Your Town’s Social Media Is a Public Record (Even If No One Told You)

Imagine this for a second…
It’s 9pm. A resident is scrolling, sees a post from your town, leaves a comment, maybe asks a question. Someone responds. Later, that comment gets edited…or deleted.

Now imagine someone requests that entire interaction.

Could you actually pull it?

That’s where a lot of towns are caught off guard.

What’s really happening behind the scenes:

• Posts get edited after they go live

• Comments get removed or hidden

• Messages come in through DMs

• Officials reply from personal accounts

It all feels casual at the moment.
But if it’s tied to municipal business, it’s not casual—it’s a public record.

What that means (even if no one’s said it out loud):

• You’re responsible for more than just the post itself

• Personal accounts used “just to respond quickly” still count

• If it’s not documented, it becomes a risk—not just a gap

Where most towns are right now:

• No central place where everything is tracked

• No clear ownership of accounts

• No shared understanding of what’s required

A more grounded way to approach it:

• Treat social media like part of your official system—not an add-on

• Keep a simple, updated list of all accounts tied to the town

• Set clear expectations for how communication happens

This isn’t about doing more work.

It’s about making sure what you’re already doing actually holds up when it needs to.

If you’re not sure where your gaps are, this is exactly where a quick communication audit can help just to see what’s working and what might need tightening.