Town of Bainbridge Privacy Policy
SECTION 1: PURPOSE
This Policy provides guidelines for the establishment and use of a website by the Town of Bainbridge. The intended purpose of the website is to disseminate information from the Town to the public about the Town’s mission, activities and current issues. The Town of Bainbridge has an overriding interest in protecting the information posted on its website and the content attributed to the Town.
SECTION 2: ESTABLISHMENT OF WEBSITE
The Town Board shall be the sole entity with authority to establish websites for the Town of Bainbridge. The Town Board hereby establishes the following website: A. Town of Bainbridge Website at https://www.townofbainbridgeny.org/ and https://www.townofbainbridgeny.gov/
The above shall be referred to herein as the “Town Website” or “Website”.
SECTION 3: ADMINISTRATION
A. Administrators
The Town Website shall be administered by individuals appointed by the Town Board in accordance with this Policy. Such individuals shall hereafter be referred to as Administrators and Secondary Administrators. The Administrators have the obligation to supervise the Town Website under its care and to ensure that the content posted complies with the terms of this Policy. No individual, other than those listed as Administrators and Secondary Administrators, shall be provided administrative access to the Town Website. Each Administrator and Secondary Administrator shall be provided a password and sign-in credentials upon his or her appointment. Passwords and sign-in credentials shall be maintained in a secure place and not shared with others. Upon a change in the designation of Administrators or Secondary Administrators, passwords shall be changed to ensure continued security of the Town Website.
B. Consultant
The Town Board shall have authority to appoint a Consultant to assist the Administrators in managing the Town Website. The Consultant may post content on the Town Website, as approved by the Administrators. The Consultant shall not be provided passwords or sign-in credentials of Administrators.
C. Designation of Administrators, Secondary Administrators and Consultants
The Town Board hereby designates the following Administrators, Secondary Administrators and Consultant for the Town Website:
Site - Town of Bainbridge Website
Administrator - Town Supervisor
Secondary Administrator - Town Supervisor
Media Consultant - As determined by the Town Board
The list of Administrators, Secondary Administrators and Consultants shall be reviewed and updated each year at the annual meeting of the Town Board, or at such other time as deemed
appropriate by the Town Board. The Town Supervisor shall provide a copy of this Policy to all Administrators, Secondary Administrators and Consultants.
SECTION 4: CONTENT
The goal of the Town Website is to serve as an online information outsource focused on Town issues, projects, news and events. The Town Website is not intended as a public forum. The Town of Bainbridge reserves the right to remove any content from the Town Website at any time in accordance with this Policy. As a non-public forum, the Website shall not be used to facilitate general debate or public discourse.
A. Procedures for Posting Content
The Supervisor, Councilperson and any Department Head of the Town may request an Administrator to post content on a Town Website. The Administrator shall review the content to determine whether it complies with the terms of this Policy. If the content complies with the terms of this Policy, the Administrator shall post the content, or work with the Consultant to post the content, in a timely manner. If there is a dispute as to whether the content complies with the terms of this Policy, such dispute shall be resolved by a majority vote of the Town Board.
B. Content Guidelines
In posting content to the Town Website, the Administrator shall comply with the following guidelines:
- Content shall only pertain to Town of Bainbridge public business and shall not be personal or political in nature.
- Content shall not:
- Endorse, disparage or otherwise refer to candidates for public office.
- Link to private or personal websites or other Websites.
- Advertise for-profit businesses.
- Advocate a position on local, state or federal political issues, including elections or referenda.
- Discriminate, or give the appearance of discriminating, on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity or any other protected class.
- No content shall express an individual’s personal views, opinions or concerns. Content shall set forth factual information only and shall be viewpoint neutral.
- All content shall contain information that is freely available to the public and shall not be confidential, as defined by any Town of Bainbridge policy, state law, or federal law.
- All content shall be professional in nature and appearance and shall not be obscene, vulgar or inappropriate.
- Content shall not contain any personal information, except for the names of employees whose job duties include being available for contact by the public.
- Content shall comply with the use rules and regulations required by the site provider, including privacy policies.
C. Removal of Content
The Administrator may, in his or her discretion, remove content that is outdated or no longer relevant to Town business.
SECTION 5. MESSAGING
All messaging features on Town Website shall be disabled such that no individual shall be permitted to send messages.
SECTION 6. POSTING COMMENTS BY THE PUBLIC
No comments shall be allowed to be posted by the public on Town Website and all such comment features shall be disabled. Should any unauthorized comment or content be posted by the public, the Town of Bainbridge reserves the right of the Administrator to remove any such comment or content, including comments that are not relevant to the original topic; profane, obscene, or violent content; discriminatory content; threats; solicitation of business; content that violates a copyright or trademark; and any content in violation of federal, state, local law, or this Policy. Any comment posted by a member of the public is not the opinion of the Town of Bainbridge government. The Town of Bainbridge does not endorse any link, public comment or advertisement on its Websites placed by the public or vendors and/or partners.
SECTION 7. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS
The administration of this policy shall be in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies. Content posted on a Town Website may be subject to freedom of information and record retention laws. In addition, content posted on Town Website may be subject to e-discovery laws. Information that is protected by copyright or trademark should not be posted or maintained on Town Website, unless the owner of the intellectual property has granted permission.
SECTION 8. NOTICE
Communications made to the Town or to a Town official through a Town Website shall not be considered formal public comment and shall not constitute official legal notice to the Town or Town officials with respect to any existing, pending or future claim or cause of action. The Town of Bainbridge Website will remain the Town’s primary means of internet communication and any notices or public meetings or hearings posted on other sites are provided for convenience purposes only.
SECTION 9. EXTERNAL LINKS
The Town Website may contain content including, but not limited to, advertisements or hyperlinks over which the Town has no control. The Town does not endorse any hyperlink or advertisement placed on the Town Website by the site’s owners, vendors, or partners. The Town may exercise discretion to ensure that the links on the Website are consistent with its use guidelines, as set forth here. When the user selects an external link to an external website, the user leaves the Town’s website and is subject to the privacy and security policies of the external website.
SECTION 10. AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT
Changes made to official documents, including municipal codes, regulations, guidelines, and schedules may or may not be reflected in the materials or information present on the Town Website. The materials on the Town Website are provided for information purposes only, and reliance upon such materials may not serve as the basis for a claim or cause of action against the Town, or any of its boards, employees, or representatives. Site users are advised to consult the official documents of the Town at the municipal building or other records office location.
SECTION 11. MISCELLANEOUS
A. The Town Website shall bear the name and/or official logo of the Town of Bainbridge.
B. The Town Board reserves the right to terminate any Town Website at any time without notice.
C. The Town Board reserves the right to change, modify, or amend all or part of this Policy at any time.
D. The Town Website shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
E. The Town Website applies security measures to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under the Town’s control. While the Town strives to keep all information it receives via its Website secure, the Town cannot guarantee the security of the information.
F. The information contained on the Town Website is intended to afford general information on matters of interest as a public service. The Town does not warrant or make any representations as to the quality, content, accuracy, or completeness of the information provided, or of the links and other items contained on this server. The Town shall not be liable for improper or incorrect use of the material or information
contained on this site and assumes no responsibility for any user’s use of, or reliance on, such material or information. The information on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to serve as legal, accounting, or tax advice. The Town disclaims any and all responsibility for positions or actions taken by individuals or corporations or for any misunderstanding, damages, and losses, whether direct or indirect, resulting from the use of this information.