A Resolution of the Council of the County of Allegheny enforcing the business use of electronic communication by all county employees and officials as established by the County Administrative Code.
Whereas, Allegheny County encourages the official business use of electronic communications systems including electronic mail as a productivity enhancement tool; and
Whereas, the proper, ethical and lawful use of electronic mail is sometimes implied and sometimes specified in Allegheny County documents including the Allegheny County Employee Handbook, the Allegheny County Division of Computer Services (ACDCS) Electronic Mail Security Policy, the ACDCS Computer Usage Policy and other documents; and
Whereas, the official business use of electronic communication should specifically prohibit Allegheny County employees from engaging in personal business dealings for profit or commercial gain, solicitation, political campaigning, gambling, celebrity or sports news and gossip sharing, or the dissemination of materials including jokes and images not a matter of public interest, and/or which causes or could reasonably cause disruption to the effective operation of official county business; and
Whereas, Allegheny County conforms to the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law of 1986 and will not discharge, threaten or otherwise discriminate or retaliate against an employee in compensation or in terms or conditions of employment because the employee has made, or is about to make, a good faith report to the employer or to an appropriate authority about an instance of wrongdoing or waste, including the previously specified prohibited uses of electronic mail; and
Whereas, a Zero Tolerance Policy for the above specified prohibitions should be adopted;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
Section 1. Incorporation of Preamble.
The provisions set forth in the preamble to this Resolution are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
Section 2. Statement of Policy
Allegheny County shall have a Zero Tolerance Policy for any and all misuse of Allegheny County electronic mail as defined by the specifically prohibited types of communication referenced in the preamble above. Violations will result in appropriate discipline including, but not limited to, loss of the privilege to access electronic mail for a definitive period or permanently, and/or criminal or legal proceedings if a law has been violated, or termination.
Section 3. Severability. If any provision of this Resolution shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Resolution which shall be in full force and effect.
Section 4. Repealer. Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Resolution is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Resolution.