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3908 Employee Communications guideRESOLUTION 3908 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON, ESTABLISHING AN EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS GUIDE Recitals: 1. Previous employee surveys identified a desire for policy direction on public information, including City website and social media and preparation of brochures and newsletters. Accordingly, staff recommends that the City Council establish a formal Employee Communications Guide. 2. The Employee Communications Guide is intended to establish and guide employees to ensure consistency with formatting and style, use of City logos, use of third-party trademarks, and legal considerations for brochures, articles, or posts to the City website and social media pages. Resolved: 1. The City Council approves the attached Employee Communications Guide. 2. These polices will prevail over conflicting policies previously adopted by the City Manager or adopted by the City Council. ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Moses Lake on this 9th day of August 2022. Dean Hankins, Mayor ATTEST: Debbie Burke, City Clerk Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 1 of 19 8/9/2022 Employee Communications Guide For Directors, Managers and other Employees who work on public information efforts and for staff who post content to the City website and social media pages Lynne Lynch, Public Information Officer/ Communications & Marketing Specialist CITY OF MOSES LAKE Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 2 of 19 1 Introduction he City of Moses Lake has several departments and a large amount of information to share with the public. You may wonder how you fit into the big picture. The Employee Communications Guide was created as a handy reference for directors and front line staff. The goal of the guide is to ensure all departments are consistent with formatting and style as they create a brochure, write an article, or post to the City website and social media pages. Impressions matter and we want to make the best one possible. Cities across the nation have similar guides. Even if you aren’t directly involved with creating or posting content, we recommend you review this guide for other helpful information, such as news media routing procedures, in case you are contacted by a reporter. It’s always good to be prepared. For Directors/Managers who wish to share a single message or a full-blown public information campaign, examples of press releases are included within this guide as well as templates for road work and drone flight public notices. If you are tasked with writing portions of a press release, look at the examples provided and think through the details. If those details have not been established, it is your responsibility to do so, inform the responsible employees, and explain to the public the reasons why. More planning up front helps reduce follow-up contact from the media and the public. Having an agreed-upon message as soon as possible is critical. For Employees responsible for website posting, the City’s expectation is that you use the Writing Style Guide and follow formatting when writing and posting content to the City’s website and social media pages. The guide is a reference tool. We recommend you review the guide and know where to find key information when you need it. Please, feel free to take notes and highlight what’s useful. You can always print another copy! During a crisis or surprise situation, the public information officer (PIO) has a planning tool available called a Message Matrix to talk through what the City can share at that point in time and in the future. The Message Matrix was provided this year by the City’s insurance carrier, Washington Cities Insurance Authority, during staff training. Public messaging takes time, preparation, and pulling the right people together quickly. Fortunately, the City has the staff and tools available to get ahead of the curve and tell the City’s story. The City also has a Continuity of Operations Plan in place to guide response during a wide-scale emergency. The guide is built to provide guidance and address common errors seen in City written materials. The goal of the guide is to provide the tools to create a consistent, professional presentation in all City communication. T Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 3 of 19 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION – Page 1 WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE ― Pages 3-5 COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS ― Pages 5-7 MEDIA ROUTING PROCEDURE ― Page 8 WHEN TO CALL THE PIO ― Page 8 CITY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ― Page 10 CITY LOGO USE, PERMISSION PROCESS TO USE LOGO ― Page 10 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION/SHOUT OUTS ― Page 11 CONSISTENCY TEMPLATES ― Page 12-16 MESSAGING MATRIX TOOL FOR CRISIS COMMUNICATION OR OTHER ISSUES ― Page 17 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 4 of 19 3 City of Moses Lake Writing Style Guide These apply to all written materials, print and digital, created for the public and employees of Moses Lake. Acronyms, Abbreviations and Credentials • Spell out on first use with acronym in parenthesis, e.g. Moses Lake Police Department (MLPD), Moses Lake Fire Department (MLFD). • When using professional