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Home My WebLink About6.c. City Newspaper/Newsletter . t. .. . . . . . . - � . . . . . . . .. � . . � . . f;: � . . � � � � . � . � �� ' � . � . . . . . � CITY OF RO5EMOIINT EXECiTTIVE SUN�lARY FOR ACTION CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 5, 1993 -AGENDA ITEM: CITY NEWSPAPER/NEWSLETTER AGENDA SECTIONs _ OLD BUSINESS , pRLPARF3D BY: STEPHAN JILK, CITY ADMINISTRATOR AGENDA ATTACI�2ENTS: COST INFORMATION/ALTERNATIVES 1�'P VED BY' At the beginning of 1993 the Rosemount Town Pages will begin a subscription format and a °complete distribution" to all addresses in Rosemount will end. In the last 18+ months the City has utilized the Rosemount Town Pages to communicate with the citizens of the community. With the agreement between the City and Heikkila Productions, the publisher of the paper, it was possible to guarantee that every mailing address in the City would get the paper. Upon going to subscription format, there is no longer a guarantee that everyone in the City would get the paper but with a large number of subscriptions it is expected that the majority would. Council directed that staff look into alternatives on how to proceed in attempting to re-establish a City Newsletter and designation of an official newspaper for 1993 . Attached is a memo outlining, what I feel are reasonable alternatives and a recommendation on how to proceed based on information we currently have. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to direct staff to initiate the use of the Rosemount Town Pages for public informa.tion dissemination as outlined in the recommendation of City Administrator in December 28, 1992 memo. COUNCIL ACTION• The publication of a quarterly newsletter by the City to enhance our communication on key issues and to distribute information on Park & Recreation programs could be undertaken. The City still needs to designate a "City legal newspaper" and pay for the cost of publishing the City' s legal notices. v �hin �s �oming �U�� 7�,osemoun�� C'� � 9 ... - . _ i i�� o osemouvi� PHONE (612)4234411 2875•145th Street West,Hosemount,Minnesota MAYOR PAX (612)423-5203 Mailing Address: Edwa►d B.McMenomy P.O.Box 510,Rosemount,Minnesota 55068�0510 COUNCIIMEMBERS Sheila Klassen ' James(Re�Staats Harry Wllicox Dennis Wippertnann � ADMINISTRATOR Stephan Jilk T0: "Mayor McMenomy Councilmembers: Klassen, Staats, Wil co & Wippermann FROM: Stephan Jilk, City Administrator DATE: December 31, 1992 RE: City Newspaper/Newsletter Options & Recommendations In reviewing options for the continued publication of information for public review ,on City operations, the following seem to be most appropriate for consideration. NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION ONLY This would entail using one of several locally published papers to print, publish and distribute a "Happenings" type page. Our options would be to use the Rosemount Town Pages, the Thisweek Publication or the Sun Current {Countryside) Papers. None of these publications, by themselves, provide the City a "legal newspaper° in` which we could publish our legal notices etc. The City would have to utilize more than one publication to meet our needs for good distribution of _ "news° and meet our legal needs. NEWSPAPER/NEWSLETTER The City could utilize the different publications already being delivered, or made available, to the public for general announcements and news without any cost on behalf of the city. Since all three newspapers, Countryside, Thisweek and the Rosemount Town Pages, all attend �ity Council meetings and provide other community news now, that part of our communications mav already be met. The publication of a quarterly newsletter by the City to enhance our communication on key issues and to distribute information on Park & Recreation programs could be undertaken. The City still needs to designate a "City legal newspaper" and pay for the cost of publishing the City' s legal notices. �ver�t�ings �oming `U(,�i �osemoun�� NEWSPAPER - NO NEWSLETTER The City would simply rely upon the local newspapers to provide � the necessary news of the City government activities as well as community news and not publish a newsletter at all. The City would still need to publish and distribute timely brochures on Park & Recreation activities at City expense. The City would also need to designate a "legal newspaper�� for its legal publication. Reviewing these options and potential costs associated with them the following recommendation is made: 1. NEWSPAPER Utilize the Rosemount Town Pages to publish a City' s "Happenings Page" on a weekly basis. This would provide very little change from the existing situation except that there is no guarantee that all households will receive the paper. As of this writing there are 500 subscriptions taken out for the� paper. The subscriptions are coming in at a rate of 30/per day and it is expected that by 2-1-93 the subscription level should be at about 1200 . The City has been quoted a price for publication of the "Happenings Page" on a weekly basis of $150 . 