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Home My WebLink About09/04/2012 11A Council General Information BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT 1/ Item No. For Meeting of: September 4, 2012 ITEM TITLE: Council General Information SUBMITTED BY: CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE: SUMMARY EXPLANATION: 1. Weekly Issues Report 2. City Meeting Schedule for week of August September 3 -10, 2012 3. Preliminary Future Activities Calendar as of September 3, 2012 4. Preliminary Council Agenda 5. 2012 Study Session Schedule 6. Newspaper /Magazine /Internet Articles: * "Small- business customer service tools: Social media, surveys," USAToday corn, August 29, 2012 Resolution Ordinance Other (specify) Contract: Mail to: Contract Term: Amount: Expiration Date: Insurance Required? No Funding Source: Phone: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD /COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Click to download C3 9-4 info • MEMORANDUM August 30, 2012 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Tony O'Rourke, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Issues Report • CITY OFFICES CLOSED: In observance of Labor Day, City offices will be closed on Monday, September 3 Refuse will run a day behind with Monday pickups on Tuesday and Friday pickups on Saturday. • GFI STEERING COMMITTEE: This Committee (Adkison, Ettl, and Coffey) will be meeting on Thursday, September 6 at 4:00 p.m. at Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health. • YAKIMA REGIONAL FIRE AUTHORITY: This Committee (Cawley, Adkison, and Coffey) will be meeting on Thursday, September 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Fire Station 95. CITY MEETING SCHEDULE For September 3, 2012 — September 10, 2012 Please note: Meetings are subject to change Monday, September 3 • CITY OFFICES CLOSED Tuesday, September 4 9:00 a.m. City Council Media Briefing — Council Chambers 10:00 a.m. County Commissioners Agenda meeting — Council Chambers 5:30 p.m. City Council Executive Session — Council. Chambers 6:00 p.m. City Council meeting — Council Chambers Wednesday, September 5 Thursday, September 6 9:00 a.m. Hearing Examiner — Council Chambers 3:00 p.m. Bid Opening — Council Chambers 3:30 p.m. YAKCorps Executive Board meeting — CED Conference Room 4:00 p.m. GFI Steering Committee meeting — CWCMH 6:00 p.m. Yakima Regional Fire Authority — Station 95 Friday, September 7 8:00 a.m. Sister City meeting — CED Conference Room Monday, September 10 8:30 a.m. Pension Board meetings — HR Conference Room 3:30 p.m. Civil Service Commission meeting — Council Chambers Office Of Mayor/City Cou Preliminary Future Activities Calendar Please Note: Meetings are subject to change Mon. Sept. 3 HOLIDAY - CITY FACILITIES CLOSED Tue. Sept. 4 S:DOa.nn. City Council Media Briefing Scheduled Meeting Ensey Council Chambers 12:00 p.m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Adkison TBD Coffey 5:30 p.m. City Council Executive Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers Session 6:00 ".rn Ci CnunoilMaetin* Scheduled MeeUn" Council Council Chambers Thur. Sept. 6 8.00 a m. Joint Admin & 911 Scheduled Meeting Lover Fire Station 9 - Toppenish Operations Meeting 3 YAKCORPS Executive Board Meeting Lover CED Conference Room Board 4:00 p.m. GFI Steering Committee Scheduled Meeting Cofhey, Adkison, CWCMH Meeting Ed| 8^. p.m. Yakima Regional Fire Scheduled Meeting Caw|ey, Cofhey, Station 95 Authorit Adkiyon _--_-__'-_-___-_______� -__�___ ^ -___-_ Fri. Sept. 7 800 a.nn. SiebarCit Meetin. Schadu|ed��eodin° Adkison CEO��onfenynoaRnonn Mon. Sept. 10 8:30 o.nn. Pension Board Meetings Board Meeting Coffey Human Resources Conference Room Tue. Sept. 11 10:00 a.nn. City Council Study Session Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers 12:00 p.m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Adkison, TBD Enoe ��'��_��'��_�� ''�� „��_��_�'�� Wed. Sept. 12 3:30 p.m. YakirnaP|anning Scheduled Meeting EnSey Council Chambers Commission 5:30 p.m. Parks Commission Meeting Scheduled Meeting Adkison Council Chambers Thur. Sept. 13 1 Harman Center Board Board Meeting Adkison Harman Center Meeting 2 Yakima Regional Clean Air Scheduled