18990_Authority_Feb_2026

municipalauthorities.org │ 49 the community, go a long way toward building trust. 3. What to expect next Take time to update your customers on upcoming projects and construction impacts, seasonal water quality changes, hydrant flushing schedules, how long a project will last, and what residents will see and hear. This kind of proactive communication builds goodwill. Pre-write what you can. You’ll thank yourself later. 2B. Use plain language to reduce confusion and complaints Reduce confusion and remove friction by simplifying the message. Digital.gov’s plain-language guidance is straightforward: content is easier to understand when it uses shorter words, short sections, active voice, and present tense 8 . Apply that to common utility writing: • Instead of: “New regulations were proposed…” Write: “DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) proposes new requirements. We are reviewing them and will update you by [date].” • Instead of: “Customers are advised…” Write: “If you have a newborn at home, use filtered water for formula until we share the lab results on [date].” The goal is to reduce confusion. When you use jargon-heavy wording, you hear from confused customers, and you spend staff time untangling avoidable questions. 2C. Don’t overlook your staff—keep them informed Your staff, especially those on the front lines, are part of your communications system. You do your authority a disservice by leaving them out of the loop. Silence Service article continued from page 10. To keep them updated, you can create a short internal brief each month: • The month’s main public update (one paragraph); • The top three questions customers might ask; • The approved “short answer” staff can use; and • Where to point people for details (link to your website). This ensures your organization is speaking in one voice, further reducing confusion and building trust. 2D. Make “trust-building” visible in normal operations Don’t wait for a crisis to explain: • How you test water; • What “compliance” means in practice; • What you do when results are outside targets; and • Why infrastructure replacement is disruptive but necessary. Step 3: Track and plan for growth The fastest way for a communications program to fail is for it to be judged on “we posted a lot” instead of “we reduced confusion, built trust, and improved project outcomes.” 3A. Create a one-page KPI dashboard (tracked monthly) You do not need software. A spreadsheet works. Website (home base) • Unique visits to project pages • Time on page (a proxy for whether people are actually reading) • Top search terms (what people are worried about) • Downloads of key documents (project maps, notices) Customer service (your “confusion detector”) • Call volume spikes after notices • Repeat-call rate (same issue, same address) • Top categories of complaints/ questions • Average time to resolution (if tracked) Trust survey (keep it simple) Insert 1–2 questions in an annual survey, or use a short QR-code survey during major projects: • “I feel informed about the work the authority is doing.” (Agree/ Disagree) • “I trust the authority to provide safe, reliable service.” (1–5 scale) Project outcomes • Public meeting attendance and sentiment; • Number of formal complaints during construction; • Misinformation incidents you had to correct (track and categorize); and • Schedule impacts driven by public resistance (if applicable). This will be the bridge between communications and operations that your board members care about. 3B. Define “if KPI X moves, we do Y” Examples: • If call volume spikes after a notice → rewrite the notice in plain language, add a “What