The Township of Cascade shall enact a ‘No Comment’ policy for of its social media sites. All comments posted by a member of the public on any Township of Cascade social media site may be removed. Township’s use of social media is to augment and enhance our established print, signage and web communications with the public, our vendors and constituents. Official Township Social Media Guidelines:
Th
e purpose of this social media policy is to establish enforceable rules for the use of social media by Township Clerk and Assistant Clerk when engaged in Township business. Rules are necessary to assure that communications made on behalf of the Township are properly authorized and in correct form; and that the public is clearly and fully informed that a message received by the Township from the public by means of social media is not a substitute for required reporting procedures.
1. The objective of the use of social media by the Township is to expand and facilitate the dissemination of information from the Township to its residents, taxpayers and the general public.
2. This policy governs all electronic social media use by or on behalf of the Township.
3. The Township shall have a single presence on each social media site approved for use.
4. Any pages or sites created and/or maintained by an individual department or instrumentality of the Township require prior approval of the Township Clerk, and shall comply with this Social Media Policy.
5. The Township’s Social Media Policy will be presented on the social media site either by means of a link back to the Township’s website or published in its entirety on the social media site.
6. All Township use of social media, including use by departments or instrumentalities of the Township, are responsible for complying with applicable federal, state, and county laws, regulations, and policies. This includes adherence to established laws and policies regarding copyright, records retention, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Open Public Record Act (OPRA), First Amendment, privacy laws, sunshine laws, and information security policies (if applicable) established by the Municipality, its departments, affiliated boards, commissions and authorities.
7. Wherever possible, links to more information should direct users back to the Township’s official website.
8. The Clerk and Assistant Clerk shall monitor content on all social media sites to ensure adherence to the Social Media Policy for appropriate use, message, and branding consistent with the goals of the Township.
9. Social media sites are not to be used by the general public for making any official communications to the Township, for example, reporting crimes or misconduct, reporting dangerous conditions, giving notice required by any statute, ordinance or regulation (e.g. The Township Clerk and Assistant Clerk shall have the authority to remove any prohibited content (see below) from any Township social media site at any time. The Township of Cascade reserves the right to deny access to Township of Cascade social media sites for any individual who violates the Township of Cascade’s Social Media Policy, at any time and without prior notice. Departments shall monitor their social media sites for comments in violation of this policy. In the event of a dispute or disagreement on the interpretation or application of any clause or the exercise of any right under the Social Media Policy, the decision of the majority of the Township Board shall be final.
11. This Social Media Policy may be revised at any time.
