[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Malta 4-2-2012 by Res. No.
107. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Town of Malta's website exists to:
A.
Make public information more readily available, thereby encouraging
greater public understanding of, and participation in, the Town's
governance.
B.
Provide access to forms of electronic communication and e-commerce
functions to enhance the traditional walk-in experience to our Town's
departments.
C.
Inform residents and visitors about government services and local
attractions.
D.
Use emerging technology to enhance Town services.
E.
Use social media to further enhance the Town of Malta's messaging
and news delivery systems.
Any information received through this website, including any
mails sent via this website, are subject to the disclosure requirements
of New York's Freedom of Information Law ("FOIL") and are therefore,
necessarily, not confidential. No information received through this
website will be sold or licensed by the Town.
A.
There shall be a Town employee responsible for maintaining the Town's
website, social media and messaging services ("Webmaster") appointed
by the Town Board. The Webmaster may work with third parties to build/design/maintain
the website. The Town Board shall determine the Webmaster's compensation,
and shall set the Webmaster's budget. The Webmaster shall be
supervised by the Town Comptroller or such other person designated
by the Town Board.
B.
In each Town department there shall be a Town employee responsible
for reviewing potential items for posting on the Town's website
and forwarding such items to the Webmaster ("department designee"),
appointed by such employee's department head.
C.
There shall be a committee responsible for refining website operations,
and for advising the Webmaster regarding policy issues ("Town of Malta
Website/New Media Team"), whose members shall be named by the Town
Board. [NOTE: The Malta Website/New Media Team shall be responsible
for making recommendations to the Town Board for: 1) upgrading the
Town's website; 2) investigating new programs and software; 3)
evaluating other forms of media; such as, Twitter and Facebook. The
Malta Website/New Media Team will be assisted by volunteers and Town
staff who have expertise in these areas, and will determine its own
structure, procedures and schedule. The Malta Website/New Media Team
will make written recommendations to the Town Board on whether updating
is needed to the Town website, and the results of evaluations of other
forms of media.]
D.
All information submitted for posting on the Town's website
shall be routed through the department designee and then to the Webmaster.
E.
The Town of Malta Website/New Media Team is responsible for establishing
maintenance procedures and style guidelines for the Town's website,
including social media services, in consultation with the Webmaster,
who will comply with the Team's directions.
F.
The Town Board is the ultimate authority regarding policy governing
the Town's website. These policies include, among other things,
defining the look and feel of the website, and deciding who may post
information on the site.
G.
Complaints about any aspect of the Town website should be brought
first to the attention of the Town of Malta Website/New Media Team.
H.
The Town Board may amend this policy at any time. The Town Webmaster,
with the consent of the Town Comptroller's office, and through
the adopted Town procurement process and within budgetary appropriation,
has the right to hire additional help on a contract basis to assist
in the creation and updating of the Town of Malta website.
I.
No Town of Malta department, employee, board or committee member,
or elected official, may create or maintain a website purporting to
represent the Town of Malta in its official capacity. Elected officials
may operate their own website separate from the official Town website,
which will not represent the Town in its official capacity.
A.
The information and materials contained on the Town of Malta website
have been compiled from a variety of sources, and are subject to change
without notice, may not be current and up-to-date, and should not
be considered official public records. Do not rely on said information
and materials without first verifying its accuracy with the appropriate
Town department, commission, government board, committee or agency.
The Town of Malta makes no warranties or representations whatsoever
with respect to content, quality, accuracy or completeness of any
information or materials contained on either this website or any external
website linked to this website. Additionally, the Town of Malta disavows
any legal liability for the content, quality, completeness of said
information and materials. Use of the information is solely the responsibility
of the user.
B.
Communications to the Town of Malta via this website shall not be
deemed to constitute legal or official notice to the Town of Malta,
its departments, commissions, government boards, committees, agencies,
officers, employees, representatives or agents for any purposes whatsoever,
including with respect to any existing, pending or future claim or
cause of action against the Town of Malta or any of its departments,
commissions, boards, committees, agencies, officers, employees, representatives
or agents where such notice is required by federal, state or local
law.
C.
