Surfside Beach makes communication a priority, hopes to shift focus away from social media
As rumors continue to run rampant on social media, Surfside Beach officials are looking to get a better handle on how to effectively communicate pertinent information to residents and tourists.
With several resident-operated Surfside Beach forums on Facebook, along with an ineffective town website and social media page, Surfside’s Town Council discussed holding a workshop to update current forms of communication, find other outlets to promote the town in a positive manner, and issue necessary information regarding town business.
“We need to get information out to our residents on what we’re doing and what’s going on and we’re not doing that right now,” Mayor Bob Hellyer said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Facebook, as everybody should agree, is not the place we should be conducting our town business or for us to be involved as public officials.”
Other council members agreed suggesting the town consider hiring a public information officer, if funds allow for it, or finding someone already employed within the town to handle media branding. Hellyer added the town newsletter, which hasn’t been issued since November, be utilized as a source of information.
Councilman David Pellegrino said he’s suggested ways of improving communication over the years but previous officials refused to budge. He called the town’s website “archaic,” stressing it’s been in need of improvement and management for years, asserting officials should comb through the upcoming budget to find the resources to hire a qualified individual to help.
“We talk about how we’re the family beach,” Councilwoman Cindy Keating said. “What can we do to actually demonstrate that we are the family beach and we’re the destination for families that want to come here?”
Officials agreed to schedule a workshop for a later date.
With the newly elected town council members looking to improve transparency and community involvement during meetings, officials, in a split vote, reversed parts of an ordinance that altered the meeting structure put in place last April under the leadership of former Mayor Bob Childs.
Council members Debbie Scoles and Bruce Dietrich, who voted in favor of the ordinance last year, cast opposing votes Tuesday night.
The ordinance will now extend public comment periods for both residents and officials from three to five minutes. Scheduled meetings will revert back to twice a month — the second and fourth Tuesday of each month — with the public forums beginning a half-hour later at 6:30 p.m.
Last April, officials narrowly approved the ordinance that restructured town meetings, including placing restraints on what residents can and cannot say during the public comment period. It also reduced the amount of time residents could speak during any public comment period from five to three minutes.
Additionally, the law prevented individuals from commenting on personnel matters, addressing an individual member of council or calling them by name, using profanity, reading letters on behalf of another person, and making any personal attacks against the council and staff.
The town also opted to restrict immediate family members of town council, boards, commissions and committees from serving simultaneously to avoid conflicts or the appearance of impropriety.
Despite the ordinance receiving pushback from residents and certain council members, including Pellegrino, the change appeared to be ineffective in its goal with growing tension and discouragement from residents who religiously attend meetings.
The process also slowed down town business significantly causing more special meetings to be called and officials conducting lengthy executive sessions at the start of each meeting.
In an attempt to mitigate complaints, Pellegrino in October proposed moving executive sessions to the end of the meeting to avoid further delaying town business. On Tuesday, officials will retreat into executive session at the end of the meeting following their final discussion period.
During the election season, Hellyer, along with newly-elected council members Paul Hoder, Michael Drake and Keating, ran under the guise of restoring transparency and peace within meetings. Drake said council’s vote will give a voice back to the residents.
“They deserve it,” he said.
