Social Media Policy
The City of Nevada has established a social media presence for the purpose of presenting matters of public interest to City patrons or constituents. The City has adopted a Social Media Policy to establish procedures for the establishment and use of the City social media sites, which policy is available for inspection from the City. The following information is intended to infor
m users of the City social media sites of the City policies for posting comments and other information on City social media sites. Nothing in this policy shall be interpreted to prohibit or infringe upon communication, speech or expression that is protected or privileged under law. This includes speech and expression protected under state or federal constitutions as well as labor laws. GENERAL POLICY
1. City social media sites should make clear that they are maintained by the City of Nevada and that they follow the City’s Social Media Policy.
2. Wherever possible, City social media sites should link back to the official City of Nevada website for forms, documents, online services, and other information necessary to conduct business with the City of Nevada.
3. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this Social Media Policy or any applicable law. Any content removed based on these guidelines must be retained by the Social Media Administrator(s) for a reasonable period of time, including the time, date and identity of the poster, when available.
4. These guidelines must be displayed to users or made available by hyperlink.
5. The City of Nevada’s website will remain the City’s primary and predominant Internet presence.
6. All City social media sites shall adhere to applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies.
7. City social media sites are subject to the Iowa Open Records Act. Any content maintained in Social Media format that is related to City business, including a list of subscribers, posted communication, and communication submitted for posting, may be a public record subject to public disclosure. For Public Records Act requests, please contact the City Clerk’s office directly.
8. Comments on topics or issues not within the jurisdictional purview of the City of Nevada may be removed.
9. The City reserves the right to deactivate the comment feature on City social media sites at any time without prior notice.
10. Employees representing the City government via City social media sites must conduct themselves at all times as a representative of the City and in accordance with all City policies.
11. Employees shall not engage, comment or post using their personal accounts and claim or otherwise indicate they are communicating officially on behalf of the City or representing the City with their comments.
12. This Social Media Policy may be revised at any time. COMMENT POLICY
The City encourages users of City social media sites to post comments relating to City events, programs, and other activities. However, this site is not intended to be a public forum and the comments and discussions that take place on this site will be moderated by the City for compliance with this City Social Media Policy. As a public entity, the City must abide by certain standards to serve all its constituents in a civil and unbiased manner. Comments containing any of the following inappropriate forms of content will not be permitted on City social media sites and are subject to removal and/or restriction:
1. Comments not related to the original topic, including random or unintelligible comments;
2. Profane, obscene, violent, sexual, or pornographic content and/or language;
3. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, mental or physical disability, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin;
4. Defamatory statements or personal attacks;
5. Threats to any person or organization;
6. Solicitation of commerce, including advertising of any business or product for sale;
7. Conduct in violation of any federal, state, or local law;
8. Encouragement of illegal activity;
9. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
10. Spam or links to other sites;
11. The promotion of services, products, or activities not related to City business;
12. Content in support of or opposition to political campaigns or ballot measures;
13. Content pertaining or confidential or privileged information or pending litigation involving the City; or
14. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright or trademark. Comments that contain the following protected information should be immediately removed: social security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth, names of minor children, and individual taxpayer identification numbers. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this City Social Media Policy, or any applicable law. The City also reserves the right to deny access to City social media sites for any individual who violates this Social Media Policy, at any time and without prior notice. A comment posted by a member of the public on any City social media site is the opinion of the poster only, and publication of a comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the City, nor do the comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City. Each type of social media maintains a “Terms of Use” agreement. All comments posted to any City social media site are bound by those Terms of Use and the City reserves the right to report any user violation. Passed and approved by Resolution No. 039 (2020/2021) on this 12th day of October, 2020.
