Full Text
August 20, 2025 City of Douglas Communications & Archival Policy 1. Purpose This policy establishes guidelines for managing, sharing, and archiving digital communications including social media interactions and EMD (Electronic Message Display) content. The intent is to ensure transparency, uphold community standards, and preserve public records consistent with state law and the First Amendment. 2. General Social Media Use Policy A. Comment Moderation and Engagement The City retains the right to disable comments on posts if discussions contain spam or materially disruptive comments that are clearly unrelated to the post. Comments may be hidden or removed if they include: o Profanity o Harassment or threats o Unlawful discriminatory harassment o Misinformation during emergencies The City’s social media pages will remain locked down: only City officials, to include the Mayor, Council President, City Manager, Human Resources Director, or Public Relations Department, may initiate posts. B. Legal Considerations The City of Douglas adheres to First Amendment principles regarding public forums on social media. Lindke v. Freed. The City will not restrict comments based on viewpoint, criticism of government, or general offensiveness All comment removals must be logged with date, user, and reason under this policy. Individuals whose comments are removed may request review by contacting the City Clerk’s Office. Canned responses are developed and maintained for consistency in public replies. o Canned response: This comment was removed in accordance with the City of Douglas Social Media Policy, which prohibits threats, harassment, unlawful discriminatory harassment, profanity, and misinformation during emergencies. ---PAGE BREAK--- August 20, 2025 The Douglas Police Department social media accounts will continue to be governed by their News Media Policy. 3. Electronic Message Display (EMD) Content Guidelines A. Prioritization Criteria City related and emergency related content take precedence . There is no guarantee of posting, even if the entity or content is eligible. Priority will be given based on: Originating department or partner Event date and urgency Community impact (City will assign internal decision authority) B. Eligible Entities The following organizations may request EMD slides: City of Douglas Operations, Functions, and City-Appointed Boards Hospital & Public Health (Emergency Alerts) Emergency services (Fire, Police) Converse County Government and Appointed Boards election info) Enterprise groups & Main Street School District (alerts, free meal programs) Non-profits (for community updates, not fundraising) Additional as determined by the Public Relations Officer, City Clerk and/or City Manager. C. Acceptable Content Acceptable events are generally free, community-wide, and open to all ages. Messages must benefit the community and not include fundraising appeals. Examples of shareable content: o Street closures o Emergency notices o Public health alerts o Educational and cultural events o Events open to the public D. Submission & Approval Process A guideline sheet will be available for content creators, including: ---PAGE BREAK--- August 20, 2025 o Slide size and formatting o Acceptable colors and fonts o Word count limits All submissions will be reviewed by City staff. If a slide does not meet guidelines, it will be returned for edits and resubmission. Content sharing is not guaranteed . The City reserves the right to approve or reject any submission. 4. Archiving and Records Retention A. Archival Requirements Social media posts and interactions will be captured using a digital archiving tool or screenshots and logged A backup system will retain: o Original slide files (JPG, PNG, PDF) o Submission metadata (date, submitter, decision status) o City communications related to approval or edits o B. Responsibility The City Clerk’s Office, in coordination with IT and the Communications Team, will maintain the digital archive. Records will be available upon request under Wyoming’s Public Records Act. 5. Implementation A training session will be held for City staff. This policy will be reviewed by the City Attorney and updated as necessary.