Residents can no longer comment on South Hadley social media pages

An announcement regarding the change in social media policy is displayed in a June 22 post on the South Hadley Police Department’s Facebook page.
Reminder Publishing screenshot

SOUTH HADLEY — Residents are unable to comment on the town’s social media pages due to Massachusetts public records and fiscal year 2027 budget constraints, according to an announcement by the town.

The updated social media policy went into effect on July 1.

Assistant Town Administrator Chuck Romboletti explained that budget reductions were implemented across many departments in FY27, including in IT, which will not have funding for the annual software subscription used to archive social media at a cost of approximately $10,000 in FY27.

“Without that service, the town cannot reliably maintain the required public record of comments, including deletions and edits, so comments will be disabled to ensure compliance with state public records law,” Romboletti stated.

For any resident concerned with not getting updated news as readily, South Hadley said they will still post, but residents will be unable to comment. Romboletti said the town does not use social media as a primary platform to exchange dialogue, and posts are intended for information sharing. Residents still have multiple established ways to communicate concerns and provide feedback, according to the town.

Romboletti said the residents can continue to contact town departments by email, phone, mail, and in-person during business hours and/or by attending public meetings. Residents can also continue to share town posts on social media.

When asked if the change would be permanent, Romboletti explained that this change is being implemented due to budget constraints in FY27 and future decisions are made annually, so the town may reassess if circumstances change, but there is no current funding for a replacement service.

“The requirement to retain an accurate record of public comments, including edits and deletions under Massachusetts public records law, cannot be met reliably without the contracted service, and maintaining compliance, ensuring consistency, and balancing a constrained budget required this adjustment,” Romboletti stated.

The South Hadley Police Department also announced the change on its Facebook page. The department explained that, due to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, it was determined that records created or received by government entities are presumed to be public records, including content generated through municipal social media accounts.

To comply with Public Records Law requirements, municipalities must retain records associated with their social media platforms, including public comments, reactions, messages and other forms of engagement. Failure to maintain these records may subject a municipality to legal challenges, enforcement actions and potential financial penalties.

The post stated that, “This change is not something we wanted, but it is being implemented in accordance with the Town of South Hadley policy related to public records retention requirements and budget limitations affecting the town’s ability to archive social media comments. The South Hadley Police Department also said they remain committed to providing timely public safety information, community updates, announcements and emergency notifications through our social media platforms.”

While comments will no longer be available, residents can still contact the South Hadley Police Department directly with questions, concerns or information. The non-emergency number is 413-538-8231, and for emergencies, readers can call 911.

The post also said that any questions can be forwarded to Police Chief Jennifer Gundersen at gundersenj@southhadleypolice.org.

Additional information regarding the Massachusetts Public Records Law and records retention requirements is available through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Public Records Division.