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Commission questions need for new staff‑to‑official communications policy after BCC email concerns
Summary
A staff‑draft policy on communications between staff and elected officials — prepared after commissioners were BCC'd on staff emails — drew mixed reactions; some commissioners called managerial oversight sufficient while staff said the policy responds to recurring BCCing and aims to clarify consequences and notification paths.
City staff presented a draft policy March 18 intended to clarify expected communications between staff and elected officials after several instances in which staff BCC'd commissioners on internal emails. The presenter said the city manager requested the policy to provide written consequences and clarity if the behavior continued.
Some commissioners questioned whether a new formal policy was necessary. Several argued that existing managerial lines, employee codes and personnel processes already allow supervisors to address inappropriate communications and that creating another separate policy would duplicate existing authority. One commissioner called the draft unnecessary and urged managers to handle enforcement in the first instance.
Staff countered that the draft is a preventive tool intended to set expectations and provide a documented path if informal management steps fail. Commissioners asked staff to confirm whether the incidents involved BCCs that bypassed proper notification channels and requested examples and follow‑up that would justify codifying new rules.
What’s next: Staff will review whether existing employee policies and HR processes already address the concerns and return with a recommendation on whether a standalone communications policy is necessary or whether updated guidance and managerial enforcement will suffice.