Any modification of the contents of the Town of Malta website without
the express permission of the Town of Malta is strictly prohibited.
Violations of this policy will be prosecuted to the fullest extent
of the law.
D.
Some of the links contained on this site lead to resources outside
of the Town of Malta's website, including social media sites.
The existence of these links should not be construed as an endorsement
by the Town of Malta of these sites or their content. The Town of
Malta will in no way be held responsible for the content of such link,
or advertisements that appear on these sites.
A.
As discussed in the general disclaimer, the Town of Malta is not
responsible for, and does not endorse, the information and materials
contained on any external website linked to this website. The Town
is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, the individuals or organizations
in charge of or portrayed on any such external websites. The Town
of Malta reserves the right to deny any and all requests for the placement
of links on its website. The following criteria will be used to decide
whether to grant requests for Town website links.
B.
The Town of Malta website may provide, but is not required to provide,
links to websites for.
(1)
Local, state and federal government institutions.
(2)
Local educational institutions.
(3)
Organizations with some relationship to the Town (e.g., organizations
contracting with the Town, organizations sponsoring Town activities
or programs, and organizations participating in Town activities or
programs).
(4)
Organizations providing significant information about art, cultural
and sporting activities in the Town.
(5)
Organizations providing significant information about employment
opportunities in the Town.
(6)
Nonprofit organizations providing social services to the Town's
residents without regard to race, gender or religion.
C.
The Town of Malta will not link to websites for:
(1)
Political candidates.
(2)
Individual or personal homepages.
(3)
For-profit organizations, unless they fit any of the criteria stated
above.
(4)
Organizations or individuals advocating a position on a local, state
or federal issue, including any election or referendum.
(5)
Organizations or individuals which the Town of Malta Web/New Media
Team find to discriminate, or give the appearance of discriminating,
on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion or ethnicity.
D.
The Town of Malta reserves the right to remove, at any time and without
notice, any links deemed outdated, obscene, inappropriate, or not
otherwise in compliance with this website policy.
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A.
The Town of Malta Webmaster will be required to post all nonemergency
Town materials submitted in no less than two business days from receipt,
provided such document is in a form "readable" by the Webmaster. Acceptable
formats include Microsoft Word, pdf, jpg, and html.
B.
Agendas. Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and
Historic Preservation Review Commission agendas will be submitted
to the Town Webmaster for posting in a timeframe in accordance with
current New York State law.
C.
Meeting minutes. All meeting minutes of the Town Board, Planning
Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Historic Preservation Review Commission
need to be submitted for posting in a timeframe in accordance with
current New York State law.
D.
Web design standards. All content must conform to the design standards
provided by the Town of Malta Webmaster.
A.
The Town of Malta will have only one official social media site for
each social media service or application that it will maintain.
B.
The overall goal of the Town of Malta's social media channels
is to serve as an online information outsource focused on Town issues,
projects, news and events, and is not intended as public fora. The
social media sites are administered by two persons appointed by the
Town Board (henceforth "administrators"). In the event the Town Board
falls to appoint administrators, the default administrators will be
the Town of Malta Webmaster and the Parks, Recreation and Human Resources
department head or his or her designee. In addition, the chair of
the Emergency Preparedness Committee shall constitute a third Administrator
solely for the purpose of posting information related to the function
of that Committee.
[Amended 10-7-2014 by Res. No. 152]
C.
The Town of Malta does not endorse any website, link, public comment
or advertisement on its social media sites placed by the public or
vendors and/or partners. The Town of Malta reserves the right to remove
any content from its social media sites at any time.
The Town of Malta social media channels will serve to outsource
news of the Town of Malta only. Any comments and/or questions or additional
information on content posted to social media sites can contact the
Town's administrators located in the Town's Staff Directory
at www.malta-town.org.
This Social Media Policy ("policy") provides guidelines for
the establishment and use by the Town of Malta ("Town") social media
sites as a means of conveying information to members of the public.
The intended purpose of the Town of Malta social media sites is to
disseminate information from the Town about the Town's mission,
meetings, activities, and current issues to members of the public
via various Internet channels. The Town of Malta has an overriding
interest in protecting the information posted on its social media
sites and the content attributed to the Town, including its elected
and nonelected officials and personnel.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Content created by individuals using accessible, expandable,
and upgradable publishing technologies, through and on the Internet.
