After over two months of deliberation, the Heber City Council approved its official city communications policy this week. The protracted discussion over four public meetings bred debate around censorship and political versus professional speech, created opposition from the Wasatch County GOP and reignited tension between Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco and her opponent in the 2025 mayoral election, former City Councilor Scott Phillips, who brought the item to the table in the weeks following Franco’s reelection.
The communication policy’s purpose is to “uphold a clear, consistent, and trustworthy public identity and message” and draw distinctions between official city statements and the personal opinions of elected officials.
The city newsletter was an immediate point of debate as City Councilor Mike Johnston reiterated that he did not find it appropriate for elected officials to provide opinion in the city’s official channels, a point he had raised in previous meetings.
“We generally tend to be political animals. We want our opinion known, and we want to push it. And we vote, and if I’m in the minority, I have two choices. I can just let it go, or I can find a way to be more effective in speaking with you guys to persuade you to my way of thinking. Those are my options. I shouldn’t be out there fighting you guys in the ring of public opinion,” Johnston said.
He suggested that communications from the City Council should be written jointly based on the majority’s opinion.
City Councilor Yvonne Barney disagreed.
“Even if there is a minority, it does not mean that that’s the city minority. That just means that it’s the council minority,” she said. “I don’t think we should ever deny another council member, simply because they are not a majority, to share their thoughts.”
Her proposed addition to the communications policy was a requirement around refraining from personal attacks.
“I have no idea why you would want it in there,” City Councilor Aaron Cheatwood said. He called it a limit on elected officials’ speech. “If somebody’s going to write in a disrespectful way, they’re going to be voted out of office.”
Franco chimed in, “We just don’t want our newsletter to become a tabloid,” though the point about adding a decorum requirement was eventually dropped.
Much of the debate revolved around a sentence in the third section of the policy reading, “The City Manager or his designee shall have final authority to either amend the wording or not publish any Official City Written Communications.”
The City Council questioned whether it should be them, not City Manager Matt Brower, who has the final say on signing off on city communications.
Cheatwood said he agreed in principle but not in practice.
“I just don’t want to have to sign off on everything before it’s done, because that bottleneck will mean the city doesn’t run,” he said.
Representatives from the Wasatch County GOP who had also appeared at the previous City Council meeting were concerned with limiting the city manager’s power.
“Yes, Mr. Brower’s role is important. … He does speak for (city) employees. That’s who he’s over. But he isn’t over the mayor,” said GOP Vice Chair Patty Sprunt. “I know you hired him, but we didn’t. We hired you through our vote. So we want to hear directly from you.”
Sprunt said she wanted to hear from Heber City’s elected officials more often and “vehemently” disagreed with Johnston’s opinion that elected officials do not communicate their opinions through official channels.
“I am so grateful to have Aaron’s phone number and Heidi’s phone number so that I can text and say, ‘Can you get me an answer on this?’” Sprunt said. “My favorite legislators on a federal level are people who make themselves accountable all the time. And it’s what will endear us to you so that we’ll want to reelect you.”
City Councilor Morgan Murdock’s concern was that the policy was not comprehensive because it did not address areas like social media.
“There are other items to consider. I don’t even know what they are,” he said. “I’m thinking of 150 employees, not just thinking of the six of us and the city manager and our sphere of influence. … I don’t think this is the end, this is the final document.”
Murdock was sworn in in January, taking Phillips’ seat. Other city councilors who had been deliberating the communications policy longer than Murdock had were less thrilled by the idea of kicking approval down the road.
“I just think getting something in place and then continuing to refine it in the future is better than not getting something in place and continuing to debate forever,” Cheatwood said.
City Councilor Sid Ostergaard’s only input on the discussion was simple and to the point.
“We just need to get something done, whatever it is. We’re going around in circles right now,” he said.
The City Council approved the policy as written 4-1, with the addition of a sentence clarifying that the city manager only has editing and refusal rights to communications from city staff, not those of elected officials. Johnston was the sole “no” vote but chose to take his own advice and “let it be” despite being in the minority.