LTC 090-2020 Creation of the New Neighborhood Affairs DivisionM IAM I BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 090-2020 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of he City C
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DA TE: February 18, 2020
SUBJECT: Creation of the New Neighborhoo Affairs Division
The purpose of this L TC is to announce the creation of the Neighborhood Affairs Division (NAD),
which will be a part of the Office of Marketing and Communications. In the most recent resident
survey, the overall satisfaction of public engagement ranked 63%, compared to the national
average of only 34%, however there is always room for improvement.
As we look at our residents' needs, there is a plethora of major projects, events and quality of life
issues such as infrastructure improvements, cleanliness, stormwater, homelessness, where
communication is key. Through examining the structure of city departments, I felt that the
creation of this new division would not only increase the quality and consistency of
communications within our community, but also increase the level of collaboration between city
departments ensuring that our residents are fully informed and educated on everything they
need and may want to know.
Currently, various departments have staff - internal or contracted - that are responsible for
communicating with our residents about specific projects or events such as construction,
infrastructure, transportation, G.O. Bond, environmental issues and resilience. Having staff focus
solely on certain departments has sometimes led to a lapse in communication, sometimes
causing inefficiencies in getting information to our residents. Therefore, in an effort to create a
more holistic approach to our community outreach, we will no longer have communications staff
assigned to specific departments, but will rather cater to geographic areas of the city.
Modeling after the success of the neighborhood resource officers in the Police Department,
effective immediately we will divide the outreach positions into North Beach, Middle Beach and
South Beach. The neighborhood outreach liaisons will become the expert for their area and
serve as the contact for anything that is happening in their respective neighborhood. The liaison
will focus on continuing relationships with the neighborhood associations and stakeholders,
overseeing project outreach for neighborhood improvement projects in the area and providing
notifications for any scheduled closures or other neighborhood impacts. Additionally, there will be
one person that will be assigned as the citywide liaison and will focus on coordinating each of the
three areas along with overseeing the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, fostering
relationships with community organizations, e-Egov application submissions, hosting quarterly
HOA meetings, coordinating City Hall tours, coordinating all city public meetings and continuing
to act as the city's Condo Ombudsman.
In addition, the hiring or use of any external communications contractors will also be handled by
this new division. Currently, there are various external public information officers (PIOs) that are
hired by some departments for large-scale projects. This can lead to having too many voices
addressing city matters, which may cause comm unication gaps. W e will be examining the use of
external PIO s, looking at streamlining their hiring and exploring opportunities for cost savings.
The Office of Marketing and Communications will also continue to work closely with both the
Police Department and G.O . Bond PIO when coordinating messaging on behalf of the City to
ensure consistent messaging thro ughout the organization.
It is my hope that this new division will serve as an important resource for our residents and city
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