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Hudson council debates employee handbook and social‑media policy at workshop
Summary
At a Dec. 17 workshop, councilors debated proposed changes to the employee handbook and media relations policy, weighing elected officials' First Amendment rights against the value of a single point of contact for crisis communications and liability concerns.
During the council workshop after the regular meeting on Dec. 17, members engaged in an extended discussion about proposed amendments to the employee handbook, particularly sections on social media and media relations. The proposed changes would remove some prior language that treated council similarly to staff for media requests; councilors argued about whether elected officials should be included in staff media‑relation restrictions.
Several councilors, including Councilor Banweg and others, said elected officials are not employees and cautioned against provisions that could be interpreted as curtailing free speech. One councilor said the policy ‘‘effectively says like everything on their account is part of the city's account’’ and urged removing council and the mayor from the staff media paragraph. Another member suggested adding an addendum requiring that if councilors or the mayor speak outside approved messaging they must make it clear their comments are personal and not city positions.
Other speakers—including staff and councilors who support a centralized crisis communications approach—stressed the practical value of a single point of contact to ensure consistent, accurate information during emergencies and noted liability issues: prior statements by council members have been used in litigation, and inconsistent messaging during crises can harm public safety or legal positions.
Council and staff proposed several next steps: (1) clarify the definition of a 'crisis' by referencing the city's Emergency Operations Manual, (2) consider removing council and mayor from the staff media‑relations paragraph while keeping crisis communication flow centralized, and (3) supply redlines or suggested edits to staff for legal review before the next meeting. Council also scheduled further review of the employee handbook social-media language prior to the Jan. 7 meeting and deferred a related personnel item to the Jan. 14 workshop.
Next steps: staff requested redlines; council asked for clearer, more prescriptive crisis definitions tied to the Emergency Operations Manual and suggested a narrower policy that preserves elected officials' rights while protecting the city during emergencies.
