The Challenge

As the City of Richland continues to experience rapid growth across its residential community and business sector, the demand for high-quality services and transparent communication has increased. In 2022, the City conducted a National Community Survey to gauge resident sentiment on local government services, transparency and more. While many responses were positive, results showed that just 5% of residents rated public information services as “excellent,” and only 38% felt the City was doing a “good” or “excellent” job with “being open and transparent to the public.” These results highlighted the need for a more strategic approach to communications.

Our Approach

The City Council adopted a 2024-2026 Strategic Plan that prioritized increased public engagement and transparent information. Following the adoption, the City Council authorized a contract with Tripepi Smith to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the City’s current communication strategies, procedures and tools.

Tripepi Smith began the Full Communications Assessment in September 2024 by meeting with key City staff to align on objectives and gather background information. From there, Tripepi Smith developed an engagement strategy rooted in qualitative and quantitative metrics.

To better understand Richland’s communications landscape, Tripepi Smith conducted 24 virtual interviews with City staff, councilmembers and community stakeholders throughout September and October 2024. These conversations focused on the perceived quality and value of Richland’s various communication tactics and platforms.

Concurrently, Tripepi Smith conducted a detailed audit of all digital communication platforms, including website analytics, social media performance and email metrics. The assessment compared industry best practices to Richland’s current practices for accessibility and engagement.

The in-depth research and data analysis contributed to a Full Communications Assessment that highlighted strengths, identified areas for improvement and outlined recommendations to align communication and engagement efforts with the City’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan.

Results

The Full Communications Assessment (over 100 pages) provided the City with a comprehensive understanding of its current communication practices and areas for growth. Tripepi Smith used the findings of the assessment to develop a Strategic Communications and Engagement Plan, outlining key priorities and actions to align efforts with the City’s Strategic Plan. The three-year plan provides the City with a detailed, step-by-step roadmap to achieving its communication and engagement goals.

Key outcomes include:

  • 43 actionable objectives to implement over three years, organized under overarching goals like solidifying Richland’s brand and identity, improving media relations and outreach and increasing proactive communication. The plan includes tailored recommendations aligned with the City’s size, capacity and demographics, along with structured steps to strengthen internal coordination and collaboration.
  • A clear baseline to help the City measure ongoing success and identify future goals and objectives based on progress over time.

By taking a data-driven and collaborative approach, Richland is now better positioned to effectively tell its story, engage with residents and build stronger relationships.