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Communications director presents updated social media policy; board reviews moderation approach
Summary
Lucas Wright, the city communications director, presented a revised social media policy that formalizes comment moderation practices and updates a 2011 policy; the board discussed moderation rules and platform enforcement but took no formal vote.
Lucas Wright, Spring Hill communications director, presented an updated social media policy to the board during the Feb. 3 work session. Wright said the policy is largely based on Model Municipal Policy language from Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) and updates a 2011 personnel‑policy era approach.
The key addition Wright highlighted is a formalized comments‑moderation section developed with legal counsel that outlines when the city will remove or limit comments (harassment, explicit language, violations of platform rules) and clarifies that platform moderation tools often enforce rules automatically. Wright said staff retains the ability to remove problematic comments that bypass automatic moderation.
Board members asked follow‑up questions about comment moderation and platform enforcement. Vice Mayor Foner asked about the comments policy; Wright said the city generally follows the platform's rules and uses manual removal where the platform misses content. A few board members offered lighthearted remarks but there was no formal motion or vote to adopt the policy at the meeting.
Why it matters The policy formalizes long‑standing operational practices and clarifies staff authority and legal considerations relating to public comments on city social media channels.
Next steps No formal vote was recorded; the policy will remain under consideration per the board's normal review process.
