2018-11RESOLUTION NO. 2018 - 11
RESOLUTION APPROVING REVISIONS TO THE COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
WHEREAS, the Village of Buffalo Grove is a Home Rule Unit pursuant to the Illinois
Constitution of 1970.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF
TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF BUFFALO GROVE, COOK AND LAKE COUNTIES,
ILLINOIS, as follows:
Section 1. A responsibility exists to maintain stewardship over the resources that are
used to communicate government services, and the approval of the revisions to the Village of
Buffalo Grove Communications Policy will create such controls. Staff seeks to ensure proper
usage and administration of the program through the approval of the revised
Communications Policy
The Village President and Board of Trustees do hereby approve the Village of Buffalo Grove
Communications Policy which is attached hereto as Exhibit "A".
Section 2. This Resolution shall be in full force and in effect from and after its passage and
approval.
AYES: 5 — Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith
NAYES: 0 - None
ABSENT: 1 - Berman
PASSED: April 16, 2018.
APPROVED: April 16, 2018.
APPROVED:
Beverly Suss n, Village President
ATTEST:
Janet M. tirabian, Village Clerk
Exhibit A
Village of Buffalo Grove
Communication Policy
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Village of Buffalo Grove Communication Policy If
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I. INTRODUCTION
Introduction I Communication Modalities
The Village of Buffalo Grove is committed to delivering information to the public that
is clear, timely, and that promotes two-way communication opportunities between
Village officials, residents, business owners and stakeholder groups. The fundamental
purpose of the Village's print and electronic publications, including the village
newsletter, website, electronic newsletter, social media pages/social networking,
cable access channel, news releases, signage, bill inserts, and others, is to
communicate public information pertaining to municipal services, policies, and
activities, and to enhance engagement between the Village and the community's
stakeholders.
The Village of Buffalo Grove has an overriding interest in, and expectation to,
determine the Village's message as distributed in the various communication outlets
at its disposal. These include:
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Electronic Constant
Village Website: www.vbg.org
Social Media Pages/Social Networking
Electronic
Constant
Presence
Weekly/As
Needed
Village E-News Service
Electronic
Village Mobile Application
Electronic
Constant
Village Newsletter
Paper
Bi-monthly
Buffalo Grove Television:
Broadcast
Constant
Channel 6 (Comcast), Channel 99 (ATBtT)
It is the policy of the Village to ensure that certain standards are met when
disseminating information through these communication modalities. The
administration guidelines outlined below apply to content that is created for all
communication channels.
The purpose of this Communication Policy (also referred to as "Policy") is to provide
the Village of Buffalo Grove staff with guidelines and direction for dissemination of
information, through various outlets, to the residents and to the public at -large. This
Policy is designed to be a fluid document and will be modified from time to time to
conform to changes in law, technology and actual practice.
The Village Manager will appoint a Communications Director to oversee
communications and this policy. The Village Manager, or a designee, shall be the final
authority with regards to enforcement of any of the provisions of this Policy. Failure
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to follow the procedures outlined in this Policy may lead to disciplinary action in
accordance with the provisions of the Village of Buffalo Grove Employee Manual.
This Policy is not intended to provide third parties with any specific rights when
communicating with, or receiving communications from, the Village of Buffalo Grove.
All policies and procedures provided are subject to modification by the appropriate
Village employees and, therefore, third parties shall not be entitled to rely on the
contents of this Policy.
II. ADMINISTRATION
Use Policv I Communication Modalities
A. Objectives
1. Through balanced informative content, communication modalities will be
used to help residents learn more about Village programs, services, and
about important issues relating to the Buffalo Grove area.
2. To serve as an information center (but not an emergency notification
medium) relating to weather, public works and police/fire related
incidents. The Village will provide access to this information through a
variety of mediums, including the Village website, social media updates and
E-News. Additionally, residents will be directed to alternative agencies such
as the National Weather Service for real-time weather information, and
utility providers such as ComEd, Nicor and others to receive real-time
updates on news and information deemed important for the safety and
welfare of Buffalo Grove residents.
B. Media Communications
1. Routine communications between Village employees and the media shall
come primarily from the Village Manager, Deputy Village Manager, or
Department Directors. Other members of staff may speak with the media,
if they choose to do so, in response to routine inquiries pertaining to topics
on which they are the subject matter expert or if they are the Acting
Department Director. In those circumstances, where feasible, the staff
member should seek and receive advance consent from their Department
Director, the Village Manager or the Deputy Village Manager prior to
responding.
