Communication stressed during study session
FORT SMITH — City leaders are examining the best ways to get the word out about everything happening in Fort Smith.
That was part of the discussion Tuesday when city directors and the Future Fort Smith Committee held a joint study session focused on implementing the city’s comprehensive plan.
The Future Fort Smith Comprehensive Plan, according to the city’s website, “provides goals, policies, and land planning principles for guiding the future development of the city.” Directors adopted it in 2014.
John Cooley, committee chairman, told directors the committee is trying to figure out how to fully activate the plan, with communication being the biggest issue.
“We’ve got to find a way to empower and inform the public,” Cooley said. “We’ve got to spread some good news. We’ve got to show progress. We’ve got to pat ourselves on the back. This is a constant sales job, not just the comprehensive plan, but things that we do and the way we present ourselves not only to the citizens, but other people.”
Cooley argued there are probably many people from outside the area seeking a lower cost of living than they have now, and Fort Smith might be able to attract them, especially through the city’s website.
The comprehensive plan, Cooley said, has to be prominently featured and easily accessible on the website. The document must also have an “eye-popping and splashy” look so website visitors will be influenced to find out more.
Cooley proposed the landing page for the Future Fort Smith section of the website include a variety of items.
Among them would be the plan’s implementation matrix, committee meeting material, annual reports from city departments and news releases, as well as links to websites of local organizations.
Cooley also suggested a list of completed projects with before and after pictures, information about upcoming projects and new programs that have been started or implemented, and an online tour.
“Coming up next year, as you guys know, we’ve got the quarter-cent sales tax that affects not only the fire department, but certainly the parks department,” Cooley said.
“Why don’t we have a place on this page that shows what that money’s been spent on so … when we get to the point where we’re going to have to try to sell people on renewing that, that that’s already out there?”
Cooley said communication in other ways such as social media, news releases and brochures is also very important.
According to him, although significant progress has been made in the community since the comprehensive plan was put in place, “most people” do not talk about it because the city is not properly showing it.
At-Large Position 7 City Director Neal Martin said he agreed and supported looking at implementing some of what Cooley proposed.
The city has promoted itself more through social media since Shari Cooper started as communications manager last summer, he said.
“But I think we’ve got to ramp it up. It’s got to get bigger. We’ve got to see more of those things. Nobody’s going to tell the story if we don’t tell it,” Martin said.
Kevin Settle, at-large Position 6 city director, said outside of social media, other possible avenues of communication the city could use include the city’s government access television channel, print media and radio.