On February 14, 2018, Siana Law Partner, Eric M. Brown, Esquire discussed social media usage by municipalities during a live webinar presented by Strafford Publications. He identified best management practices to consider when developing social media policies; the parameters within which a municipal employer may regulate the social media conduct of public employees both on…
Siana Law recognizes partner, Eric M. Brown, Esquire, for his recent publication in the January 2018 issue of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs’ Borough News Magazine. Read the full article here: Hiring Policies, A Checklist for Success in Your Borough Read Eric’s Bio |…
The First Amendment and Governmental Entities The First Amendment poses a special concern to governmental entities seeking to regulate comments and messages made by both the general public as well as public employees on social media platforms. These entities should identify the governmental interest(s) in support of any limitations the policy imposes on the…
Every employer should adopt a social media policy to govern employee use of both business and personal social media platforms. The importance of such policies has been highlighted by recent stories in news concerning the conduct of employees on social media, which show that even good employees sometimes post unprofessional or offensive comments. Prompt action…
When hiring, it is important to establish a hiring process and follow it. This is the lesson a western Pennsylvania municipality learned when its decision to hire a new Police Chief was challenged by an unsuccessful candidate for the position. After completing an external job search, the municipality hired from within, promoting a woman as the…
The State of Pennsylvania recently released the updated bidding thresholds for contracts/purchases for 2017 which include: Contracts/purchases under $10,700 do not require quotes or a formal bid process (with a few exceptions); Contracts/purchases between $10,700 and $19,699 require the municipality to obtain three (3) telephone or written quotes; and Contracts/purchases of $19,700 and greater require…
Siana Law Partners, Michael G. Crotty, Esquire and Eric M. Brown, Esquire recently authored a piece entitled, Stemming the Tide of Outstanding Municipal Debt Collections, which is featured as the main article in the Pennsylvania State Association of Borough’s August 2016 issue of Borough News. Read the full article HERE.