2. All non -routine media inquiries received by Village employees, including but
not limited to any requests for interviews by broadcast media or national
forums, shall be directed to the Village Manager or Deputy Village Manager
for review, guidance and delegation for the proper person(s) to respond.
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3. Appointed officials may, if they choose to do so, respond to routine media
inquiries in the ordinary course of service on a Committee or Commission
(example: Committee or Commission members are asked by a member of
the press after a meeting to clarify their comments during debate or to
further explain why they voted a certain way). When responding to media
inquiries, appointed officials shall always speak on behalf of themselves and
not on behalf of the Village or the Village Board.
4. If appointed officials are approached by the media outside of the context of
a meeting or otherwise with a non -routine inquiry regarding topic(s) related
to the Committee/Commission on which the appointed officials serve, the
Village prefers that the appointed officials reach out to their staff liaison to
discuss the media request before responding. This policy is not intended to
restrict appointed officials from discussing their opinions with the media in
the ordinary course, but instead is intended to establish a preferred
protocol for responding to non -routine media requests. When in doubt,
appointed officials should treat a media inquiry as non -routine and seek
guidance from their staff liaison.
5. It is recommended, where feasible, that elected officials also confer with
the Village Manager or Deputy Village Manager before responding to non -
routine media inquiries.
6. All non -routine communications with the media shall be reported via email
to the Village Manager and Deputy Village Manager as soon as practically
possible.
7. When possible, and unless in an emergency, all press releases are to be
reviewed by the Communications Director or designee prior to distribution
to the media.
Content Posting Policy
1. The Communications Director, or a designee, has the right to review all
messages, proposed and/or completed, to determine compliance with this
Policy. Any message under consideration may be accepted as presented,
denied, or given conditional approval. The Communications Director or a
designee reserves the right to edit, modify, condense, prioritize or clarify
any and all content.
2. Content should be timely, of general interest to the public and reflect
Village sponsored programs, services, initiatives and/or areas of
responsibility. The Village's sponsored activities will be the priority for
content in all communications modalities.
Village of Buffalo Grove Communication Policy
3. Content will be approved by the Communications Director, or a designee,
prior to posting.
4. Content should be a resource to the public on information about the
community and provide useful information to current and potential
residents, businesses and visitors.
5. Village departments will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy and
timeliness of all content provided for posting.
6. All content will comply with all American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requirements.
C. Inappropriate content includes:
1. That which directly or indirectly endorses any person, business or
organization not directly associated with the Village of Buffalo Grove.
2. Commentary or personal opinions.
3. Language or material that is profane, offensive or obscene in context and
depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive, sexual or excretory organs
or activities.
4. Photographs, music, video or graphics not having the written permission of
the copyright holder or proof of being royalty -free.
5. Content in support of, or opposition to, political campaigns or ballot
measures.
6. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis
of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with
regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability,
sexual orientation, or any protected class by either the State of Illinois or
the Federal Government.
7. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the
public or public systems.
8. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.
D. Consistency
1. To allow viewers to navigate easily through content on any Village
communication modality, authors must follow the established page layouts,
navigation link placement, use of graphics, font styles, etc., as may be
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prescribed by the Communications Director, or a designee, from time to
time.
2. Employees and volunteers granted permission to use Village communication
modalities are responsible for complying with applicable federal, state,
county and Village laws, ordinances, regulations, and policies. This includes
adherence to established laws and policies regarding copyright or
plagiarism, records retention, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the
Illinois Open Meetings Act, the First Amendment of the United States
Constitution, and privacy and information security policies and protocols
established by the Village.
E. Outside Groups
1. The first priority of all communication modalities owned and operated by
the Village is the dissemination of Village news and information.
2. Partnership with organizations within the community may be permitted at
the sole discretion of the Village Manager, or a designee, and content may
only be allowed if the partner entity meets one or more of the following
criteria. The Communications Director, or a designee, reserves the right to
edit content to fall within the Village's established communication priorities
and guidelines.
a. Having a charter or other official recognition by a parent state or
national organization that designates it a Village of Buffalo Grove
chapter.
b. An organization(s) that serves Village of Buffalo Grove businesses or
residents; or a regional/local event that benefits Buffalo Grove
businesses or residents.
c. Official committees of the Village of Buffalo Grove.
d. A governmental partner; quasi -governmental agency or entity serving
Village residents.
e. An organization of Village of Buffalo Grove businesses whose purpose is
to support and encourage business within the Village.