Meeting Lover Council Chambers Meeting 5 YC Adkison New Vision Office ====' Mon. Sept. 17 10:00 a.m. City Council Media Briefing Scheduled Meeting Coffey Council Chambers Tue. Sept. 18 II 12:00 p.m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Adkison TBD 5.30 p.m. (T) City Council Executive Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers Session 6:00 p.m. City Council Meetin Schedule Meeting Council Council Chambers Wed. Sept. 19 12.00 p.m. PAL Board Meeting Board Meeting Coffey PAL Center 3:30 p.m. Arts Commission Scheduled Meeting Adkison CED Conference Room Sat. Sept. 22 1:00 p.m. Kiwanis Park Grand Scheduled Event Open Kiwanis Park O.enin. Mon. Sept. 24 12:00 p m. Capitol Theatre Board Board Meeting Bristol Capitol Theatre , Meeting 12:00 p.m Greenway Board Meeting Board Meetin• Ettl Greenwa Visitors Center Tue. Sept. 25 10:00 a.m. City Council Study Session Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers 12:00 p.m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Adkison TBD Wed. Sept. 26 12 00 p m YVVCB Board Meeting Board Meeting Adkison Holiday Inn 5:30 p m Historic Preservation Scheduled Meeting Bristol Council Chambers Commission PRELIMINARY FUTURE COUNCIL AGENDA September 11 10:00 a.m. City Council Study Session — Council Chambers • Parking Commission and downtown issues September 18 (T) 5:00 p.m. Executive Session — Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. . Business Meeting — Council Chambers • Resolution supporting the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan • Resolution amending Article III, Section 2 of the Employees' Welfare Benefit Program; adding a voting member for the AFSCME and management groups; moving AFSCME Transit from a non - voting to a voting member; removing YPPA to non - voting member; and creating a provision for alternate members • Report on changing residency requirements for boards and commissions • Resolution authorizing sole source purchase of a GO -4 vehicle 7.00 p.m. Public Hearing — Council Chambers 8/29/2012 2:58 PM 2012 STUDY SESSION SCHEDULE Council Chambers 10:00 a.m. September 11 Parking Commission Future and downtown plans • Parking revenue • Downtown events • Assessment collection • 4 Street Plaza September 25 Mill site October 9 City /County Joint meeting — jail issues October 23 Trails and pathways October 30 North 1 Street and signage issues November 13 Stormwater 8/29/2012 2:58 PM Small- business customer service tools: Social media, surveys — USATODAY.com. , - _. Page.1 of•5 Money Subscribe Mobile Google USA TODAY stories, photos and more Sipe in � 13er:ome u mrrmber Join US . ; p a brr � F� d " do, Home I News I Travel I Money Sports I Life I Tech I Weather L ney Markets I Economy I Personal Finance I Stocks I Mutual Funds I ETFs I Cars I Real Estate I Small Business f 'a 4 �i r " � +o f' �a� £#> ki r-s YL�1 `F �Y, t!' ' emu .g. �, S45ft's i s^ AND HELPSYOUSTAY`AHEAD . v p w ,,: 'T -::`t , - ® GET A QUOTE: (S ( DJIA 13,107 48 1 +4 49 ( NASDAQ 3,081 19 ♦ +4 05 I S &P 500 1,410 49 a +1 19 as of 04'30 PM sponsored EFFICIENT SMALL BUSINESS Coverage Video by About Videos Resources Small- business customer service tools: Social Videos you may be Interested in media, surveys .�. t � . & , By Scott Martin, USA TODAY u pdated 3410 a" a ^ "uxry r ' i _ ; m . 271 "' # Recommend 77 Tweet, _ i.t= `� -',,. i t;°;"!, Listen' Curiosity Social media take Boost sends audio from over RNC Testosterone Le Reprints S permi surface of Mars evervdN111oslvles.coi "5 sy - t ; •3 r More a viideos yin v +j r m C, 5if2.S l i t i : ` ' P ' ': , ;t: ,' f . '.,' ' -1. c;... :' . :•.; . ;.'''' ;.: i'' : i y d • , g T�HEMALLBU l` , as - • V 1NtTHTHEBES,TTECHNOLOGY °' . .....- ,-,.•:,...:,..,...,...t..,„..:....... . .. GETTHE•coMPETirtyEEDGE _ , ... 'fay t i t r , 'wl7HMONTHELYDlscoli'rs 4 START .. ,. ` s 3 . '�� -. .. .e � a €t Litam Mare Y ,, O 0A, yerizerl . Efficient Srttali . 'Most Popular u rte ee . . Y. - • ' Stories ... _....:: . - -_ .. t : 5 7 . ears turn nan a Jackson Hole. All t to Ber k 's J ks H I #.: v ..:t„„ r ` V „," q 73.