To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Steve Potter, City Manager
Prepared By: Jaina French, Community Relations & Media Manager
TITLE:
Title
Update on Community Relations Enhancements, Measure G Communications, and New Engagement Initiatives
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Receive a report from City Manager’s Office Community Relations staff.
Body
DISCUSSION:
I. Overview of Community Engagement Work
Background
The City’s Community Relations work continues to evolve in alignment with the Council’s Community Engagement Focus Area. Over the past year, the City has significantly expanded public-facing communication, strengthened resident access to information, and improved transparency regarding City priorities, projects, and fiscal stewardship. These enhancements are informed by data, community feedback, and cross-departmental collaboration.
II. Major Enhancements Since Last Council Update
1. Expanded Outreach & Multi-Touchpoint Engagement
Building on last year’s foundation, Community Relations staff intensified public engagement through broader, more accessible communication channels:
• A greatly expanded State of the City outreach strategy, including a keystone event that included a formal State of the City presentation as well as a panel discussion with executive staff moderated by our local Chambers, tabling at Napa Farmer’s Market, presentations to community groups such as Napa Little League and Kiwanis, and widespread distribution of a community-friendly presentation package via social media and regular communications channels such as the weekly newsletter.
• Increased council-focused messaging through social media, video content, and cross-departmental promotion.
• Continuation of regular Town Halls and Open Houses, with FY26 including a Measure G-focused series.
2. Strategic Social Media Enhancements
The City has implemented a more intentional, platform-specific approach to social communications:
• Unique content developed for each channel as opposed to the previous practice of repurposing identical posts across platforms.
• More frequent use of platform-specific features, including Instagram/Facebook Stories, Collaboration Posts, and Instagram Notes.
• Targeted efforts to utilize videos and reels for information sharing, instead of postings using text and photos
• Enhanced visual consistency, accessibility, and bilingual English/Spanish content.
• Increased responsiveness, collaboration, and amplification with departments that operate their own accounts.
• Expanded use of LinkedIn for staff and program highlights specifically targeted to retain staff and attract potential candidates for City employment.
3. Strengthened Digital Accessibility & Website Improvements
To improve equitable access to City information, significant digital accessibility upgrades are underway, which meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 AA requirements from the Department of Justice. The WCAG are a set of recommendations developed by the World Wide Web Consortium to make web content more accessible to those with disabilities, aiming to ensure that web content is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Our latest enhancements (implemented a full year before the required deadline) include:
• Contract with DocAccess for remediation of City web documents to ensure ADA compliance.
• AudioEye implementation for real-time accessibility monitoring and automated issue resolution.
• Ongoing staff training and website refresh efforts to improve accessibility, navigation and readability.
4. Civic Education & Leadership Development
The Napa City Academy has returned with new engagement elements informed by resident feedback-maintaining its role as a cornerstone civic education program and pathway for informed community leadership. The 2026 Napa City Academy program launched September 9.
Additionally, the City adopted a more structured approach to project-specific education, especially as it relates to traffic safety and expanded infrastructure projects, expanding the use of town halls, neighborhood meetings, and other in-person engagement opportunities to help residents better understand impactful projects and the services that support them, as well as better collect feedback.
5. New Community Ambassador Program
The Community Relations team has developed a new Community Ambassador Program to empower residents as neighborhood-level communication liaisons. Ambassadors will support two-way communication, event outreach, and localized engagement aligned with Council priorities. This new program, one of the key recommendations from our work with the Aspen Institute Fellows last fall, will launch in early 2027.
Pilot Program Structure: The Community Ambassador Program is a 12-month pilot that creates a more consistent structure around something the City already does ad hoc: leaning on trusted residents to help spread the word about City information. It places 5-8 participants in an ongoing, low-commitment role, connected to the City through monthly emails with calls to action and quarterly in-person gatherings.
• Duration: 12-month pilot program
• Size: 5-8 participants
• Commitment level: Informal and flexible, based on the time a participant wants to give.
• Requirements: The program is open to people 16 years and older who live or work in Napa and who want to positively impact the community.
• Selection process:
§ For the pilot phase, Community Relations will work with City leadership and community partners to identify qualified candidates.
• Communication methods:
o Monthly email newsletter tailored to the program
o Quarterly in-person gathering
• Point of contact: The Community Relations team is the direct line to the program. If ambassadors need to connect with City staff, Community Relations makes it happen.
