||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
San Juan County is pleased to announce new ways to stay connected to news and events as well as easier access to online information. Based on feedback from the 2024 Communications Survey, County staff are launching a series of new e-newsletters and a website refresh that prioritizes access to popular topics.
“The survey provided valuable feedback on how islanders want to be communicated with and now, we’re ready to share how we’ve listened,” said Erin Andrews, the County’s Communications Coordinator. “We’re really trying to be responsive to what we’re hearing from residents in terms of how they want to interact with their local government.”
Respondents to the Communications Survey indicated that the top three ways they want to hear about County news are via regular e-newsletters, from local media outlets, and on the County’s website. In response to that feedback, County staff are pleased to share a series of informational newsletters and updates to the website interface.
Connect with the County via Newsletters
Communications Survey data reaffirmed that respondents are keenly interested in ongoing information regarding local topics spanning multiple departments. In response to this interest, the County is launching the ‘County Connection’ – a quarterly newsletter that highlights current and upcoming projects related to environmental programs, affordable housing, Health Department services, Council news, infrastructure projects, services related to Community Development, and taxes/the budget among others.
In addition to the general newsletter, several departments will be maintaining program-specific newsletters including the Conservation Land Bank, the Department of Health & Community Services, the Environmental Stewardship Department, and the Parks, Recreation, & Fair Department.
You can sign up for these newsletters on the County’s website: https://www.
Website Update
The next time you visit the County’s website – sanjuancountywa.gov – it might look a little different. Aside from the updated color scheme and photos, users will notice new features, buttons, and links to popular topics. It’s all in an effort to make the County’s website more accessible and easier to navigate.
Data from the 2024 Communications Survey helped direct the website refresh. Survey respondents noted difficulties accessing meetings and agendas, reaching the online permitting center, submitting public records requests, and finding the ‘Engage’ page where key project updates are shared.
As a result, the newly formatted homepage features:
- A new ‘Stay Informed’ banner to connect users to County newsletters, News Flashes, and more
- A comprehensive news section featuring the latest updates along with a link to the full newsroom
- A ‘County Resources’ section featuring a searchable list of County meetings and agendas as well as action-based prompts to connect users with key pages
- A new ‘Popular Links’ section that highlights our most requested pages
- A list of FAQs in the footer to direct users to key services
Users might also notice helpful icons around the site including a chatbot for answering questions and a personalization tool for adjusting the website’s fonts and colors to fit your accessibility needs.
What’s Next?
Public feedback will continue to shape the website as it grows and evolves to meet the needs of the community. Residents are encouraged to sign up for newsletters and check out the new site.
If you have questions about the new site features, newsletters, or other communications initiatives, please contact Communications Coordinator Erin Andrews at erina@sanjuancountywa.gov.
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