Council approves revised communications policy but trims employee social‑media and apparel rules after debate

Council reviewed a consolidated communications policy intended to clarify how the city uses official channels, how staff manage public information, and guidance on emerging tools such as AI. The policy had been reviewed by legal counsel and combined prior social‑media guidance into a single document.

Key council concerns and edits

Several council members raised concerns that the draft contained enforceable provisions that could be selectively applied to employees or elected officials. Council Member Henderson objected to perceived enforcement risk: “it feels more like a tool to add into our toolbox to selectively use when we want to enforce it,” and urged that employee conduct and disciplinary measures should reside in the personnel policy, not the communications policy.

Members also flagged a paragraph that would prohibit staff from wearing city‑branded apparel in non‑city videos or contexts; council clarified it did not intend to prevent employees from identifying themselves at community events or public functions, and asked staff to rework the language so it read as a prohibition on official endorsements rather than a blanket ban on wearing city gear.

Council action

Council directed staff to remove the sections governing elected and appointed officials’ social‑media use and the employee‑use social‑media/apparel portion from the communications policy and to leave in place the policy elements that describe official channels, posting processes and the role of the communications team. With those edits, council approved the policy 5–0.

Why it matters

The communications policy sets expectations for how the city will publish official information and clarifies which staff are responsible for official postings (so residents know where to look for authoritative city communications). Council’s edits separate internal personnel‑discipline considerations from a public‑facing communications framework.

Next steps

Staff will update the policy text per council direction and will take any employee‑conduct provisions to the personnel policy process for appropriate enforcement language and procedures.