No Free Ride: City Faces Decision About Utilizing Social Media

Goodman officials are figuring out if a Facebook page for the city is worth the cost to archive posts and comments or if it would be better to take it down.

The city of Goodman currently utilizes a Facebook page for news and activities, but city clerk Karla McNorton told aldermen on Tuesday night that the city faces a decision about the future of its social media.

McNorton said a state statute requires cities to have their Facebook posts archived, should anyone ever request a copy of posts and activities.

For instance, if someone posts a comment on the page and then deletes it and someone else requests a copy of the original post, the city has to make that archived information available, she said.

McNorton said the city has to become compliant and archive Facebook posts or delete the page.

The cost a company charges to archive an organization's Facebook page averages $200 monthly, officials said.

Goodman Mayor Greg Richmond said the issue will be placed on next month's agenda and council members will have until then to research their options.

"If the council would rather not pay for that, it's your decision," Richmond said.

The city also has a website, which officials utilize to post information, news and meeting minutes.

Members will review the role the website plays, as well as the Facebook page.

A number of other towns have Facebook pages and utilize social media a great deal, Richmond said.

"A lot of cities say 'I couldn't live without it,' but I don't think we're anywhere near that," Richmond said.

In other business, Carrie and Tim O'Brien said they felt harassed and singled out when they received a letter about a camper stored on their property and an untagged vehicle.

The camper has been on the family property since Carrie O'Brien was 10 years old. All those years, no one has ever complained about the camper, she said.

Tim O'Brien said he had about 100 photos on his cell phone of other infractions around town. He said other people had similar situations -- or worse -- and he didn't believe they had received letters about making improvements, getting rid of property or tagging vehicles by a certain deadline.

Richmond said he would speak with Police Chief Curt Drake about the situation and the letter that was sent.

"We will see how we can come out," Richmond said.

In a short meeting following the regular council meeting, aldermen voted to appoint members to a new Planning and Zoning Committee. Keith Estes was appointed chairman; Greg Beckner, acting chair; and Jared Mackall, secretary. Other members include Calvin Wilson, Ron Johnson, Ed Toumala and Jerry Pierce.

General News on 10/18/2018