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Council advances ordinance to limit who may post official city messages on social media
Summary
Following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision about a municipal official's personal social-media page, the board introduced an ordinance to authorize only specific officials (mayor, city administrator, city clerk) to post official city positions and to limit other staff to emergency postings or personal comments not considered city speech.
The board introduced and advanced Council Bill 2024-30, an ordinance that would narrow which city officials may post official communications on social media to reduce municipal liability under recent court precedent.
During the city attorney/administrator report, City Attorney/Staff member summarized a U.S. Supreme Court decision that found a city manager's personal Facebook page could be considered city action when used for city business and when the official removed comments and blocked a user. To limit liability, the proposed ordinance explicitly authorizes the mayor, city administrator and city clerk to post for routine city business; it authorizes the police chief and public works director to post only during emergencies. The ordinance does not prohibit employees from posting on their personal pages, but states those posts will not be considered official city communications and thus will not trigger city liability protections.
The presenter said the ordinance is not a complete shield from liability but narrows who can be viewed as speaking for the city; staff suggested employees use phrases such as "IMO" when posting personal views about city business. Board members asked whether the city handbook needs complementary language; staff said the handbook already contains relevant staffing provisions but that the ordinance adds clarity and limits official-authority postings. The board moved and the motion passed to advance the ordinance for its reading.
Staff said the ordinance lists five people who would be authorized to post officially; the policy would be codified to make clear which accounts represent the city. The action is intended to balance employee expression with the city's legal risk around social-media moderation and official-speech determinations.