III. Ongoing Project Updates (Summary of Key Programs)
|
Project |
Description |
Key Metrics |
Status |
|
Napa City Academy |
6-week civic education program |
Participant feedback |
In Progress (Fall 2026) |
|
Social Media Program |
Multi-platform engagement |
Reach, engagement, bilingual access |
Enhanced & ongoing |
|
Emergency Notification System |
Everbridge alert operations |
Reliability & effectiveness |
Ongoing |
|
Website & Accessibility Management |
Regular updates & ADA compliance efforts |
Performance metrics |
Expanded & ongoing |
|
Measure G Awareness Campaign & Oversight Committee Annual Report |
Public communications on funding impacts |
Engagement & public understanding |
Significantly expanded |
|
Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) |
Community-friendly fiscal reporting |
GFOA recognition |
Ongoing |
|
Digital Budget Book |
Transparent two-year budget |
User engagement |
Ongoing |
|
Community Town Halls/Open Houses |
Regular events |
Attendance & feedback |
Ongoing |
|
City of Napa News |
Weekly e-newsletter |
Subscriptions and sign ups |
Ongoing |
|
Harvest Park Project |
Community outreach campaign |
Community engagement and awareness (surveys, events, etc) |
Significantly expanded and ongoing |
IV. Measure G Communications & Transparency Update
1. Expanded Public Outreach
This year introduced major enhancements in Measure G transparency:
• Release of the Oversight Committee’s inaugural Measure G Annual Report and launch of Measure G in Motion-an interactive, community-facing event series offering project walk-throughs, Q&A opportunities, and visual displays.
• Integration of Measure G highlights into City Manager communications, including newsletters and videos.
• Direct signage placement at projects completed with Measure G funding.
• Increased visual storytelling using video, animated explainers, and graphics across social media platforms.
2. Oversight & Reporting Improvements
• Continued use of the PAFR and Digital Budget Book as transparency tools.
• Addition of the Budget Analyst position, improving timeliness and clarity of expenditure reporting to the Oversight Committee.
• Planning underway for the next Measure G-focused event (Fall 2027).
V. Aspen Institute Collaboration Update
Following last year’s presentations from the Aspen Institute policy group, the City has made notable progress:
• Implementation of site signage for Measure G projects around town.
• Implementation planning is underway for a Community Ambassador pilot program anticipated in early 2027.
• Design of the the “I Want…” Comment Card , used at events to provide attendees with a simple, meaningful way to share their aspirations for their neighborhoods and the broader community. This component serves as a community-driven engagement tool that encourages residents to express their hopes of what they want to see from City services, community programs, infrastructure improvements, and long-term civic planning efforts.
• Looking Ahead: We’re also exploring a few new ideas that came out of the Aspen Institute presentations that could enhance how we share information and highlight City staff. Early concepts include a text- or phone-based tool that lets residents quickly access project updates, and an expanded “People Behind the Progress” series to spotlight the employees supporting our community. These projects are still in the internal pilot and planning phases as we assess how they might fit into our existing work and what resources are available to make them viable.
VI. Next Steps
• Roll out expanded Measure G communications in the coming months.
• Launch the Community Ambassador Program January 2027.
• Host the Spring State of the City presentation and panel discussion in February/March 2027.
• Communicate the new Council Focus Areas for the next fiscal year in mid-2027.
• Host a second Measure G in Motion community event in fall 2027.
• Host a Community Open House in spring 2028.
• Continue improving digital accessibility across platforms, including enhanced training around social media.
• Hold citywide website trainings for all staff who serve as content contributors in spring 2028.
• Roll out City of Napa website refresh, to include graphic updates, as well as content and navigation improvements in spring 2028.
• Continue interdepartmental collaboration on key projects and initiatives.
VII. Conclusion
Over the past year, the City has made substantial progress in strengthening community engagement, expanding outreach tools, improving transparency, and modernizing communications. Through innovative partnerships, enhanced digital systems, and more direct channels for resident involvement, the City continues to build a more informed, connected, and empowered community. Staff looks forward to answering any questions and receiving Council direction as these initiatives move forward.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
None.
CEQA:
The City Manager has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Staff report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060 (c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None.
NOTIFICATION:
None.