Council hears legal, records and control concerns over city Facebook page

An agency official raised concerns that a Facebook page previously used to post city business was set up as a personal account in 2015 and later became the de facto city page, then started carrying personal or political posts.

The official said they contacted the page administrator’s attorney and were told the page had been created from a personal account and tied to personal payment information; the official described the page’s “about” section as still listing it as a city page and said that city records posted there could have retention implications. “It was set up in 2015 … it was a personal page that was tied to her personal credit card information,” the agency official said, adding that the city must consider record retention for meeting recordings and agenda postings.

Council members discussed options including negotiating a transfer of ownership, asking the administrator to shut the page down, or pursuing legal action if negotiations fail. One council member advised that pages can be created from a personal account and ownership later transferred or editors added; another said the first step should be to try to resolve the issue informally. The agency official said they would continue discussions with the administrator’s attorney and report back to the council, possibly by the next work session.

The council also heard that if the city cannot regain control through negotiation, a legal claim might be necessary; the official noted older case law involving disputes over city-owned physical property as context for how courts have treated similar conflicts over city assets. The council did not take a formal vote on the matter and directed staff to continue attempting to resolve control of the page and to report back.

The discussion recorded no definitive transfer of ownership; staff said they would keep negotiating and return with an update or formal recommendation.