Council adopts employee social media policy
Brief confusion over revised agenda
MANDEVILLE — The Mandeville City Council on Thursday postponed a proposed zoning ordinance affecting mixed-use density calculations while approving several other measures, including a new employee social media policy and a resolution establishing a formal process for appointments to city boards and commissions.
The council also introduced two budget amendments and approved a series of routine items on its consent agenda during the March 12 meeting at City Hall. 
Density calculation zoning ordinance delayed
The most significant action of the evening involved Ordinance 26-03, which proposes amendments to definitions and regulations affecting the city’s PM-1 and PM-2 marina districts and planned districts.
After discussion, the council voted to postpone the ordinance until April 9 to allow additional feedback from residents and stakeholders.
Councilman-at-Large Jason Zuckerman, who authored the ordinance, encouraged members of the public to contact him with comments before the item returns for consideration.
The ordinance would amend provisions of the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance (CLURO) related to marina districts and planned developments.
Appointment process for boards and commissions approved
Earlier in the meeting, the council unanimously adopted Resolution 26-08, establishing a formal, multi-stage process for appointments and reappointments to city boards and commissions.
The measure, introduced by District I Councilwoman Cynthia Strong-Thompson, is intended to create a clearer and more transparent process for reviewing applicants before the council votes on appointments.
Strong-Thompson said the proposal grew out of long-running discussions among council members about how appointments are handled and whether all applicants receive equal consideration.
“A lot of where this comes from is that this has been kind of a sticking point for the city council — trying to figure out how to appoint people in a fair process,” Strong-Thompson said during the meeting.
Under the resolution, applications would first be reviewed at a council meeting or work session where resumes and qualifications could be discussed. The council would then wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting to vote on appointments, giving members additional time to review applicants.
Strong-Thompson said the approach was modeled in part after the process used by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, where items are first discussed before a later vote.
“By creating one meeting where all resumes that have applied are discussed and then waiting until the next meeting to vote, I think it gives all applicants a fair chance to be heard,” she said, adding that the process could be revised if issues arise.
The other council members voiced support for the proposal.
Zuckerman thanked Strong-Thompson for bringing the measure forward, saying the council has struggled for years with how to handle appointments.
“I’m really appreciative that you took the initiative to put this together,” Zuckerman said. “We have struggled with this for a long time, and I’m excited that we actually have something in place now.”
Councilman-at-Large Scott Discon and District III Councilwoman Jill Lane also expressed support, with Lane saying the process would be an improvement over past practices.
District II Councilman Kevin Vogeltanz also said he supported the measure but first proposed postponing the vote, saying he wanted additional time to consider possible amendments that could improve it.
The resolution was adopted unanimously.
Employee social media policy adopted
The council also approved Ordinance 26-07, establishing a social media policy for municipal employees within the city’s civil service system.
City officials said the policy is designed to clarify expectations for employees’ use of social media, including guidance on confidentiality, representing the city publicly and complying with public-records retention rules.
Human Resources Director Joanna Anderson said the policy is similar to those used by other municipalities and parishes and aims to set clear boundaries as social media becomes increasingly common in government operations.
The employee policy is separate from Ordinance 26-08, a similar proposal that would have created a social media policy for elected and appointed officials but included broader language. The council voted to table that ordinance during its Feb. 26 meeting after several members raised concerns about its expanded scope and potential First Amendment implications.
Under Robert’s Rules of Order, a motion to table effectively halts consideration of the measure unless the council later votes to take it back up — something that has not occurred. As a result, the proposal is widely expected to remain inactive. See previous coverage: Council tables proposed social media policy for elected, appointed officials.
Budget amendments introduced
The council introduced two ordinances that would amend the city’s operating and capital budgets to address roadway and drainage maintenance projects:
Both measures were introduced for future consideration and will return for adoption at a later meeting. 
Presentation and project updates
During the meeting, Curtis Environmental Services Inc. delivered an audit presentation related to the city’s Municipal Water Pollution Prevention program.
Public Works Director Keith LaGrange also provided updates on several ongoing infrastructure projects, including:
- Seawall repairs
- The Harbor gazebo project
- Drainage improvements along Louisiana Highway 22
- Replacement of Old Mandeville waterlines
- Multiple roadway, striping and maintenance contracts
Consent agenda items approved
The council approved most items on its 12-item consent agenda without discussion.
Two items were broken out from the consent agenda to be considered individually at the request of Strong-Thompson, who sought clarification from the administration before voting.
After city staff answered questions related to those items, the council voted to approve them as well.
The remaining consent agenda items — which included special event permits for several community events, certificates of substantial completion and change orders for public works projects, and Resolution 26-06 authorizing an amendment to the city’s professional services agreement with CSRS LLC — were approved unanimously.
The two items removed for discussion were also approved unanimously once questions were addressed.
Agenda revision caused brief confusion at meeting
There was a brief moment of confusion early in the meeting over which version of the March 12 agenda was being considered.
The agenda was revised after it was originally published. A revised version posted by the city on March 9 removed several special event permits — including the application from Queer Northshore for the Pride Northshore parade — from the consent agenda.
Some attendees, however, still had copies of the earlier agenda that had been posted March 6 and were available in the lobby at City Hall, which still listed those items.
When a resident asked about the permits during the meeting, Zuckerman clarified that none of the items had been approved and that several event applications had been removed from the agenda for further review.
Zuckerman had told Mandeville Daily earlier in the week that the items were pulled at the request of the city administration because the city’s events committee had not yet completed its review of the applications.
As a result, permits for both the Pride Northshore parade and the Old Mandeville Business Association’s Girod Street Stroll were not considered at Thursday’s meeting and are expected to return on a future agenda once that review is completed.
-30-
Mandeville Daily 