Submitted by: Cindy Zork
Submitting Department: Communications
Agenda Section: Consent
Item Title:
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Selection of CitizenLab as the City's Online Engagement Platform
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Suggested Action:
recommendation
I move the Mayor and Council authorize the City Administrator to enter into a contract with CitizenLab at a cost not to exceed $10,000 for a one-year contract for the purposes of implementing a new online engagement platform, upon the review and approval of the City Attorney for legal sufficiency. This contract is to be funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and will support outreach efforts for ARPA programming.
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Summary Background:
From 2017-2019 the City utilized an online engagement platform, Speak Up, HVL. It was a successful platform for the City; however, it was discontinued due to issues with spam on the site. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated closures of in-person activities highlighted the need for a variety of ways for residents to connect with the City of Hyattsville government. As we move towards a more hybrid model of community engagement, the City Communications Team has identified a renewed need for a comprehensive digital engagement platform.
This tool is intended to supplement traditional ways of information gathering in order to reach an audience beyond those who are be able to attend in-person meetings. An ideal platform will provide a variety of input methods so community members can learn from and communicate with each other. Timelines and the ability to archive notes, images, videos, and data would give a historical reference for projects that may take several years from inception to completion.
The Communications Team, along with the American Rescue Plan Program Manager and members of the Community and Economic Development Team interviewed three providers to select a platform. The platforms evaluated were Social Pinpoint, Bang the Table, and CitizenLab. When reviewing the options, the group prioritized t...
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