Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
THE BESSEMER City Council discusses establishing a social media policy Monday evening. From left are: Michael Korpela, city attorney; Robert Coleman, council member; Linda Nelson, council member; Kathy Whitburn, city mayor; John Frello, council member; Al Gaiss, council member; and Jim Trudgeon, city clerk.
By TOM STANKARD
Bessemer - The Bessemer City Council debated the city's social media policy Monday after concerns were raised regarding a Facebook page relating to council business.
Mayor Kathy Whitburn said it's important for the city council to establish a social media policy and have an "official" presence on Facebook and other social media sites.
Whitburn asked if the Facebook page "The Bessemer City Council Rest of the Story" is administered by a council member and said it needs to be looked at to see if it's in violation of a state ethics act.
"(The state ethics act) states a local government official should not represent his or her opinion as that of the local government," Whitburn said.
Council member Linda Nelson said she is an administrator of the Facebook page. With that, Whitburn asked Nelson to change the name of the Facebook page.
"You can continue having the site, but it can't be called the 'Bessemer City Council: Rest of the Story,'" Whitburn said. "You can call it anything besides that."
Moving forward on the agenda, the council approved forming a Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater Grant team. Whitburn said the team would be a committee that will align and assess the inventory and manage the assets. She said the team should be comprised of a council member or the city manager, Neal Nelson, of the Department of Public Works, and two open spots. She said the committee will meet twice a year in the afternoon.
Also on the agenda, the council approved holding Board of Review meetings on March 9, 10 and 11 from 6 until 8 p.m.
Whitburn said she wanted to have the city master plan updated with current dates and then request for proposals. The council approved the layout of the proposal and set a deadline for proposals for March 17 at 4 p.m.
Following a closed session, the council briefly addressed the city manager situation and the legal dispute with the Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management Authority.
City attorney Michael Korpela said the city manager issue has been referred to an insurance company council located in Troy.
The council also agreed to contact attorney Steve Tinti, of Crystal Falls, to discuss the legal dispute with the Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management Authority. Tinti represents the authority.
