Council hears communications overhaul and 'DevelopPerry' site to attract retailers and investors

City staff presented several communications and economic-development initiatives aimed at promoting Perry to retailers and investors and increasing transparency with residents.

Kate described social-media gains and a new marketing push: Autumn has posted 46 items on the city’s Facebook page since Dec. 16 and the account has recorded a "102%" increase in views with "384,391 total views" since that date, Kate said. The city is targeting about three posts per week to maintain engagement without overwhelming followers.

Staff also previewed a new DevelopPerry landing page intended for trade shows and retail-convention outreach. The site features drone footage, property listings, image galleries and a contact form; staff plan to supply additional traffic and demographic metrics before a planned developer outreach at an industry conference. Kate said the city is working with Hartland Forward as a consultant to provide benchmarking and market data that will be incorporated into the site to help prospective tenants and retailers compare Perry to peer communities.

Council members discussed making the strategic plan more public-facing by listing high-level pillars on the website and moving detailed tactical items to internal documents. Members supported continuing biannual town halls and creating an annual "state of the city" presentation to highlight accomplishments and "celebrate wins." Staff agreed to draft a concise adoptable version of the strategic plan for the next meeting and to prepare materials that would help departments better communicate progress and upcoming events via the city calendar and social channels.

No formal action was taken; staff will return with a draft strategic-plan summary for adoption and with follow-up materials for the DevelopPerry site and outreach campaign.