Agenda - Economic Development Authority - 03/10/2022

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Member Johnson stated that she understands the purpose of not allowing public comments, as one negative experience from someone does not necessarily need to be shared. She stated that younger people use Instagram much more than Facebook and therefore if this is going to be done, it should be a dual account. Economic Development Manager Sullivan confirmed that staff could look into that. Member MacLennan agreed that it would be important to reach out to the younger crowd as well. He stated that the ability to not have public comment is important, noting that posts often get ugly on the Ramsey Community Facebook page. Member Steffen stated that he understands the intent. He stated that the City of Ramsey Facebook page already has 5,600 followers and advertises for EDA events. He stated that he would prefer to stay with that method rather than creating more work to get less attention. Economic Development Manager Sullivan agreed it would be more work but stated that it would also allow posts to be more targeted. He stated that perhaps some Ramsey businesses are not following the City page because of the general posts that do not apply to them. He stated that if it is not successful, they could take the page down. He stated that there was a company that the City completed a spotlight on and there were a number of residents that did not have a positive experience with the business and therefore provided negative comments. He stated that this would be a way to highlight businesses without allowing opportunity for people to provide negative comments. He stated that he does not feel strongly that they have to pursue this option, as it was just an idea. Chairperson Olson stated that his wife has a social media business and in order to have an effective social media presence requires constant effort, otherwise it would go dormant. He believed that the time needed to make it successful may be underestimated. He stated that he does see value in going to social media as tentacles from the City website, with the City website remaining as the main information source. He stated that allowing comments can be dangerous, but perhaps there is an ability for someone to provide a comment or reach out through messenger. Economic Development Manager Sullivan stated that he would include his contact information on the page and could also include a representative from the EDA if desired. He stated that the goal is not to provide communication, but not to facilitate discussion in a public manner. Member Johnson commented that at different times of the year businesses would offer different specials and perhaps businesses could submit their information to be shared on the EDA page. Economic Development Manager Sullivan stated that he would lean towards not doing that as it would be difficult to provide direct advertising for a specific business. He stated that the City offers advertising through the Ramsey Resident at a set price. He noted that he also does not want to create that additional work for staff to sift through requests to create advertisements for the Facebook page. Economic Development Authority/ February 10, 2022 Page 9 of 13