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2002-049City of Southlake, Texas RESOLUTION NO. 02-049 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE TEXAS, ESTABLISHING A MEDIA RELATIONS POLICY. WHEREAS, the City Manager shall be responsible to the Council for the proper administration of all affairs of the City including the preparation of general policies; and WHEREAS, the City Manager recognizes the need to add policies to define City practice regarding interaction between city staff and representatives of the news media; and WHEREAS, the Media Relations Policy accomplishes the purpose described above in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of the City, now THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE, THAT: Section 1: The City of Southlake hereby approves the Media Relations Policy. Section 2: This resolution shall become effective after its passage and adoption by the City Council. PASSED AND APPROVED THIS THE DAY OF AL 2002. Ric Stacy, Mayor ATTEST: v H AkF ''•. r<c: •c Kimush, Acting City Secretary v •:: Section: Rules and Regulations Effective Date: Approval: dq ,, v ! o DD a 0 I. Purpose Citv of Southlake Personnel Policies Topic: Media Relations and Communications Policy Revision Date: This policy establishes procedures and guidelines for all City employees concerning communication with members of the news media when the employee is on the job or acting as a City employee. The City seeks to provide consistent, accurate, and timely information to the media while keeping city officials informed of emerging media issues. To accomplish this goal, the City maintain_ s a systematic, well - coordinated, and decentralized communications policy. II. Citv Representation A. General. All employees are authorized, but are not obligated, to speak directly with members of media at their discretion. Employees should limit their discussion of city operations to those areas where they have specific knowledge, referring other requests to the appropriate person in accordance with this policy. When communicating with the media, employees should remember that they represent the City and should conduct themselves accordingly. B. Official Spokesperson. The Public Information Officer (PIO) is the City's official spokesperson for all City departments except as indicated in Sec. II -C. The PIO promotes and provides background information about city issues, projects, and services to both the news media and the public. 1. The PIO is on-call 24 hours a day in order to facilitate the City's media relations policy, answer questions, respond to developing situations, and offer assistance as needed. 2. The PIO is available to all employees for advice, consultation, and assistance in media relations. Upon request, the PIO can be present for any arranged interviews with media personnel. 3. When the PIO is unavailable to serve as the city's spokesperson, an alternate spokesperson shall be designated by the City Manager. C. Public Safety. The Director of Public Safety shall designate a member of the department to serve as the City's official spokesperson for public safety incidents, including but not limited to criminal reports and fire scene reports. The PIO and Public Safety designee shall jointly coordinate the release of all other material to news media outlets. III. Application to Staff A. Department Liaisons 1. Each director shall assign a staff representative(s) to serve as the media liaison (primary contact) for the respective departments. The PIO shall maintain a list of all department liaisons and shall make that list available to all directors. 2. The role of the liaisons is to present official, accurate information to the media on behalf of their departments and the City. 3. The PIO will provide basic instruction and training in media relations to media liaisons. 4. Each director shall inform his or her employees departments. 5. Each liaison shall inform the PIO and the appropriate departmental director of all media requests for information and other contacts with the media. B. Other City Staff 1. Readily Available Requests. When an employee other than a designated liaison is contacted by the media requesting readily available information about City operations, the employee shall make a reasonable effort to provide it. Such information includes, but is not limited to, city staff names, titles and extensions; public meeting dates, locations and agendas; provisions of city ordinances or city charter; and copies of materials prepared by the City for public distribution. 2. Other Requests. When an employee who is not designated as a media liaison is contacted by the media for information about City operations that is not readily available, the employee shall refer the request to the appropriate department liaison or to the PIO. The employee shall inform the PIO and the appropriate departmental director of all media requests for information and other contacts with the media. IV. Standard Procedures A. Confidential Matters. Items of confidential or litigious matter shall not be addressed or discussed with the media. Such items include, but are not limited to, the following: Medical records Certain personnel records (including disciplinary actions) Pending employee discipline investigations Actual proceedings of executive sessions of City Council Draft correspondence (preliminary notes or intra -city memoranda not yet finished) Records pertaining to pending litigation where the City is a party Legal opinions of City attorneys Certain law enforcement records B. Press Releases 1. All departments are encouraged to disseminate press releases that reflect positively on the City and its image. A list of appropriate media contacts will be maintained by the PIO. 2. Employees shall use the appropriate standardized form for all press releases (which will be made available by the PIO). All press releases must include the official City logo, address, telephone number, Web site address, and the name and telephone number of an individual who may be contacted for follow-up. 3. Press releases shall be submitted to the departmental director and PIO for approval prior to formal issuance. 4. The PIO shall be informed of all media contacts including the date, time, subject matter, and media personnel contacted. Such information shall be provided to the PIO on the standardized media contact form. C. Formal Media Interviews 1. An employee who receives a request from the media for scheduled interviews shall forward the request to the appropriate department liaison or the PIO. 2. Employees should remain aware of reporters' deadlines and attempt to accommodate reporters to the extent possible. Employees shall attempt to provide a timely and thorough response to all interview requests, but may ask for and expect to be afforded additional time to research the relevant issues and to prepare for the interview. 3. The PIO is available to advise employees on interviews with the media. 4. If an employee does not feel comfortable answering a reporter's questions, he or she may terminate the interview with the understanding that the employee or another City representative will follow up with the reporter in a timely fashion. 5. When an employee terminates an interview, he or she shall immediately discuss the topic with his or her departmental director and the PIO to determine if any further action should be taken. D. Requests for Public Information and Records 1. All requests for records, other than those described in Sec. III -B 1 of this policy, shall be referred to the City's Secretary's Office. 2. Responses to records requests shall be made in compliance with the provisions of federal and state law and the Texas Public Information Act, including those that pertain to the timeliness of the response. 3. If a request is from a representative of the media, a copy of the request shall be provided to the PIO in a timely manner and prior to or concurrent with delivery of the requested records. 4. In the event of uncertainty regarding whether information is confidential or should be released, the employee shall inform the employee's director, who may contact the City Attorney for assistance. E. Emergency/Crisis Situations 1. In the event of a declared emergency or crisis, the City Manager shall designate a formal media area and official spokesperson for the dissemination of information. 2. Employees are encouraged to direct all reporters and media personnel to the officially designated spokesperson, as described in the Emergency Operations Plan. 3. The PIO and department liaisons shall be available to assist media personnel in the Emergency Operations Center. Violations of Policv Employees in violation of this policy may be subjected to disciplinary action, including termination.