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River Bend council agrees to use disclaimer on town letterhead after attorney review
Summary
After review with the town attorney, the council agreed that memos distributed on River Bend town letterhead should include a disclaimer stating the author is not speaking on behalf of the town; the attorney said the code of ethics already addresses the issue.
Council members discussed whether a separate policy on town letterhead usage is needed and heard legal advice that the town’s code of ethics already addresses the matter.
Councilwoman Lisa Benton called on the Town Manager, who said he had consulted the Town Attorney. The Town Attorney stated that the code of ethics "does address the situation and another policy could be duplicative and overlapping of the code of ethics." Mayor Pro Tempore Buddy Sheffield asked whether the council agreed that when town letterhead is used a disclaimer should state that the person is not speaking on behalf of the town; the council agreed to use such a disclaimer when distributing memos on town letterhead.
No formal ordinance or policy was adopted at the work session; the council’s agreement was recorded as a consensus to include a disclaimer on letterhead going forward, with the code of ethics serving as the primary governing reference.
