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Revised Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy
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TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Colleen Tribby, City Manager
Prepared By: Marsha Moore, MMC, City Clerk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
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The City Council will consider revisions to the Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy, originally adopted on April 1, 2025. As requested by the City Council on September 1, 2026, the revisions extend the policy to members of the commissions and committees. The revisions also replace the stand-alone declaration with the Member Statement attached to the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials, make clarifying edits, and move the policy onto the City’s new policy template.
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt the Resolution Approving the Revised Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy to Include Commissioners and Committee Members.
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FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
DESCRIPTION:
Background
On April 1, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 21-25 approving the City Council Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy. The Policy sets standards for preserving City Business conducted on personal electronic devices, personal email accounts, and personal messaging accounts, so that those records are kept in line with the City’s Records Retention Schedule and can be searched in response to requests under the California Public Records Act. As adopted, the Policy applied only to City Councilmembers and required each Councilmember to sign a declaration acknowledging the Policy.
On September 1, 2026, the City Council directed Staff to extend this Policy to members of the commissions and committees via their bylaws. Staff is proposing that, rather than amending bylaws, the City Council amend the Policy itself to make it applicable to commissions and committees.
Proposed Revisions
The revised Policy includes the following changes:
• Commissions and Committees. A definition of Commissioner/Committee Member has been added, and the Policy now names them specifically or uses language that includes the City Council, commissions, and committees.
• Acknowledgment. The separate declaration attached to the original Policy was removed. Members will instead acknowledge the Policy by signing the Member Statement attached to the City’s Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials.
• Clarifying edits. Minor wording, grammar, and punctuation changes were made.
• New policy template. The Policy has been moved onto the City’s new policy template.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
None.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Council Agenda was posted.
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Resolution Approving the Revised Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy to Include Commissioners and Committee Members
2) Exhibit A to the Resolution - Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy
3) Personal Devices, Personal Accounts, and Messages Policy - Redlined