Benton Harbor committee reviews mass-texting signup, training budget and approves minutes

The Benton Harbor Communication and Public Relations Committee approved its Sept. 22 minutes and spent the remainder of the meeting on outreach and committee operations.

The committee facilitator said they had read the Sept. 22 minutes and approved them "as presented." The meeting then turned to mass texting and resident outreach: a city staff speaker explained that residents can sign up for text alerts via a "subscribe" button on the city website and provided a contact number, (269) 256-8349. The staff speaker clarified that residents must sign themselves up on their phones; staff cannot complete the subscription for them.

Members discussed learning from neighboring counties' approaches; the facilitator said they would connect Berrien County contacts with the city clerk to explore implementing a similar setup during city YouTube livestreams. The facilitator said they would put mass-texting and interagency coordination back on the agenda for next month after staff follow-up.

The committee also addressed training and budget questions for new citizen representatives. City staff said there is a training line item in the budget and asked the committee to submit specific training requests. The facilitator noted the training line is shared across all commissioners and requested the city manager provide more detail at the next meeting about how training and travel funds are currently allocated.

In closing, the facilitator said they would do more to publicize the city's YouTube channel. With no further public comment, the facilitator moved to adjourn.

Next steps: staff to provide more detail on training line items and sign-up mechanics; committee to promote YouTube and revisit texting options at the next meeting.