Digital etiquette is on the minds of the City Council, with members planning to discuss social-media guidelines during a special-called meeting Thursday.
The existing council relations policy for local elected leaders has not been updated since 2010, according to city documents.
The meeting is 6 p.m. at City Hall, 400 Porter St.
“One area noted as an example that does not have much background in the current policy is guidance on the use of social media. This may be one area to amend within the policy,” reads the agenda documentation. “The policy is intended to maintain a high level of integrity by providing protocol for members and calling for respect for everyone through words and actions. The policy is a compass to guide each council member.”
While the policy outlines how council members should conduct themselves in public, what happens on social media has not been regulated by the city so far.
All five members of the council have Facebook pages they use to reach their constituents.
According to the agenda, Deputy City Manager Jeffrey Jenkins will present Leander’s policy as a guide to some updates the council might consider adopting as Taylor’s rulebook.
According to the Leander social-media participation guidelines, an elected official’s social-media account can be seen as a limited public forum. That means under the First Amendment, the public has the right to comment on an elected officials’ page and any censorship can be subject to scrutiny.
“Because of your position as an elected official, activity on social-media accounts may create public records. Any content created or received using a social-media account may be considered a record. Don’t delete content without consulting with legal counsel first,” advises Leander’s policy.
Taylor’s current policy already covers how council members should behave in public, how they should treat constituents, how to handle disagreements and how to represent Taylor.
“Remember that Taylor is a small town. Council members are constantly being observed by the community every day that they serve in office. Their behaviors and comments serve as models for proper behavior in the city of Taylor,” notes the current council relations policy. “Honesty and respect for the dignity of each individual should be reflected in every word and action taken by council members, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is a serious and continuous responsibility.”
