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F~..~ASE# I <br /> <br />CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE TO RAMSEY RESIDENT NEWSLETTER <br /> Linda Waite Smith, Administrative Services Manager <br /> <br />Background: <br />Section 12.13 of the Ramsey City Charter states: "A newsletter shall be published by the <br />city at regular intervals at least six times each year. The postal roll for the city shall be <br />used for the distribution." <br /> <br />Currently this requirement is met by priming the Ramsey Resident seven or eight times <br />per year, plus special editions as needed, as in the case of severe storm damage. The <br />publishers of the ,4ndover,/lnoka, Ramsey Times are asking the City Council to consider <br />using their newspaper to print City information rather than printing a separate newsletter. <br />Representatives of the newspaper will appear at the November 24, 1998, Finance <br />Committee meeting to explain their proposal. <br /> <br />Observations <br />The average Ramsey Resident newsletter is 12 pages. Occasionally, 16 pages are <br />required. Several times each year the newsletter contains an insert such as the Chamber <br />of Commerce magazine or a mail-in survey form. <br /> <br />The newsletter is assembled by City staff, printed by Speedy Copy of Ramsey, and <br />delivered by the US Postal Service. <br /> <br />The 1999 proposed budget for the newsletter is $31,105. Of that amount, $11,500 is for <br />printing costs for 6,500 copies; $7,000 is for bulk rate postage; and $12,405 is for staff <br />time to gather information, edit it, and lay it out on the computer so it is print ready. <br /> <br />The Administrative Services Manager acquires or writes the articles, edits copy and <br />approves final layout. Clerical staff members type all the articles and do the layout. <br />Additional staff time is required to deliver the newsletter to the printer and to pick up the <br />finished newsletters and deliver them to the post office. <br /> <br />Over the past three years, the content of the newsletter has focused more and more on <br />information specifically for City residents. Also, a number of community groups, the <br />elementary school and nonprofit organizations utilize the newsletter as a means of getting <br />their messages to the public. Realtors and the local welcome service use issues of the <br />newsletter to acquaint potential home buyers and new residents with the City. Copies of <br />the newsletter are sent to job finalists for City positions and sometimes to prospective <br />businesses. <br /> <br /> <br />