20110908 Comms Team Newsletter Discussion - Objective: Publish a Newsletter

• Meet called to order at 7:30pm
• Attendees: Mike Nevlida, Tim Halverson, Frank Quakenbush
• Arrive & settle in (5 minutes)
• Communications Team Background - Tim & other experienced board members
  • Team mission/scope
    • To inform residents of the Rolling Hills Community about issues related to the charter of the Community Services District (roads, open spaces and parks; safety, maintenance).
    • Content should primarily be relevant to the CSD mission and scope. E.g., traffic safety, reminders of ordinances, CSD project updates, meeting reminders, etc.
  • Rules
    • Public funds should be spent on public interests.
    • Advertisements can be used if funds are poured back into the newsletter.
  • Participants
    • Anyone is welcome to contribute.
  • Previous results
    • Previous newsletter reviewed and will be posted on www.rollinghillscsd.org.

• Newsletter Logistics - Group discussion
  • Budget
    • $400 - $500 total with postage previously. ~337 homes and $0.90 each.
    • Tim to check old invoice and inquire with printers (online and local) for pricing, formatting, etc.
    • Potential advertisement costs to be used as funding for the newsletter:
      • Biz card-size ad $50
      • 1/4 page $100
      • 1/2 page $180
      • Full page $300
    • Need to validate legal aspects and write a guideline for selecting advertising
  • Payment process
    • Petty cash.
  • Length
    • Previously 4 pages, but could be extended to accommodate advertising, not to exceed 50% of total content.
  • Due date
    • Publish by end of October.
    • Target publishing a newsletter twice a year. More often if content, budget and human resources warrant it.
  • Print or online only?
    • Newsletter should be distributed physically by mail to ensure everyone gets a copy. Additionally published on www.rollinghillscsd.org and could potentially become online only or less frequent paper printed copy if we get good traffic on the web site.
    • Send notice via Yahoo! groups mailing list and the RHCSD Announcements list (needs to be cleaned up).
    • Post on the neighborhood bulletin boards.
    • Consider a non-CSD-sponsored Facebook page.
  • Authors/editors/layout/publishers
    • Mike & Time volunteered to generate content.
    • Mike will handle layout and editing first pass, with input from Tim and interested others.
    • Chaney or Linda and other Board members may be willing to write content on specific topics.
    • Frank volunteered to handout flyers, canvas for volunteers and other manual labor.
  • Soliciting more volunteers
    • A follow-up request for general volunteers will be sent via Yahoo! groups mailing list. May also request volunteers for specific content.

• Newsletter Content Discussion - Group discussion
  • Types of content
    • To respect proper use of public funds, we must limit the amount of content that does not serve the needs of the entire community for the charter of the CSD.
  • Specific suggestions
    • Long list of possible content reviewed. Need to prioritize and assign ownership.
  • Finalize now or later?
    • Will draft content then finalize those to be included.
    • Some may be used in next issue or online only.

• Next Steps
  • Next meeting date
    • End of September
  • Review actions required
    • Tim: meet with printer to determine prices & length/paper sizes/folds, etc.
    • Tim: investigate advertising requirements & opportunities.
    • Tim: Email to Yahoo group: request for advertisers
    • Tim: send improved RHCSD logo.
    • Mike & Tim: write articles (draft version).
    • Mike: publish meeting minutes.
    • Mike: post previous newsletter.
    • Mike: email content list to Tim for feedback (prioritize, ownership).
    • Mike: check permissions/email signup on web site to eliminate false accounts from search engines.
    • Mike: create or review & update mail distribution list
    • Mike: investigate website feature to gather resident emails and let them select their communication preferences