Examples of social media include, but are not limited to, Facebook,
Twitter RSS, YouTube, Linkedin, Delicious, and Flickr.
Social media sites which the Town Board of the Town of Malta
establishes, for which the Town of Malta administrators assist in
maintenance of the site, and over which the Town has control of all
postings, except for advertisements or hyperlinks by the social media
site's owners, vendors, or partners.
A.
The Town's official website at http://www.malta-town.org (or
any domain owned by the Town) will remain the Town's primary
means of internet communication.
B.
The establishment of Town of Malta social media sites is subject
to approval by the Town of Malta Town Board with or upon the advice
of the Town of Malta Website Committee. Upon approval, Town social
media sites shall bear the name and/or official logo of the Town of
Malta.
C.
All content on Town of Malta social media sites shall be reviewed
and approved by the respective department head placing the content
and administered by the administrators. The administrators may act
singly. If there is a dispute between the administrators, it shall
be determined by the Website new Media Committee.
D.
Town of Malta social media sites shall clearly state that the Town
of Malta complies with its Social Media Policy.
E.
Town of Malta social media sites shall link back to the Town of Malta's
official website for forms, documents, online services and other information
relevant to the business of the Town of Malta.
F.
The Town of Malta shall use social media sites as consistently as
possible and in conjunction with other established Town of Malta communication
tools.
G.
The Town of Malta reserves the right to terminate any Town of Malta
social media site at any time without notice.
H.
Town of Malta social media sites shall comply with use rules and
regulations required by the site provider, including privacy policies.
I.
The Town of Malta's Social Media Policy shall be displayed to
users or made available by hyperlink.
J.
Any content maintained on a Town of Malta social media site that
is related to Town of Malta business, including a list of subscribers,
posted communication, and communication submitted for posting, may
be considered a public record and subject to public disclosure.
K.
All persons representing the Town of Malta on Town of Malta social
media sites shall conduct themselves at all times as professional
representatives of the Town of Malta and in a manner consistent with
all Town of Malta policies.
L.
All Town of Malta social media sites shall use authorized Town of
Malta contact information for account setup, monitoring and access.
M.
Town of Malta social media sites may contain content including, but
not limited to, advertisements or hyperlinks over which the Town of
Malta has no control. The Town of Malta does not endorse any hyperlink
or advertisement placed on Town of Malta social media sites by the
social media site's owners, vendors, or partners.
N.
The Town of Malta reserves the right to change, modify, or amend
all or part of this policy at any time.
A.
The content of Town of Malta social media sites shall only pertain
to Town of Malta-sponsored or Town of Malta-endorsed programs, services,
and events. Content includes, but is not limited to, information,
photographs, videos, and hyperlinks.
B.
The Town of Malta owns any content posted by the Town of Malta, including
photographs and videos.
C.
The department designee will be authorized to post content for approval
to the administrators.
D.
Any employee authorized to submit items to the administrators for
posting on any of the Town of Malta's social media sites shall
review, be familiar with, and comply with the social media site's
use policies and terms and conditions.
E.
Any employee authorized to submit items to the administrators for
posting on any of the Town of Malta's social media sites shall
not express his or her own personal views or concerns through such
postings. Instead, postings on any of the Town of Malta's social
media sites shall only set forth facts (e.g., history of subject matter
to provide access: providing relevant factual data).
F.
Postings must contain information that is freely available to the
public and not be confidential as defined by any Town of Malta policy
or state or federal law.
G.
Postings may not contain any personal information, except for the
names of employees whose job duties include being available for contact
by the public.
H.
The Town of Malta reserves the right to implement or remove any functionality
of its social media site, when deemed appropriate by the administrators.
This includes, but is not limited to, information, articles, pictures,
videos or any other form of communication that is posted on a Town
of Malta social media site.
I.
Except as expressly provided in this policy, accessing any social
media site shall comply with all applicable Town of Malta policies
pertaining to communications and the use of the internet by employees,
including e-mail content.
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I have read and fully agree to comply with the Town of Malta
Social Media Policy
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