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Bedford council advances social media comment policy to third reading
Summary
Council members approved first and second readings of Ordinance 13-2026, a social media comment policy Denise described as giving consistent moderation rules while protecting residents' rights to criticize the city; staff will return with a final passage next month.
Denise, presenting Ordinance 13-2026, told the City of Bedford Common Council the proposed social media comment policy aims to give the city a consistent standard for moderating comments while preserving residents' rights to criticize local government. “The page is a platform for residents to express their opinions, share concerns, and have conversations, including criticism of the city,” Denise said.
Denise said the policy targets inappropriate, discriminatory or unrelated comments that have repeatedly disrupted posts — for example, spam or multiple off-topic replies that drown out ribbon-cutting announcements. She noted the city partners with CivicPlus for social media archiving and that removed content would still be retained there. When council members asked about platforms and daily moderation, Denise said Sarah handles the outlets and will monitor them during office hours rather than 24/7.
Council members moved for first and then second approval of the ordinance during the meeting; both motions were seconded and approved by voice vote. The council will bring the ordinance back for a third and final passage at the next meeting, at which point the Board of Works will also review the policy for final adoption, Denise said.
