to empowering, so it is important to consider where you want to be on that spectrum. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that a couple of examples of what other cities are doing is helpful too. Ms. Weisenauer shared some benchmarking that staff has done regarding communications support for Council.  Talk2Us Hilliard Ms. Weisenauer provided some of the pros and cons of the Talk2Us platform that were communicated to her by Hilliard’s public information office. She shared staff’s recommendation to incorporate some of these ideas into the GoDublin application. She shared that the pros of using GoDublin, in addition to looking nice, would be: o It is an existing tool and brand, many residents are already registered; o Registration is optional; o Showcases direct messaging; and o City staff controls the content and determines what is front and center. She stated that there are many opportunities to using the GoDublin App, such as: allowing the feedback opportunities to be housed in one place; providing push notifications and geo-targeting. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that she is a user of GoDublin and she has noticed that some of the buttons direct users to the website. She feels the app is still web-centric and not as much app-like. Ms. Alutto stated that she is supportive of expanding GoDublin uses. She loves the app and is supportive of expanding its uses. Ms. Fox stated that she agrees that it should not just be a re-direct to the website. It might need to be marketed a little differently because it now is mostly used for service requests even though there are other uses. Vice Mayor De Rosa expressed her appreciation for the work and stated that she looks forward to future updates. Ms. Weisenauer reviewed the survey tools that the City uses. She added that all these tools can be shared through our existing platforms, including GoDublin. In response to Ms. Fox’s question regarding targeting neighborhoods for surveys, Ms. Weisenauer stated that NextDoor can be used to target neighborhoods. GoDublin does have the ability to target down to the street, but it would only reach the people who have the app. Administrative Committee Meeting May 4, 2021 Page 4 Board and Commission Recruitment Update Mr. Edwards provided a presentation regarding the work that has been done in the short term regarding Board and Commission recruitment. He shared that the priority is still the Board and Commission recruitment piece, but the City Manager challenged the Communications and Public Information staff to look at the possibilities of having an all- inclusive landing point for the recruitment of not only Board and Commission members, but employees and other volunteer opportunities as well. He introduced the over-arching theme: Fuel the Future of Dublin. He provided an example layout to illustrate a new framework of how service opportunities can be promoted on the website. He also discussed the importance of recruitment through current Council members and board and commission members. He introduced the idea of having a card to hand out to people encouraging them to explore opportunities to serve the community. Mr. Edwards provided the next steps in this project, including:  Finishing the text for the framework;  Online repository of past and current applications;  Regular review and engagement with residents who have expressed interest; and  Video/social experience campaign. Ms. Alutto suggested adding hyperlinks to the “Five Things We Recommend before the interview,” would be very helpful. She also suggested that providing contact information to allow engagement throughout the process would be helpful in keeping people engaged. She expressed appreciation for the Fuel the Future of Dublin card as a tangible way to engage people. Ms. Fox stated that she likes the flow. She stated that the videos will be important and to watch a brief clip of a meeting could be helpful also. Ms. Fox also mentioned that the roles and responsibilities are currently being developed as a guide for board and commission members. She stated she would like to hear feedback on whether or not the application should be next to the jobs and if that would be helpful. Vice Mayor De Rosa expressed her gratitude for the work being done. She stated that one thing Council often hears in interviews with applicants is that they are not sure why they picked one commission or board over another, but that they just want to serve. To offer some ability to understand all the ways there are to serve in this community is important. She would like to educate the public on what opportunities exist and how to learn more about them. Ms. Nardecchia stated that she sees it as common putting these together on websites. She stated that it is the experience of serving that needs to be the focus. She added that her philosophy is that if the experience is worth it and fulfilling, then recruitment will not be needed. Dublin 2035 Ms. Noble stated that the quality of life topic was explored with this group. She stated that the “Big Ideas” meetings have been completed with each standing committee, so now for the second meeting on this topic, Mr. Greene and Mr. Stang will review the comments that were heard. Did we hear it correctly? Administrative Committee Meeting May 4, 2021 Page 5 Mr. Greene reviewed the reference documents that were included in the Committee’s packet. He stated that there are three things this meeting will include:  Look at what has been done so far – evaluate the 14 big ideas that were shared;  start to think about which of these themes should rise to the top and why; and  how would these ideas make the community different. What kind of City would be created? Mr. Greene shared the list of the 14 ideas and described the coding on the list. The coding identified what he considered to be the core quality of life ideas and what other committees mentioned the same or similar idea.  Ms. Alutto stated that some of these items on the list could be grouped together. She gave some examples of some similar items. She noted that every group identified housing as an important topic. She agrees that the smart campus idea is better suited for the Economics theme. She discussed the challenges with offering multiple languages on signage and such. She stated that, in her experience on the Friendship Committee, she learned that there can be some push-pull when some diverse communities are identified, but not others. How do you pick which languages you will use? Ms. Noble stated that it was brought out in the diversity discussion last time. Ms. Alutto stated that there could be many different ways to offer more diverse services.  Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that she agreed that some of them could be combined. She gave the example of items 1, 2 and 5 on the list could be combined. She stated that interesting conversations come when you start to combine and possibly expand these ideas.  Ms. Fox stated that she was thinking of the cultural civic center, and how the community is all about the people. What can a building do to provide things for people that they don’t have now. Opportunities for social interaction, entertainment, nurturing different cultures would be important and add to quality of life. She would like it to be evident to anyone who comes through Dublin that we are a pedestrian friendly City. She would like to see more connections between neighborhoods. Mr. Greene asked about the pedestrian-only district. Is it about a pedestrian oriented city or a pedestrian only area of the City? Ms. Noble stated that she sees them as two separate things. Mr. Greene briefly described a scenario where cities close off the streets for a day each week and give it back to the people for whatever they want to do, for example, yoga, etc.  Mr. Rogers stated he is a supporter of the greenways ideas. He sees many opportunities for connectivity throughout the City. He would elevate that idea as a top priority. He also stated that being able to support electric vehicles is another idea he sees as important. Ms. Fox agreed and stated that bringing in some fun, electric vehicles that could be utilized for just within the community. Mr. Greene suggested there could be a partnership opportunity for that as some campuses are exploring similar transportation to aid students in getting to classes. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that some transportation experts could be helpful in looking at these ideas. Mr.