~:. P „ 4}, , r _- ._ " , m- ". K m 't ; t ` a t> w {s H E • Thieves steal Dr Phil's classic Chevrolet Consumer confidence falls in August, job. Government sets strict fuel - economy goal of. Small businesses are using technology to help them operate more efficiently and cost- Apps now key to small-business savings effectively in an increasingly competitive environment. Each Monday, USA TODAY Videos looks at new ways companies are gaining an innovative edge in a tough economy. Gannett LIVE Video. Channel 3.1 Raw video Hurricane Isaac sweeps in NOLA Gannett LIVE Video: Channel 4.1 SAN FRANCISCO — Happy Goat has a cult following among caramel lovers, but it doesn't know whether its Photos high -end sweets will appeal to the palates and wallets of Fawlty Towers nude resort people everywhere in the U S What's hot and what's not in back -to- school fashion Robin Roberts So the candymaker has turned to people far from its kitchen here to learn where taste buds might bite for its Most Popular E - mail Newsletter handmade caramels and sauce, crafted from the milk of goats. Instead of hiring an expensive consulting company Sign up to get: or tackling a months -long customer survey, the three- Top viewed stones, photo galleries and community posts of Martin E. Klimek, for USA TODAY the day sappy Goat CEO Michael Wnnike mixes a batch person candy concern turned to SurveyMonkey, an online of caramel in a test kitchen at his parent's house provider of surveys. Most popular right now in Menlo Park Calif http: / /www.usatoday.com/money /smallbusiness /story/ 2012 -08 -26 /efficient - small- business -... 8/29/2012 Small - business customer service tools: Social media, surveys — USATODAY.com Page 2 of 5 Online surveys and social -media information have Hurricane Isaac pounds Ads by Google Louisiana, water pours over levee become the de facto research tools of the digital era's fast Plans for Small Business - moving small businesses. Proponents say such surveys l e` Fmd out why so many small — which used to require a lot of time and money — are businesses choose UnitedHealthcare'.) � now cheap, quick and do -it- yourself online. F'V �R UHC.com /Sma1I5usiness Restaurant Equipment Deal VIDEO: See how entrepreneurs use online tools to tap Stock Your t.itchen Or Restaurant into what their customers want Sign up for USA TODAY Emell newsletters Buy From Mission RS 8 Save Today' STORY' Small businesses turn to apps to help manage " - � www MIssionRS corn tasks, save time Business Plan Template STORY: Social -media tools can boost small business With My Fill-In -Tree- Blanks Template productivity USATODAYMONEY on Twitter Personalize. Print and You're Done' Growth 1k comleusinassPlnnTemolate That's driving a growing industry for online surveys, which . I ' last year climbed 4%o from 2010 to $2.4 billion worth of fy i Follow us on business in the U S., according to industry tracker Inside Research. In fact, the online survey space is crowded with other players, including SurveyGizmo, Qualtrics and Google Consumer Surveys. t Happy Goat founder and "chief executive goat" Michael Winnike, 29, wants to expand his For the latest Money news, follow USATODAYMONEY On Twitter caramel business beyond its roots in specialty markets and figures not everyone in the U S will pony up for feel -good caramel just because it is not subjected to pesticides, MONEY growth hormones or antibiotics. - -- USA TODAY Digital Services The company, which also has an online store, wants to grow from an estimated $250,000 Mobile! E- in sales this year to about $1 million in the next 18 months, and boost its distribution Newsletters j RSS Twitter I Podcasts I Widgets le- presence from 500 retail stores to 2,000 Winnike is counting on customer. surveys, in part, Edition j USA TODAY for iPad (Kindle Edition I Subscribe to.Home Delivery to help guide that expansion. Reprints & Permissions j USA TODAY Topics I Reporter Index I Corrections /Clarifications I Contact Us 1 Archives "It's given us access to information that we wouldn't get by other means." says VVinnike. That data, he says, will help Happy Goat determine which retail chains should carry.its caramel. "Unless we can get our product to a price point and packaging point that can service those chains, we'll never get in those places." ' Survey results also showed Winnike that shoppers care more about the