(A) City officials, appointees, and employees can maintain a personal presence on social media. However, to be considered personal, there can be no mention of their status as a city official. Any mention of their status as a city official potentially changes the nature of the page to one for a public agency, requiring record keeping in accordance with the Kentucky Department of Library and Archives retention schedule, and subjecting the entire page to open records requests.
(B) Elected city officials who want to interact with the community on social media in their role as a city official are required to maintain a separate social media account from their personal account, if they have one. City officials will notify the City Clerk of any official page(s) utilized. The City Clerk will maintain an updated list of official pages of city officials.
(C) City officials shall conduct themselves professionally and as a representative of the city.
(D) Elected city official pages shall clearly indicate that any content posted, or submitted for posting, is subject to public disclosure. Additionally, guidelines, if any, shall be posted conspicuously on the page.
(E) No comments shall be deleted unless in violation of posted guidelines. Deleted comments shall be provided to the City Clerk and must be saved for one (1) year.
(F) City officials shall not conduct city business through their social media sites. If receiving a specific request from a citizen, the city official shall state words to the effect of: “Thank you for your question. Please email me at [official email address] or contact me at [phone number]. I look forward to speaking with you.”
(G) Elected officials shall not discuss issues pending before the City Council or a city commission. Elected officials may seek public input but shall not respond to comments. Engaging in substantive conversations on social media could require retention of the posts and may violate the Open Meetings Act if other elected officials are also engaging in the discussion.
(H) City employees are bound by the city’s social media policies in the city’s employee handbook.
(Ord. 2022-11, passed 11-7-22)