Woodbury Council Reviews Property Dispute, Social Media Strategy
The Woodbury City Council held a workshop meeting on April 8 to discuss an ongoing legal dispute over a 9-acre property and to review how effectively the city is using social media to reach residents.
During a closed session, council members received updates from city staff and the City Attorney about active litigation involving a 9.1-acre parcel at 8130 Afton Road. The property has been jointly owned by the city and Raymond Lee since 2008, when the city acquired its interest to preserve wetlands and trees on the site. Rather than taking a formal vote, council members provided consensus-based direction to staff on how to proceed. Any financial decisions related to the property dispute will be addressed in future council meetings.
In a separate discussion, the council reviewed findings from the 2025 Social Media Audit, an external consultant's assessment of the city's performance on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. The audit found that the city has made improvements since 2023, including posting less frequently while increasing engagement. However, significant challenges remain. According to the audit, "residents are telling you that they want more people-first, recap-first and short-form content." The report also noted that social media currently drives only 3 percent of traffic to the city's website.
Council members identified several persistent problems, including weak event promotions, ineffective branded graphics, low video viewership, and a disjointed brand voice across different city departments. As one stakeholder noted in interviews for the audit, "channels still feel disjointed — City, Public Safety and Parks & Rec don't always look/feel connected." Council members discussed recommendations including creating channel-specific content, prioritizing event recaps, using original photography, and improving video introductions to boost engagement.
The council also explored longer-term strategies, such as consolidating social media accounts and potentially launching a city podcast that could feature topics like Eagle Valley Golf Course. Like the property discussion, no formal votes were taken on social media strategy, as is typical for workshop sessions. Staff will use the council's feedback to refine the city's approach to communicating with residents online.
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Votes (2)
Update on Lee Property Negotiation (Closed Session)
The workshop involved a closed session to review and discuss staff and City Attorney updates regarding active litigation concerning a 9.1-acre property at 8130 Afton Road, jointly owned by the City and Raymond Lee since 2008. The City's initial interest in the property related to wetland and tree preservation. The session aimed to provide staff with consensus-based direction on the presented information, with any financial implications to be addressed in future council actions. No formal votes were taken, as is standard for workshop sessions.
Review of Social Media Audit
Staff presented the 2025 Social Media Audit conducted by an external consultant, detailing progress since 2023 and outlining new recommendations. Key improvements included reduced post frequency and increased engagement on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. However, challenges persist regarding underperforming event promotions, ineffective branded graphics, low video watch times, and a lack of unified brand voice across city social media accounts. Council members provided feedback on strategy, with recommendations focusing on channel-specific content, prioritizing event recaps, eliminating external links in posts, using original photography, and enhancing video hooks. Potential long-term strategies, such as account consolidation and a city podcast, were also discussed.
Notable Quotes (3)
Residents are telling you (through data and interviews with council leaders) that they want more people-first, recap-first and short-form content.
But channels still feel disjointed – City, Public Safety and Parks & Rec don’t always look/feel connected.
Social media is driving just 3 percent of all traffic to the City of Woodbury web site.
Ordinances & Resolutions (7)
Official communication detailing the update on Lee Property Negotiation
Official communication detailing the review of the Social Media Audit
City policy chapter relevant to the Lee Property negotiation
Long-term development plan relevant to the Lee Property
External consultant's report on the City's social media performance and recommendations
Prior external consultant's report used as a baseline for the 2025 audit
Federal act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, applicable to City services
Source document
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