By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
On the social media range, there is much concern when discouraging words are posted on the town’s Facebook page.
What can be posted by town employees could get more than just page views, but a closer review by other town officials.
The Okarche Town Trustees considered a social media policy in a special meeting Thursday, Aug. 24.
Social media posts can be a bit libelous, said Okarche city attorney Bryce Kennedy. Kennedy represents a lot of small towns and cities in Oklahoma. He said in Perry recent comments on the city social media platform have been quite negative toward him regarding water rate issues in the news.
But social media is also a public forum, and a way for a small town to widely communicate important notices, alerts and other lifesaving weather or other information quickly.
Public employees, however, may have to be more careful about what they post in comments, and Kennedy told the trustees Thursday night it “is always good to have a policy in place.”
However, no action was taken by the trustees in attendance, Mayor Jeff Sadler and trustees Jason Kroener and Jeff Brueggen. The possible future social media policy was tabled for more consideration.
The town of Okarche does not currently use a website for communication, but does have a Facebook page.
The Okarche Police Department also has a Facebook page. Police Chief Forrest Smith posts on the page frequently. There are other local Okarche group pages where people may have a few salty comments on a regular basis not connected to the city.
Trustees will continue to consider what to do about a possible amendment to the “Town of Okarche/Okarche Municipal Authority’s personnel manual, by the addition of a new section 11 entitled, ‘policy on employee use of social media,’ to chapter VI entitled ‘miscellaneous.’
The social media item was also tabled from the special public works authority meeting called before the town trustee meeting Thursday.
