Mission

The City of Wauwatosa Communications Division strives to develop, sustain, and improve communications and engagement with residents, businesses, prospective residents, news media, employees, partner organizations, and other governments.

The Communications Division is staffed by the Deputy City Administrator, Communications Manager, Communications Specialist, and periodically with an intern(s). This team works in concert with the Public Information Officers at the Fire and Police Departments, in addition to subject matter experts across the city. 

Roles

The Mayor serves as spokesperson for the city. In the Mayor’s absence, the Council President serves in this capacity. The Communications Manager, Communications Specialist, and Public Information Officers at the Police and Fire Departments also serve as Public Information Officers for the city. Numerous directors and mid-level managers who are subject matter experts may be called upon to engage in communications efforts on a case by case basis. The news media should direct all media inquiries to a Public Information Officer. Elected and appointed officials serve as communications ambassadors to help spread key messages.

Communications Work

We strive for excellence in communications to all audiences. Providing professional and coordinated communication is essential to quality customer service and maintaining a positive image of our community. We want to communicate identified key issues, policy decisions made, and actions taken by the Common Council effectively, as well as consistently share information on core services. 

Best Practices In Government Communication

• Increase awareness: strengthen outgoing information about city policies, programs, and services to all audiences. Utilize communications ambassadors to disseminate city communications.
• Foster engagement: encourage and enable residents and businesses to participate in government by enhancing opportunities for engagement. 
• Provide access: reduce barriers to communication in order to reach the broadest audience possible. 
• Enhance transparency: conduct business in the open and make information about the city’s business, services, policies, and procedures easily available. 
• Reinforce credibility: provide honest and responsive communications that will help build trust and credibility with our audiences. 

Foundations and Values

• Clear & Direct: use the most straightforward language, explain technical terms, limit jargon, and provide background information to ensure that communications are understandable and accessible to the widest possible audience.
• Humanizing government: show the face of government by connecting our staff to our community. This enhances customer service by building connection with the community we serve.
• Inclusive: city staff will work together as a team on communications efforts. A cooperative effort leads to better results.
• Keeping it positive: content that shares positive messages about Wauwatosa performs well.
• Listening & learning: we value two-way communication, providing information, and receiving feedback. We strive to listen to audiences, understand their needs, and address their concerns.
• Proactive & transparent: whenever possible, we provide information on issues as they come to light, ensuring the most accurate and complete information is available as soon as practicable. Open communication about city business, particularly policies, finances, and operations should be available to all. We strive to include our audiences at the right level of decision making, from soliciting input, to encouraging service on the boards, committees, and commissions that advise the Common Council and city staff on a variety of topics. 

Legal and Ethical Considerations

In addition to the aspirations the city has for communications, there are other considerations that guide us, including operating within the established policies of the City of Wauwatosa and Wisconsin Open Meetings law. The Communications Division best serves the public interest by providing complete and unbiased information to residents on issues before the Common Council and to act as responsible advocates for the policy decisions made by the Council. We aim to provide the data and reasoning behind policy decisions so that residents can understand how and why decisions are made. Our audiences should be informed about issues before they reach the Council. Another common challenge of government communication is not placing the desires of one elected official ahead of the majority. Our work as a city represents the action of the majority of council members as determined by vote. 

Target Audiences

• Residents – the highest priority target audience.
• Businesses – including the associated daytime population of employees and visitors.
• City employees – employees are the mainstay of any organization. The city employs approximately 500 individuals with diverse skill sets who are responsible for providing various services. Increasing awareness among our employees benefits the city and target audiences.
• Wauwatosa boards, committees, commissions and volunteers – over 150 individuals volunteer to serve the City of Wauwatosa. They are already serving as communications ambassadors and can help the city increase our communications reach in the community.
• News media – media is an important target audience. Although media demographics have substantially shifted over the past few years, they are still a source of information for our target audiences.
• Other government agencies & partners – effective communication includes our government partners, such as the county and school district, as well as other partner agencies, such as business districts and the chamber of commerce.
• Tourists - Wauwatosa has an active tourism economy. Tourists are a key audience, but tourism messaging, marketing, and communications are delegated to the Tourism Commission and Tourism Division. 

The City of Wauwatosa is committed to transparent and timely communication and regularly evaluates opportunities to strengthen its outreach and communication efforts. As with all City services, communication activities are balanced with available resources, staffing, and community needs.