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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