3. Non -municipal news from established non-profit organizations that serve
the Village of Buffalo Grove may also be included in the Village's
publications to further foster community interest and involvement.
Information regarding non -municipal community news shall only be
published if one of the following criteria is met and upon receiving approval
from the Communications Director.
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a. The Village is a co-sponsor of the program or event, or the
organization sponsoring the program or event receives direct
financial support from the Village; Examples: The Buffalo Grove
Symphonic Band, Relay For Life, Special Olympics Events, etc.
b. The information is intended to inform residents of services and
programs of other governmental agencies or utilities serving the
greater Buffalo Grove community; Examples:
o Lake/Cook County
o Waste Management/ Corn Ed/ Comcast/ATEtT
o School Districts
o Park Districts
o Library Districts
F. Emergency Procedures
1. Emergency programming for all communication modalities is to be
originated by the Office of the Village Manager, Police, Fire, Public Services
or other emergency personnel and authorized only by the Village Manager,
or a designee.
2. Only trained personnel are allowed access to broadcast an authorized
emergency bulletin. Under no circumstances will access to any
communication modality for emergency communication be granted to
anyone who does not have the proper authority to initiate procedures.
3. During an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation, the Village
Manager or a designee may need to define levels of emergency to include
the communications plan, and communications will be handled based on the
type of incident and level of threat or circumstances.
G. For general emergency public information, the Deputy Village Manager, or a
designee in the Office of the Village Manager, will operate as the Village's
Public Information Officer (PIO), and is responsible for the development of
media releases during time of emergency, as well as coordinating the
development of the Emergency Public Information annex. The EMA Director,
Fire Chief, Police Chief, Public Works Director, and Health Director support the
Deputy Village Manager in this effort. The primary purpose of the emergency
public information system is to provide up-to-date warning and advisory
information to the public. Public information during pre -emergency periods
utilizes all available media outlets including print/newspaper and digital,
radio, commercial television and cable television stations. In the case of loss of
power, emergency public information would be attempted to be communicated
through the Emergency Management Agency's Mobile Communications van.
Following implementation of this plan, a Joint Information Center (JIC) will be
Village of Buffalo Grove Communication Policy
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established to provide consolidated information from the Village of Buffalo
Grove to the media. The JIC will be located at Village Hall in the Council
Chambers at 50 Raupp Boulevard, unless otherwise determined by the Deputy
Village Manager or designee. All emergency media releases should be cleared
through the Village Manager, or designee, prior to their release. During large-
scale situations, involving multiple municipalities or the counties, media
releases will be coordinated with all affected jurisdictions to ensure the
release of actual and timely information. The Village of Buffalo Grove may also
participate in staffing a Joint Information Center, staffed with representatives
of other affected municipalities, Lake and/or Cook County, and involved state
and federal agencies. Detailed information regarding the Emergency Public
Information system can be found in the Village's Emergency Operations Plan
established by the Emergency Management Director (Fire Chief).
Restrictions
The Village of Buffalo Grove will not allow any programming on any
communications channel containing the following:
1. Paid advertising material in which commercial appeals for funds are made. Paid
advertising material includes, but is not limited to, advertising by or on behalf
of a candidate for public office or program material made available without
charge by persons, corporations, or institutions, which have a commercial
interest in the subject matter. Grants for programming purposes shall not be
considered as advertising. This provision shall not prevent the identification of
persons or institutions providing grants or contributions to underwrite the cost
of programs unrelated to the commercial interests of the donor.
2. Copyrighted material, unless clearances for use has been obtained, and
written proof of such clearance can be presented.
3. Programming which is prohibited by applicable federal, state or local laws.
III. VILLAGE WEBSITE
Introduction I www.vbg_org<
The Village's website is, and will remain, the primary communications tool for the
Village of Buffalo Grove. No department, division, committee, or official entity
governed by the Village of Buffalo Grove can establish a site on the Internet that is
independent from the Village's primary website without the express written
permission of the Village Manager.
Only pages maintained by the Village are official. The Village is not responsible for
the information contained on linked pages. The Village will take precautions to ensure
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linked pages are from reputable sources and if deemed not reputable, that said links
will be removed. Additionally, the Village reserves the right to delete any links that
initially are deemed reputable, but are determined to not fall within the Village's
established communication standards, as determined by the Village Manager, or a
designee.
