Marshfield Aldermen Consider Full-Time Communications Coordinator Position
Wednesday, August 29th, 2018 -- 8:54 AM
(WDLB) -Marshfield aldermen are being asked to hire a full-time Communications Coordinator to oversee the city's online presence, all press releases and the public access cable T.V channels.A special Communication Committee made that recommendation to the Common Council last night. Mayor Bob McManus put the group together, and told the Council a Communications Coordinator would be cheaper than the current system of contracting with a private media group to operate Marshfield Community Television, or M-C-T-V.
"We're currently budgeted, or currently planning on spending, $276,073.52. We could actually go down to $203,850, thereby saving $72,000 a year, 26.5% savings, and yet we're adding service."
Besides overseeing M-C-T-V, McManus said the Communications Coordinator would serve as the city's web master, and would oversee the city's Facebook page, provide weekly city updates, write, edit and distribute news releases for local and area media outlets, and develop a City of Marshfield mobile app. City Administrator Steve Barg reminded the Council that the position would not be funded with tax dollars. The position would utilize the current franchise fee paid to the city by Charter Spectrum, which currently goes to Tri-Media to operate M-C-T-V.
"A lot of communities, if they don't use it specifically for their cable TV operations, they use it for something related to communications of a public nature."
With Aldermen Peter Hendler and Rebecca Spiros absent, The Common Council voted 8-to-nothing to send the recommendation of hiring a Communications Coordinator to the city's Finance-and-Budget Committee for further fiscal analysis.
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