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Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, establishing a policy governing the use of the County's name, facilities, and services, and setting guidelines for approval of endorsements by the County and advertising on County property, mailings, and publications.
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WHEREAS, the use of advertising on County mailings or property runs the risk of wrongly implying a relationship between the advertiser and the County;
WHEREAS, County Council, in conjunction with the Chief Executive, is in the best position to determine what advertisements could disparage the County's reputation;
WHEREAS, selling advertisement opportunities and using County property and services raises a number of First Amendment issues best addressed by the Law Department;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:
SECTION 1.
It shall be the policy of the County that no County Officer, County Official, or representative of the County shall facilitate the use of advertisement or endorsement of a non-County entity, function, or service without a resolution approving such action that shall adhere to the following guidelines:
I. The County shall accept only commercial advertising of for-profit entities for posting on County property, County publications, and County mailings.
II. Advertising shall not be obscene, unlawful, misleading, libelous, or fraudulent. Advertisements that are non-commercial that appeal to prurient interests, that are or may be offensive, that glamorize or otherwise promote violence, sexual conduct, alcohol, or tobacco use, that are political in nature or contain political messages, or are reasonably determined not to be in good taste shall not be accepted. Advertisements that could be viewed as a conflict of interest shall also not be accepted.
III. Endorsement of a non-County entity, function, or service shall follow the same guidelines and shall be proven to be of benefit to the County....
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