BULLETIN
E-MAIL POLICY FOR TOWN COUNCILOR'S
EMAIL ADDRESSES.
Wethersfield, CT
June 28, 2003
Dr.Ken Sokolowski
On June 10, 2003, Town Manager Bonnie Therrien memo'd members of the Town Council about the new "E-Mail Policy." This informing them of the their new email addresses and the techniques and rules governing the use of those email boxes.
The new web-based e-mail accounts for the Council (and presumably for the BOE soon) will allow the members to retrieve their emails from any internet connection, not just those hardwired to the Town's system. Because this is a web-based email system (imap), members will not be able to review old emails while off-line (not connected to the Internet). Though they will be able to read and print out their emails from the Web server (computer storing the emails), they will not be able to "download" the actual email.
Each Council was given a user name and an initial password for access to the email server on the Web. They then individualized their passwords to suit themselves and to assure a level of security and privacy for their accounts. Each Council member had to agree to abide by the Town's policies promulgated for the use of those accounts before the address was activated. The Council members were reminded to keep personal and Town correspondence separate.
In the "E-Mail Policy," elected members were reminded that these Town email accounts are neither truly "private" nor "confidential," since they may be subject to the FOIA. General Town rules must be followed in regards to the handling of the emails: some must be retained, some must be printed out and retained, and some may be deleted. State statutes empower the State's "Office of the Public Records Administrator and States Archives" in these matters. "Any" emails to Councilor's private (home) email address should be forwarded to the Town's system if it relates to the "public's business" in Town.
The State has imposed certain requirements for retaining public documents, and in this case, especially for emails to and from Town accounts. The first retention category is called "transitory" which includes casual, routine emails to one or more people simultaneously. The second retention category is called "less than permanent" which requires a printout or retrievable electronic storage; these may not be deleted without State permission. The last retention category is called permanent or archival" and it requires an archived hard copy or archival microfilming.
Council and BOE members will be held to legal, ethical and social standards in their use of the email accounts. Whatever they download from the web to the Town's system automatically becomes property of the Town and could become a liability to the member and to the Town if not used properly. Moreover, Councilor were reminded that emails they send via the Town's assigned accounts become "official records of the Town."
~ W.N ~
