Panama City charter board discusses outreach: town halls, hybrid events and wider notice

The Charter Review Advisory Board discussed how to reach residents during the charter review process, weighing low-cost options such as piggybacking on existing city town halls against stand-alone events and targeted outreach.

Board members proposed a mix of in-person and digital engagement: holding town halls in the city hall rotunda, streaming meetings to YouTube, providing hybrid access for remote participants, and scheduling outreach sessions in neighborhood venues. Staff said city broadcasts are streamed and posted, and recommended combining in-person events with online promotion.

"We really do. The text alerts... that's about 17,000 accounts that that are getting those," a staff member said, describing the city's existing notification channels for water-account holders and other alerts. Staff identified the rotunda Saturday town halls and the monthly "Monday morning with the manager" meetings as potential places to "piggyback" outreach to broaden participation without creating new budget costs.

Board members asked for help reaching residents who do not normally track public notices. Suggestions included social media posts, email newsletters, text alerts tied to utility accounts, posting information on the city website and working with civic groups and churches. Staff said radio PSAs would require a budget, but social media and text alerts are already in use and more effective for engagement.

Some members urged patience: one argued that a large education push is most effective after the board produces draft recommendations, while others favored early "soft" outreach to raise awareness of the review process. The board agreed to pursue a hybrid approach and to coordinate with the city manager's office to test a pilot event attached to an upcoming town hall.

Staff agreed to return with outreach options and sample promotional language for the board's next meeting.