flavor and quality of his confections than his caramel's use of organic and all- natural ingredients. "Play up - - the premium and the flavor and quality — that's what.it's telling us," he says. Happy Goat is just one of hundreds of small businesses a� � �," - �x� using SurveyMonkey to glean valuable customer data. � t , „ 7 Founded in 1999, SurveyMonkey has 14 million registered users. Members can create survey questions ei , to quickly post on blogs, websites, Facebook or Twitter 1401 , a " You ' re creating the data and analyzing it says e k' f SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg. Its a really big t �� r space helping people make decisions." ... .......... �.... _ .k .........._ Sizing surveys VIDEO Small busineses are using soical media systems to help boost productivity Men's clothing website Bonobos, like Happy Goat, has relied on customer input to build its business. Bonobos, launched in 2007 as a company committed to eliminating "khaki diaper butt" from men's pants, specializes in using customer feedback to design better - fitting clothes. In the old world of men's couture, apparel makers hired fitting models to check measurements. But Bonobos turned to Provo, Utah, start-up Qualtrics to provide online surveys so that it could ask people about their sizing preferences. "From the beginning, having a customer dialogue has been a huge part of our growth," says Craig Elbert, vice president of performance marketing at Bonobos. "Our core DNA is we want to have a better fitting for guys." Bonobos worked with Qualtrics to survey "regular guys" for their feedback on top of using fitting models for trimmer shirt designs. "We're essentially letting them into the design process — that's different from the typical apparel industry " http:// www. usatoday. com /money /smallbusiness /story/2012 -08 -26 /efficient- small- business -... 8/29/2012 Small- business customer service tools: Social media, surveys — USATODAY.com Page 3 of 5 "We would ask things like, 'Do you wear your shirts untucked ?' Or 'How many buttons do • you leave undone ? "' Elbert says. All the feedback gathered is then provided to their technical designers. "The other piece we get is marketing language of how to describe that shirt," he says, because customers often give similar descriptions of a product. "We've made research quicker and easier to do, and put it in the hands of the small marketing team," says Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith. Now small businesses can "interact with the customer in a way that's not expensive or lethargic." Online surveys can even be used for broader strategy planning. "If a company was trying to figure out this Pinterest craze, they could do it on the cheap," says Forrester analyst Roxana Strohmenger, referring to the social - networking site for images. They could ask: "Has my audience changed in its reception to Pinterest?" Social listening Small businesses are learning from big companies, such as Starbucks, the value of mining social media, too. In fact, information learned from social media may be more accurate in some aspects than surveys, which some see as the old method for getting to know customers. The coffee behemoth taps into customer ideas with its website My Starbucks Idea, powered by Salesforce.com, that asks for ideas, then lets people vote on them. The Java giant has drummed up different flavors of drinks and turned criticism of watered - down coffee into the launch of a stronger brew by listening to its customers, says Forrester analyst Zach Hofer - Shall. Small businesses find tapping into social media particularly attractive because it can take the place of more expensive and time - consuming forms of research and development. Broomfield, Colo. -based Webroot is using social elements in its Web- and app -based security service to understand customers and serve them better "People can submit ideas for the product. Other people can comment on the idea and people can vote on it," says Catherine Buzzitta, manager of community and social programs for Webroot. These ideas then are submitted to the product team at Webroot, and "quite a few have been implemented," says Buzzitta. Monitoring what people are