Council asks staff to add board descriptions to website; solicitor says city logo use requires permission

A City of Chester council member asked Chief of Staff Justin during the Monday, April 7, 2025 deliberative meeting whether descriptions of boards could be added to the city website so constituents know what each board does and how they function. Justin said staff can coordinate with the city's new communications specialist, Adrianne, to add descriptions and noted that boards are already listed with members, terms and vacancies.

The council member also raised concerns about a local Facebook group that used the city logo and was titled in a way that confused residents. Justin said he had messaged the group's administrators asking them to mark the page as unofficial and to remove the city logo, and that they had not yet changed the logo. The city solicitor said it is the solicitor's position that anyone who wants to use the city logo must seek permission and suggested escalating to Facebook if the administrators refuse to comply.

Why it matters: adding clear explanations of the roles and authorities of city boards can help residents understand where to raise concerns and how boards are constituted. Unauthorized use of the city logo on social pages can confuse the public about whether content is official city communications.

Discussion and next steps

- Website board descriptions: The chief of staff said staff can add descriptive information about boards to the website and will work with the communications specialist to do so. "We can certainly do that. I can coordinate with Adrianne, our new communications specialist, to get that updated," Justin said.

- Social media and logo use: A council member asked whether groups must get permission to use the city logo. The solicitor said permission is required and that the city may need to escalate to the social media platform if voluntary compliance is not obtained.

No formal motion or vote was recorded on these items at the deliberative meeting; the conversation resulted in staff direction to update web content and to pursue enforcement options if the Facebook group's administrators do not remove the logo.

Quotes in context

"We can certainly do that. I can coordinate with Adrianne, our new communications specialist, to get that updated," Justin said when asked about adding board descriptions to the website.

"It's always been, the solicitor's position that... anyone who wants to use the city logo must seek permission," the solicitor said when the council discussed next steps on the Facebook group.

Next steps: Staff were directed to prepare website descriptions of boards and to continue outreach to the Facebook group administrators; the solicitor advised staff may file a complaint with the social media platform if the administrators refuse to comply.