IV. SOCIAL MEDIA
Standards J Use of Social Media
As authorized by the Village Manager, social media websites will be used to further
allow the Village to provide information to the public.
Only social media accounts maintained and controlled by the Village are official. The
Village is not responsible for the information contained on linked pages or other pages
or sites that are not controlled by the Village's staff.
Consistent with the requirements of this Policy, the following statements will be
included within the terms of use for social media accounts directly or indirectly
sponsored by the Village when possible:
"The Village of Buffalo Grove monitors the content posted on social media websites.
We request that individuals be courteous and use discretion when commenting on the
page. Do not post: 1) someone else's image or content without their express
permission; and 2) professional photographs, unless you are the photographer.
Copyrighted and other proprietary material may not be posted or submitted in any
form unless permission to do so is clearly indicated. In posting his or her own
comments or other work, a commenter grants the Village and anyone viewing the
Village's Facebook pages irrevocable permission to copy, distribute, make derivatives,
display or perform the commenter's work publicly free of charge. The views expressed
in comments reflect those of the author and do not reflect the official views of the
Village of Buffalo Grove."
"The Village of Buffalo Grove reserves the right to remove any post in violation of this
Policy or any applicable law. Users of this site are also subject to all terms and
conditions of this site's use Policy, without limitation."
"The Village of Buffalo Grove assumes no liability for any damages or loss of any kind
that might arise from the use of, misuse of or the inability to use this Village of
Buffalo Grove page and/or the materials contained on the page. Village of Buffalo
Grove also assumes no liability for improper or incorrect use of materials or
information contained on the page. All materials that appear on the Village of Buffalo
Grove page are distributed and transmitted "as is," without warranties of any kind,
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either expressed or implied, and subject to the terms and conditions stated in this
disclaimer."
A. Standards
1. To provide a high level of quality, consistency, usability and value to our
social media communications, the following standards must be followed:
a. The Village of Buffalo Grove's website (www.vbg.org) will remain the
Village's primary and predominant Internet presence.
b. All comments or posts made by Village staff on behalf of the Village
must be approved by the Communications Director, or a designee, prior
to their dissemination.
c. Content posted to social media websites should contain links directing
users back to the Village's official website for in-depth information,
forms, documents or online services necessary to conduct business with
the Village of Buffalo Grove.
d. On any Village social media website, a disclaimer will be placed that
indicates that the Village of Buffalo Grove's official website is the
Village's primary and predominant Internet presence.
2. Appropriate uses of social media tools fall generally into categories:
a. As additional channels for disseminating time -sensitive information as
quickly and efficiently as possible (example: emergency information).
b. As channels for information dissemination relating to Village business.
c. Other information and news, including events that are deemed
important and relevant to Buffalo Grove residents by the
Communications Director, or a designee.
3. Social Media Websites shall be used by the Village Staff in the following
manner:
a. Of those social media websites selected for use, the Village will use a
single account, displaying the Village logo.
• The Village Manager may authorize additional accounts.
b. The Communications Director, or a designee, will monitor social media
use and must review and approve all content prior to posting. Content
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will be reviewed for appropriateness, quality, consistency with overall
Village message and branding, priority, goals, and compliance with this
policy, etc.
c. No public comments shall be removed from any website except as
authorized by the Communications Director, or a designee. The Village
of Buffalo Grove reserves the right to remove any post in violation of this
Policy or any applicable law.
d. Employees granted permission to use these outlets are responsible for
complying with applicable federal, state, county and local laws,
ordinances, regulations, and policies. This includes adherence to
established laws and policies regarding copyright or plagiarism, records
retention, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the Illinois Open
Meetings Act, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,
and privacy and information security policies and protocols established
by the Village.
e. Employees representing the Village via social media outlets must
conduct themselves always as representatives of the Village of Buffalo
Grove.
f. Content posted to social media sites shall not include any of the
following:
i. Content in support of or opposition to political campaigns or ballot
measures.
ii. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the
basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status,
status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or
mental disability, sexual orientation, or any protected class by either
the State of Illinois or the Federal Government.
iii. Content that is offensive, profane or obscene.
iv. Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity.