credentials, set them off with commas (e.g. Jack Carr, P.E.) • Only list the state with a city name if the city is not located in Washington (ex: Chicago, Illinois). • Do not use industry jargon in City communications and reports to Council or other advisory boards and committees, including external newsletters, citywide communication, and webpages. • Titles are capitalized if before a name and not set apart by commas (City Engineer Richard Law) • Titles are lowercase if after a name and set apart by commas (Jane Anderson, director of community development). Applications of this rule may vary depending on the application. • Do not abbreviate words in a description. Abbreviations can be used in the body of a document, e.g. St., Blvd., Rd., etc. Contact Information • Phone and fax numbers: Dashes, no parenthesis, spaces, or periods (ex: 509-764-3701) • Website address: No prefix of “www” or “http,” (ex. Cityofml.com) Department/Division Names • The following City abbreviations also need to be spelled out on first reference: • Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters (LEOFF), • Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC). Below are the most common: • Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCS) • City of Moses Lake Museum & Art Center (Museum on second reference) Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 5 of 19 4 Grammar/Style • Plurals • “The Police are” or “The Police Department is” • People (not persons) • Lowercase “internet” and “web” • Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Services Department (use “&” not “and”) • No oxford commas (unless it is required for the reader to understand the sentence) Prefixes • Nonprofit (no hyphen) • Non-emergency (with hyphen) • Do not use -ize as a suffix for verbs (e.g., instead of finalize, use “end” or “conclude”) • Do not use -wise to suffix words (ex: weatherwise) City Phrases/Events • City of Moses Lake on first reference, City can be used in second reference. • Alder Street Fill (downtown crossing over Moses Lake). • 9-1-1 (with dashes) Common City Words • Moses Lake Civic Center • Stormwater • Firefighter (one word) • Council is uppercase when referring to City Council as a proper noun Commonly Misused Words Accept, Except Accept: Consent to receive a thing offered: I would like to accept this honor. Agree to undertake an offered position or responsibility: I accept the challenge. Except • Preposition - Not including; other than: She would like one of each except anchovies. • Conjunction - Used before a statement that forms an exception to one just made: I would have gone for a run, except that I left my shoes at home. • Verb - Specify as not included in a category or group; exclude. Affect, Effect • Verb - Have an effect on; make a difference to. • Verb - Pretend to have or feel something. Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 6 of 19 5 • Noun - Emotion or desire, esp. as influencing behavior or action. Proper word use • Database • Afterward (not afterwards)  This also applies to backward, forward, toward, etc. • Daylight saving time (not daylight savings, no hyphen) • In regard to (not “in regards to”) Commonly Misspelled Words A Acceptable Accidentally Accommodate Accumulate Achievement Acquire Acquitted Advice Advise Affect B Beginning Beneficial Boundaries C Calendar Changeable Column Committed Conscience Conscious Consensus D Definite Definitely Desperate Discipline E Effect Equipment Exceed Existence Experience F Familiar Fiery Foreign G Gauge Grateful Guarantee Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 7 of 19 6 H Harass Height Hierarchy I Immediate Independent Indispensable J Judgement K Kernel Knowledge L Leisure Liaison Library License M Maintenance Maneuver Miniature Misspell N Neighbor Noticeable O Occasion Occasionally Occurrence P Parallel Personnel Possession Precede Privilege Q Quantity Questionnaire R Receive Receipt Recommend Referred Relevant S Seize Separate Sergeant Severely Specifically Succeed Succession T Transferring Twelfth U Unanimous Unnecessary Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 8 of 19 7 W Weather Weird Whether Copyrights • Copyrights on all City publications, including e-newsletters, should be “City of Moses Lake.” This ensures legal protection that may not cover departments or divisions. The City requires use of its own graphics and images unless purchased from a legitimate vendor. Permission to use non-City copywritten photos or graphics from outside sources must be obtained in writing. For purposes of copyrighted material, assume that any photos not generated or purchased by the City are copyrighted by a third party; accordingly, do not use photos downloaded from the internet or social media that have not been purchased by the City. Numbers • Spell out numbers below 10 (one, two, three, etc.) • Use numerical value if referring to time or dollar amounts • Only go to the decimals in a dollar amount if there are cents (e.g., $150.50, not $150.00) • Spell out millions, billions, etc. ($10 million) • Use full numerical value for amounts in the thousands ($10,000) • Use numerical figures for ages, percentages page numbers and sums of money (when using the “$” sign) Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 9 of 19 8 How the City PIO can help during media inquiries and to get the word out Please contact the PIO when news media calls and