00/half page and $250.00/full page. The City may choose from week to week whether it wants a 1/2 page, 1 page or no space at all . Continued use of the '�Happenings Page" will follow a traditional approach and one which we know can work for us and one which the residents have come to depend on. It will provide us the opportunity to distribute information that is current and not depend on a quarterly publication of a newsletter which would not be current. It allows Park & Recreation to provide current information to residents, Utility Commission and Planning Commission issues to be published as the City would like to see thern. The Rosemount Town Pages has agreed that if we designate the Farmington Independent as our official newspaper and publish our legal notices in that paper, those legals will also be published in the Rosemount Town Pages, and council meeting minutes will be published free of charge in the Rosemount Town Pages. 2 This allows us to not only meet our legal requirements but adds to the amount of information distrzbuted by the use of the Rosemount Town Pages. It is my thought that the City should budget for the use of a full page in each week, but I would expect to use that full page about 50% of the time and the 1/2 page 50s of the time. If we utilize the Rosemount Town Pages, as suggested, Park & Recreation will still need to look at publication and distribution of a Park & Recreation brochure twice a year in order to guarantee reaching all Park & Recreation potential users. This can be done through a printing company and route delivery, or using a contracted delivery service. The format of the City' s Happenings Page should, I suggest, change slightly in that I would recommend a consistent location for such items as agendas, notices and the addition of a monthly letter from the City Administrator and a monthlv letter, or article from a City department head on a specific issue. This would, I feel, strengthen the communication link to the public. City staff, in the Administration Department, would be responsible for the coordination of the newspaper articles and content/layout of the page. 2 . BROCHURES The Park & Recreation would expect to publish 2 major brochures a year outlining programs being offered, locations, special events and sign up process/cost. Publishing these at six month intervals is adequate along with the use of the newspaper. 3 . COST There is $27, 690 . 00 in the 1993 City Council budget for publication of newsletter/newspaper. The City Clerk budget contains $1,200.00 for publication of general legal notices. Specific legal notices for project hearings are charged to those projects and are not budgeted for. A. NEWSPAPER At a rate of $250 .00/full page for each week, the potential cost is 52 x 250 = $13 , 000.00 . 3 c � B. BROCHURES At a ma.ximum cost of $5000.00 each for the printing and distribution of these brochures the potential maximum cost would be $10, 000 .00. C. OTHER LEGAL NOTICES The cost estimate on these publications would be $1,200 . 00. Funds available $27, 690 . 00 1.200 . 00 Total $28, 890.00 Total expenditure estimate $13, 000.00 Newspaper 10, 000.00 Brochures 1,200.00 Legals Total $24,200. 00 RECONIMENDATION It is my recommendation that the City Council approve the use of the Rosemount Town Pages for the publication of a City "Happenings Page" at a rate not to exceed $150 . 00/half page and $250 . 00/full page for up to 52 weeks in 1993 . Further, that funds for these costs and the maximum expenditure of $10, 000 . 00, for the publication and distribution of Park & Recreation semi annual brochure, be taken from Account #101- 41110-01�30?, � Further, that the use of the Rosemount Town Pages "Happenings Page" commence with the first issue in February, 1993 and contain at a minimum a weekly publication of agendas and public notices, ar�d on a monthly basis a City Administrator' s column and a "departmental" column. 4