V. Information that may compromise the safety or security of the public
or public systems.
vi. Content that promotes or discourages the use of any private business or
entity. Exceptions would include mention of a business receiving a
Village -sponsored award, or one that is involved in either an economic
development partnership, sponsorship, in -kind donation or any other
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official relationship that benefits the Village, its economic development
efforts or Village -sponsored events.
vii. Defamatory content.
viii. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.
h. Similar/identical content should be posted on all social media pages to
reach the largest number of residents.
4. Users and visitors to social media sites shall be notified that the intended
purpose of the site is to serve as a mechanism for dissemination of useful,
factual information regarding public information and events.
V.Village E-News Service
Standards I Village E-News/
The Village a -news service is sent to subscribers weekly on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and
is designed for the express purpose of providing timely and important information to
its subscribers
Municipal news from the Village of Buffalo Grove shall always take first priority. The
Village of Buffalo Grove reserves the right to choose not to publish, or to edit any
messages submitted for publication by other organizations.
VI. Village Newsletter
Standards] Vii1lage Newsletter _
The Village's print publications shall be used to provide objective information to the
public concerning municipal services, priorities, policies, and programs to achieve the
overall goal of providing clear and timely information to all stakeholder groups. The
Village newsletter is mailed to all residents of Buffalo Grove on a bi-monthly basis for
six editions per year; January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August,
September/October and November/December.
VII. BGTV
Standards 1 BGTV
A. Access Policy
BGTV is a Government Access Channel, as outlined in the Federal Cable
Communications Act of 1984, created for the dissemination of government-
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related information to the viewing public. Access to the channel is limited to
local, regional, state and federal taxing bodies only. Other requesting parties
will be referred to the local public access channel.
B. BGTV Bulletin Board Procedures
1. All Village departments may submit public service messages to be displayed
on BGTV during non -programming hours. All messages must be submitted in
writing, and must be submitted at least five working days prior to the
requested start date. Messages submitted by a Village department must be
approved by the Communications Director or a designee.
2. Messages are inputted by information technology staff and appear on the TV
screen a "page" at a time. Messages should be concise, and should contain
basic information concerning what, when, where, and how. Messages should
be limited to approximately eight brief lines. If necessary, staff will edit
the message to improve readability, to make it fit on one page, or to ensure
the message is grammatically correct.
3. All submitted messages must be accompanied by the name and phone
number of a contact person, and whether or not that information is to
appear in the message. Submissions should include desired start and end
dates.
4. No classified ads or commercial messages will be allowed.
5. Submission of a public service message request does not in any way
guarantee its appearance on BGTV. Suitability for this channel and
compliance with this Policy will be determined by the Communications
Director or designee. The date of input and the length of run of any
message will be determined by staff availability and channel capacity.
6. In the case that channel capacity is at a peak, messages will be carried a
maximum of three days each, and on a first -come, first -served basis, with
the following priorities:
a. Public service notification messages, originated by Police, Fire, Public
Works or the Office of the Village Manager;
b. Announcements ordered by the Corporate Authorities;
c. Announcements ordered by the Village Manager;
d. Announcements submitted by Village Department Directors;
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e. Announcements submitted by Village Commissions, Committees or
Boards.
C. Event Coverage Procedure
1. To request taped coverage of an event for replay on BGTV, the applicant
must contact the Communications Director. Because the Village does not
employ production staff, nor own production materials, the Village will
contact the preferred videographer. It shall be the applicant's responsibility
to pay videography and production costs incurred, including, but not limited
to, all admittance fees, artwork and graphics, union or other professional
association fees, clearance fees, royalties and permission fees.
2. A request to cover a special event originating from any Village department
must be approved by the Communications Director or a designee.
3. All video tapes and slides that are Village Public Records shall be
maintained and disposed of pursuant to the Local Records Act (50 ILCS
205/1 et. seq.).
4. For all non -Village Public Records, the Village reserves the right to retain
for up to one calendar week after which said non -Village Public Records
may be recycled and all original content erased. If there is a request for
Longer retention, a written request should be made one week prior to the
event and submitted to the Deputy Village Clerk.
D. Village Hall, Council Chambers/Control Room Usage Procedures
1. Video equipment in Village Hall Council Chambers/Control Room may only
be used by trained personnel, with the permission of Communications
Director or a designee.
E. Programming Priority:
1. Emergency. May consist of taped or bulletin board programming, shown at
any time, as emergency dictates. The purpose of this programming will be
to inform residents of emergencies, and to instruct viewers in evacuation,
detour, notification and escape procedures. In the case of an emergency,
regularly scheduled programming may be interrupted or canceled. The
content and scheduling of any emergency programming shall be approved by
the Village Manager, Incident Commander, EMA Director, or designee.
