Boulder County's outreach challenges and solutions

In the early 21st century, outreach from institutions to private citizens faced a number of hurdles due to the changing landscape of communication, technology, and society. Conversations are often absent from our society as digital communication compresses our language to fit inside the very small footprint of social media and digital communication.

The hurdles can encompass information overload, communication preferences often dictated by one’s generation, a trust deficit in government institutions, unreliable internet access or digital literacy, language barriers, privacy concerns, and a perception that government outreach equates to propaganda due to our politically polarized society. Moreover, the proliferation of unsolicited communication, such as spam, and deceptive and fraudulent activities like scams further complicate matters

For instance, within Boulder County, residents have access to a multitude of communication channels including at least seven local magazines, six television stations, and 13 social media and online sites. This landscape is further complicated by the presence of local email newsletters and social media from municipalities and state, national, and international sources. The combination of digital communication and the complexity of coordinating among the 20 departments and 29 boards that comprise our Boulder County government creates a challenge.

The county tries to overcome this by using several communication channels and avenues to reach residents. One strategy involves conducting public opinion surveys, the findings of which are made available on the county’s website. These survey results serve as valuable insights aiding the Boulder County Commissioners in determining county policies, resource budgeting, and placement of initiatives on the ballot. Boulder County residents can opt into emails and SMS texts to receive the commissioners’ agendas, county-wide news, county-sponsored events, and Boulder County’s social media site. To sign up, go to Bouldercounty.gov/government/news.

Andrew Barth, the Communications Manager for Public Works within Boulder County’s Transportation Department, said, “Each county department has their own communications person who handles public outreach. For Public Works, I start with the website as the ‘home base’ for all information.”

For road projects, Barth creates and maintains a project webpage throughout construction. The larger projects usually start with one or two public meetings to gather feedback. He also utilizes postcards or letters to residents in the affected area, news releases, emails, and posts on the county’s calendar and community calendars such as the Daily Camera, and Hometown Weekly, and social media posts such as Nextdoor, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).

Barth also advocates for old-fashioned approaches such as flyers at community gathering places like coffee shops and post offices and sharing messages with town and city governments to distribute through their established channels. Barth aims to get the information in as many places as possible, but he says, “The county website is typically the best source for all county-related information.”

How do we participate in and with our government while juggling work, home, children, and personal time? One Colorado city engineer proposed making outreach a compulsory requirement like jury duty, the right to which is enshrined in the Constitution's 6th and 7th Amendments. As a result, the mechanisms to compensate people for their time and a selection process are already in place. This process would result in a qualified panel reflecting the community’s socio-economic diversity, dedicating time to converse and engage in discussions with multiple departments exchanging information.

Given the absence of this requirement presently, residents can proactively engage with their government through various means. They can opt for reliable sources of information from government websites, sign up for email or text notifications from government agencies, engage in community meetings and events, follow social media wisely, and fact-check questionable information from reputable sources like Factcheck.org or Snopes.com. Additionally, residents can become involved by joining civic organizations or volunteering for committees or boards.

Taking a proactive and selective approach to the sources and channels one engages in will help navigate some of the communication overload we experience and allow us to be part of our government.