By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Beaufort City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on whether to adopt formal rules governing public comments on the city’s official social media pages, a proposal that has sparked weeks of discussion about transparency, access and the realities of moderating online platforms.
The idea was first presented to council during a Jan. 27 workshop, where members heard from staff and residents but took no formal action.
If approved, the resolution would establish a Social Media Community Comment Policy outlining when comments may be hidden or removed and clarifying that the city’s accounts are intended primarily to distribute information — not to operate as open public forums.
City Manager Scott Marshall told council the recommendation stems from increasing challenges tied to misinformation, hostile exchanges and the staff time required to monitor posts.
“When a municipality allows comments on their official social media page, the interactive portion is generally considered a public forum,” Marshall said during earlier discussions. “That requires viewpoint-neutral moderation and consistent enforcement of content rules.”
Marshall said the city does not currently have the personnel to review comments continuously while ensuring standards are applied evenly.
“If we had adequate resources where someone could monitor those comments and moderate them in a manner consistent with our policy, a lot of these problems would be easier,” he said.
Under the proposed framework, residents would still be able to contact the city through email, phone, direct messages or by speaking during public comment at meetings.
What the policy would prohibit
The draft language would allow the city to hide or remove posts that include:
- obscene or threatening language;
- personal attacks;
- discriminatory remarks;
- commercial advertising;
- repetitive or disruptive content; and/or …
- information unrelated to city business.
It also states that public comments do not represent official city positions and may be subject to public records laws.
Council members express mixed feelings
Although the proposal originated with staff, several council members signaled unease during the January discussion about eliminating or restricting comments.
Councilman Josh Scallate said some criticism appearing online reflects situations the city might have avoided.
“I really could say that we could do a better job not putting ourselves in those situations to be criticized,” Scallate said.
He added the city should not fault residents for reacting.
“I can’t hold or wouldn’t hold the public accountable for something that we did because we don’t like the response.”
Scallate also said the platform can remain valuable even when the city cannot answer every post.
“If we can answer, great. If we can’t, it still provided an avenue for people to express their concerns.”
Councilman Mitch Mitchell described the decision as complicated.
“For every pro, there’s a con,” Mitchell said, noting he worries how a shutdown might be received.
Councilman Mike McFee cautioned about perception.
“I don’t think we can be a total shutdown,” McFee said. “I think the perception is more negative than it is positive.”
Mayor Phil Cromer said comments can sometimes help flag problems for the city.
“If people are pointing out something that’s a problem, that helps us,” Cromer said.
mixed
Residents warn of trust impact
Residents who spoke during the workshop argued that removing comment opportunities could push discussions to unofficial platforms where the city has less ability to respond.
Amanda Patel, who lives on Boundary Street, said public engagement often highlights issues leaders need to see.
“Public engagement didn’t create those problems,” Patel said. “It exposed them.”
Former city ombudsman Peggy Summer said the information in comment sections can be useful even when uncomfortable.
“You would lose a lot of good informational data,” Summer said. “It might not be the most comfortable, but we all can improve.”
CJ Velasco suggested clearer expectations rather than closure.
“Maybe it becomes educating the public that we can’t answer here,” he said, “but here are the ways to have that dialogue.”
The vote
Council is scheduled to consider the resolution during Tuesday night’s regular meeting.
The outcome will determine whether the city moves forward with formal adoption of the policy or maintains its current approach.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.