actually saying on social media can provide a more genuine reading of sentiment, says Hofer - Shall. Often, the questions asked in surveys — and how they are asked — can shade the respondent's replies. "The value of these unsolicited comments in social media is you hear what they want — rather than what you want them to want," he says. Social ninjas Some companies are using social - listening tools to ransack rivals' customers. Aquasana, a home water filtration company with about 60 employees, has researched the social -media interactions of its competitors' customers, including those of rival Brita. Aquasana has tapped social - listening tool NetBase to collect what people are saying across Twitter, Facebook, news sites, blogs, message boards and just about anywhere there's online conversation. The company's 'goal: "To find out what people did or didn't like about our competitor," and create campaigns to steer business to Aquasana, says Courtney Turner, the former social -media and community manager at the company, which is based in Haltom City, Texas. "Never before have marketers been able to really know what consumers think about all of their competitors in real time," says Lisa Joy Rosner, chief marketing officer of NetBase. http: / /www. usatoday .com /money /smallbusiness /story/ 2012 -08 -26 /efficient - small- business -... 8/29/2012 Small- business customer service tools: Social media, surveys — USATODAY.com Page 4 of 5 Twitter, for example, is seen as an early warning mechanism for companies that might need to do damage control when their products or services go awry And some small businesses use social- media- monitoring tools from the likes of Salesforce -owned Radian6, NetBase, Attensity or Lithium to monitor Twitter as well as Facebook, Yelp or • other social destinations full time for that purpose. The goal is to intercept those consumers that kvetch. "They need to know what people are saying out there and to react and fix problems before they get bigger," says Hofer - Shall. Lithium's social - listening tool allows customers to monitor interactions on Twitter and other sites, prioritize problems and set up a response system. If somebody "tweets something about a bad experience, then an agent will come back via Twitter" to try to address the problem, with answers, says Lithium CEO Rob Tarkoff. For smaller companies, price and speed of response are key considerations. It's relatively inexpensive to monitor social -media communications and respond quickly, compared with establishing a call center Some companies, such as GPS maker TomTom, go so far as to turn their social communities into crowd - sourced customer support, essentially encouraging their online users to help others with tech problems. Caramel maker Happy Goat is slowly ramping up its social -media presence. It has a Twitter feed and a Facebook fan page to promote products. Deals on its caramel get promoted on Facebook. Overall, the company would like to expand its social -media efforts. But founder VVinnike doesn't expect to have to put out public relations fires on Twitter "It will be for giving stuff away for free and it will be where to get it. Candy, we take it seriously, but it's fun." Small businesses are using technology to help them operate more efficiently and cost - effectively in an increasingly competitive environment. 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Protect Your Wealth, U SA rODAY COM m Money Worst 'Yet To Come' Monoyne'ws Customer research easier in digital era A Chilling Indicator of What's Ahead for the USATODAY COM in Morley Economy Profit Cnnrd,,nnal Klout has a new look and metrics 13 Things Your Bartender Won't Tell You LISATODAY COM in Tecnnoinny bee Reader's Digest Conclusion - Samsung FE710DRS /XXA Flex Jim Rogers Issues Dramatic Warning Money Duo Electric Oven Review (OveNnro coin) Mnrn,nn [7] USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on ow stones and hlog posts to provide an enhanced user experience To post a comment. log into Facebook and then "Aod" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines http: / /www. usatoday. com /money /smal lousiness /story/ 2012 -0 8 -26 /efficient- small - business -... 8/29/2012