route any media calls or emails to the PIO. Never feel pressured to go on camera and or do a live radio interview. There is staff in place to help coordinate and facilitate an organized media response. The City PIO can offer support in media outreach and response, crisis communication, press release writing, copy editing, photography / videography, and graphic design. If you need help getting the word out, earlier is better. This helps ensure you get the best reach for your message and there is adequate time to edit, fact check, create graphics and/or find or shoot photos. Studies have shown more people will read your message when there is a photo, graphic or video included. Please set aside time for a project meeting with the PIO in advance of your communication effort. Background on your issue is appreciated too. Media and public outreach for nonpolicy related work for City elected officials The PIO is not permitted to help with nonpolicy related outreach for the Mayor and City Council Members. The PIO is not permitted to campaign for the City’s elected officials. PIO contact information: Lynne Lynch Email: llynch@cityofml.com Desk: 509-764-3706 Cell: 509-793-0790 City resources for communication Local events and meetings are now highlighted on the large computer screen outside the Museum / Visitor Information Center. If your events or meetings are on the website calendar, they will automatically appear on the large screen. City websites Cityofml.com Tourmoseslake.com Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 10 of 19 9 City social media pages Facebook accounts Moses Lake Municipal Government Moses Lake Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Moses Lake Creative District City of Moses Lake, WA Surf ‘n Slide Water Park Moses Lake Police Department City of Moses Lake Visitor Information Moses Lake Police Department’s Lost and Found Pets Instagram accounts Moses Lake Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Tour Moses Lake Twitter accounts Moses Lake Police Department Tour Moses Lake TikTok account Moses Lake Police Department YouTube Tour Moses Lake Consistency templates Consistency templates for press releases, road work Public Service Announcements, Public Drone Announcements and business letters have been developed for citywide communications. For public viewing, copies can also be found at the end of this document. The following fonts and sizes are being used: City business letters: Times New Roman 12 Press releases: Calibri 12 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 11 of 19 10 Website body copy: Times New Roman 11. This may change with the redesign of the City’s website that is currently underway. It is expected a “Voice of the City” font and language style will be established once the website redesign is complete. Translation requirements: Moses Lake’s demographics include significant population that is non-English speaking. Staff are encouraged to think about the audience for their work and pursue translation of documents. The PIO can assist. Translators have been identified for: Spanish and Russian. City logos The City’s logos and variations are found below and can be obtained by request to the appropriate department for internal use. Outside use may be requested in writing. In all instances, the reason for requesting the logo need to be included. Alterations that obstruct wording or original colors are not permitted. Coming soon – Creative District Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 12 of 19 11 Employee recognition – Shout Outs Is there a special employee you would like to honor? Coordinate with your department head and submit a Shout Out nomination to the City’s Public Information Officer. You don’t have to be a supervisor to nominate staff. Be sure to include the employee’s name, title, and a few sentences on why they deserve recognition. A photo is great too. Shout-Outs are emailed internally to all staff and the City Council and used for the employee bi-weekly/This Week report. Shout Outs can be emailed separately from the bi-weekly if the issue is time sensitive. Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 13 of 19 12 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 14 of 19 13 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 15 of 19 14 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 16 of 19 15 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 17 of 19 16 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 18 of 19 17 Document Ref: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Page 19 of 19 Signature Certificate Reference number: SRQGR-U42RG-GLVJ5-EK2VQ Document completed by all parties on: 11 Aug 2022 21:53:12 UTC Page 1 of 1 Signer Timestamp Signature Mayor Dean Hankins Email: dhankins@cityofml.com Recipient Verification: Sent:10 Aug 2022 23:25:42 UTC Viewed:11 Aug 2022 21:29:30 UTC Signed:11 Aug 2022 21:30:44 UTC ✔Email verified 11 Aug 2022 21:29:30 UTC IP address: 136.143.151.109 Location: Moses Lake, United States Debbie Burke Email: dburke@cityofml.com Recipient Verification: Sent:10 Aug 2022 23:25:42 UTC Viewed:11 Aug 2022 19:38:38 UTC Signed:11 Aug 2022 21:53:12 UTC ✔Email verified 11 Aug 2022 19:38:38 UTC IP address: 63.135.54.162 Location: Moses Lake, United States Signed with PandaDoc PandaDoc is a document workflow and certified eSignature solution trusted by 30,000+ companies worldwide.