2. Broadcast of Village of Buffalo Grove Board Meetings. Taped coverage of
Board meetings of the Village of Buffalo Grove Corporate Authorities is
replayed on BGTV. Meetings take place on a biweekly basis, or as otherwise
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necessary. Meetings are aired gavel -to -gavel without editing or editorial
comment, and may be rebroadcast.
3. Broadcast of Meetings of Village of Buffalo Grove Commissions,
Committees and Boards. Taped coverage of meetings of Village
Commissions, Committees and Boards may be aired periodically based on
staff and equipment availability. Meetings are aired gavel -to -gavel without
editing or editorial comment and may be rebroadcast.
4. Village of Buffalo Grove Programming. Includes programs and series
produced or obtained by the Village of Buffalo Grove. Programs will be
directly related to Village issues or Village government sponsored programs
and services. Programs will be informative in nature. The Communications
Director or a designee will review program topics, budget and scheduling
before production of programming for BGTV.
5. Buffalo Grove Taxing Bodies and Quasi -Governmental Entities
Programming. Includes programs and series produced or obtained by taxing
bodies located in Buffalo Grove and Buffalo Grove quasi -governmental
entities including nonprofit educational institutions. Programs will be
directly related to Village issues or local taxing bodies or quasi -
governmental sponsored programs and services. Programs will be
informative in nature. Examples of Buffalo Grove taxing bodies are Buffalo
Grove School Districts, Buffalo Grove Park District, Wheeling and Vernon
Township governments. Examples of quasi -governmental entities are Solid
Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, Northwest Central Dispatch, and
the Northwest Water Commission.
6. County, Regional, State and National Governmental Programming.
Includes programs and series produced or obtained by county, regional,
state and national governments. Programs will be directly related to Village
of Buffalo Grove issues or governmentally sponsored programs and services
available to Buffalo Grove residents. Programs will be informative in
nature.
7. Other Government Related Programming. Other government related
programming from outside sources may be telecast on BGTV. Such
programming will be screened for compliance with this Policy, and is
subject to approval by the Village Manager or a designee for scheduling on
BGTV. Programs will be directly related to Village issues or governmental
sponsored programs and services. Programming developed by any individual
or entity not an official branch of the Village of Buffalo Grove may be
allowed if the event or program to be taped or shown is co -sponsored by the
Village of Buffalo Grove or other Buffalo Grove governmental bodies.
Examples of additional eligible sources of other government programming
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include International City/County Management Association, National Fire
Prevention Association, and the Regional Transit Agency.
8. BGTV Bulletin Board. Alpha -numeric is a bulletin board style service used
to display Village government related messages and images to the public.
Message content and decisions on message suitability will be governed by
this Policy and is subject to approval by the Communications Director or a
designee.
F. Political Broadcasts. Broadcasts for political purposes or those broadcasts with
a political message are not authorized programming.
VIII. Village Identity
Standards { Village Logo, Insignia &t Official Seal
Consistent use of the Village logo, insignia and official seal is important because it
shapes the institutional image of the organization. Uniform use of the logo helps to
create a strong visual identity for the Village of Buffalo Grove. A strong visual identity
helps to generate greater public awareness and recognition of the Village of Buffalo
Grove and our services. Generating name recognition happens through the consistent,
frequent, and repeated use of the logo over time. For this reason, despite the various
preferences of Village staff, it is critical that all employees use the Village graphic
identity uniformly and consistently as defined by the Communications Director. If a
Department has their own patch/logo, both the Village and the Department logos
must be used.
IX. Village Photos
Standards l Village Photos
A. Permission to use Village of Buffalo Grove photographs is granted for the
following limited uses:
1. Photos may be printed from a web browser for personal, non-commercial
uses.
2. Photos may be downloaded/copied electronically from a web browser for
personal, non-commercial uses, with the following limitations:
a. Photos may not be altered in any way, including resizing or cropping.
b. Photos cannot be posted on the Internet on personal, commercial, or
other sites, without explicit permission from the Village of Buffalo
Grove.
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3. Photos may not be sold or used in any way for profit or commercial
purposes, including use in commercial or professional websites or printed
materials. Photos may not be used to suggest endorsement by the Village
of Buffalo Grove for a product or service.
4. Requests for alternate formats or additional uses/rights should be sent to
the Communications Director.
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