County attorney outlines draft social media policy; commissioners flag retention and scope questions

Ben Ventoian of the county attorney’s office presented a draft county social media policy and solicited commissioner feedback on record retention, monitoring and the boundary between official county accounts and elected officials’ personal accounts.

Ventoian explained the county typically follows the state records retention schedule and that social media content must be evaluated by content type to determine retention. He characterized the draft policy as a risk‑management effort meant to protect the county and its elected officials from inadvertent First Amendment or records‑retention violations, and recommended working with the county records officer and HR.

Commissioners raised several concerns: one asked for the specific retention schedules the policy references so the commission can see where a suggested three‑year baseline comes from; another said everyday PIO posts (for example, employee‑of‑the‑month notices) should not require commission approval and asked for clear exceptions for routine operational posts. Concerns were also voiced about how to treat an elected official’s personal account when it includes statements that relate to official business.

Ventoian confirmed the draft would not apply to elected officials’ private personal accounts and said further definition work (for example, clarifying what counts as an official county account) would be included in later drafts. He also said the office will coordinate with HR and county PIOs to refine the policy and its practical impacts.

Next steps: the county attorney’s office will follow up with records‑office retention schedules, work with HR and PIO staff on operational definitions and return to the commission with a revised draft.