Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Media Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Richmond panel opts for restraint guidance on social media, warns of open-meeting risk
Summary
The Richmond Parking Advisory Council decided not to adopt a formal social-media policy for committee members but agreed on guidelines emphasizing restraint: avoid public debate on platforms, direct people to meetings, and use the town representative for official statements to reduce open-meeting-law risk.
At its Sept. 9 meeting the Richmond Parking Advisory Council discussed whether committee members should post about committee business on social platforms and reached a consensus to use restraint rather than adopt a formal policy.
Town staff confirmed there is a social-media policy for employees but not for committee members. Members worried that a quorum engaging on public forums could raise open-meeting-law concerns, so they recommended discouraging public back-and-forth. Instead, members suggested: private messages to individuals for clarification, directing people to attend meetings for official discussion, and using Josh (the town representative) to issue formal town statements when necessary.
Several members said factual corrections in the public forum (for example clarifying whether a site is a state park) can be appropriate, though they encouraged checking with others before posting. The panel described the approach as voluntary guidelines rather than an enforceable policy: use common sense, think twice before posting, and consider vetting posts with another member if a message could be controversial.
No formal policy was adopted; members agreed to continue operating under the 'guideline' approach and to ask Josh to issue formal communications on behalf of the town when needed.
