Website Policies

Disclaimers / Limitation of Liability

The information and services included in or available through the City of Madison Heights' web pages may include inaccuracies or typographical errors. The City endeavors to make daily changes to the online information. The City of Madison Heights may make improvements and/or changes in the web pages at any time.

The City of Madison Heights does not represent or warrant that the website will be uninterrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the web pages or the server that makes it available, are free of viruses or other harmful components.

The City of Madison Heights makes no representations about the suitability, reliability, availability, timeliness, or accuracy of the website for any purpose. The web pages and online information are provided "As Is" without warranty of any kind. The City of Madison Heights disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to the service, including all implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement.

Proprietary Rights to Content

By using this website, you acknowledge content including, but not limited to text, software, music, sound, photographs, video, graphics or other material, that may be protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents or other proprietary rights and laws. You may make a copy of this content for your personal, non-commercial use only, provided that you keep all copyright and other proprietary notices intact. You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, or distribute in any way content available through the website, including code and software, with the exception of public documents such as agendas or meeting minutes, which may be copied and/or distributed, but not modified.

General

The Laws of the State of Michigan, and the United States of America govern this Agreement. If any part of this Agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in effect.

Web Site Linking Policy

The City of Madison Heights views the provision of links to external websites as a public service that can benefit its citizens and other site visitors. Overall, the City's website attempts to provide useful information and reflect a positive and inspiring image of Madison Heights to citizens, businesses and visitors. The City's website attempts to reflect the City's concern for its citizens, its technical progressiveness, and its support for economic and business development. The City will only select links to external websites to the extent the links help support these goals.

Links on the City's website attempt to also satisfy a governmental purpose. In particular, the city will consider providing links to sites that promote and protect the public heath, safety and welfare. The City's Adopted Budget Policy Document can be referenced for more information about the mission of individual City departments and agencies.

The City reserves the right to determine where external links will appear on its website (i.e. what page the link appears on and where the link is placed on the page).

The following list contains examples of websites that the city will consider when selecting links:
  • Other official Government websites
  • Non-partisan websites that encourage the informed and active participation of Madison Heights residents in government. (for example, the SmartVoter website)
  • Websites of nonprofit institutions, organizations or associations whose purpose is to provide the public with access to the arts, humanities, local culture or education
  • Websites of nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to provide employment, health and other human services to Madison Heights residents
  • Websites of nonprofit neighborhood organizations
  • Websites of organizations funded by the City of Madison Heights or in which the City is a member
  • Websites of nonprofit organizations that help people find housing and encourage homeownership in Madison Heights
  • Websites of organizations that provide an index of housing options in Madison Heights
  • Websites of nonprofit organizations that provide support to other nonprofit groups or Madison Heights businesses
  • The Madison Heights-Hazel Park Chamber of Commerce website, Madison Heights-based business association websites and other web guides that provide an index of Madison Heights hotels, restaurants, retail stores and other similar businesses
  • Internet mapping services
  • Non-partisan websites that provide information about public and private schools and post-secondary institutions in Madison Heights.
  • Local and regional broadcast and print media websites
  • Websites of professional Metro Detroit sports teams and venues of where their games are held
  • Websites of public or private organizations that have established a partnership with the City of Madison Heights Government to help it meet its strategic goals
This listing includes examples of websites that would be consistent with and supportive of City of Madison Heights goals. However, the provision of a link to any site is not an endorsement of the organization or of site content. The City is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site.

The City of Madison Heights' website will not provide links to:
  • Sites promoting illegal activities
  • Sexually oriented and/or explicit sites
  • Sites containing information that violates any of the City's equal opportunity or anti-discrimination/harassment policies
  • Individual and/or Personal Home Pages
  • Corporate, For-Profit or Non-Profit organizations or entities, unless they meet the above-referenced criteria
  • Political or Non-Political organizations or entities advocating a position on a local, state or federal issue
The City's webmaster or designee, responsible for monitoring the City's website, through the authority of the City Manager and the City Council, will make the final determination on links to the City's website, working in consultation with City staff.

Privacy Policy

The City of Madison Heights commits itself to protecting the privacy of its website visitors and users. We believe strongly that users expect and deserve to have their personal privacy protected while using the Internet. Safeguarding the privacy of visitors to the City of Madison Heights website will help to preserve this trust and increase users' confidence and participation in online activities.

What we learn about you will depend upon what you do while visiting the City of Madison Heights website. If you visit our site solely to browse, read, or download information, our servers - like most web servers on the Internet - will collect and store only that information that your web browser sends when it requests a web page. This information will likely include:
  • The name, domain, and numerical Internet address of the host computer (typically a computer belonging to your Internet service provider and not your personal computer) from which you access the Internet. For example, your host computer will tell us that you have accessed our site from "yourcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain. It will also provide us with an IP address (which is a number that gets automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the Internet.) The information we receive may look something like this: IP address 169.207.69.84 at d84.as28.nwbl0.wi.voyager.net
  • The date and time of your visit
  • The Internet address of the web page from which you came
  • The page(s) you visit on our website
  • The information your web browser software sends as its so-called "user agent," which typically identifies the browser software and may also indicate the operating system and type of CPU used in your personal computer
The City collects this information solely for the purpose of improving the quality of online services that we provide to users. We will periodically summarize and analyze this information in order to study site usage over time and to perform other studies that will help us improve the site's organization, performance, and usefulness.

Otherwise, when you visit our site simply to browse, read, or download information we will not collect any individual identifying or personal information. Nor will we use "cookies" without your express permission or any other means (such as Adware or Spyware) to track your visit in any way. Based upon the data we do collect during such "information-gathering" visits, the city cannot ascertain any personal information regarding an individual user (such as name, street address, or telephone number.)

If you use our site to request a service, make a payment, or apply for a job or permit we will ask that you submit certain pieces of relevant personal information, based on the action taken. For example, when you request a service, we may ask for a name and street address. To complete a payment transaction we may require name, street address, and credit card or bank account number. You may need to provide certain personal information and property or other related data for permit applications. Online job applications will require complete and detailed personal information. As allowed by law, we will not share any of your personal or financial information with any third party at any time without your explicit permission.

However, please be aware that the City of Madison Heights, as a governmental agency, must comply with various state and federal guidelines concerning open records and freedom of information. Thus, any information that we receive through use of our site will be subject to the same provisions as information provided to us through other media (such as printed material or voice records.) Property and permit information, in particular, are commonly deemed to be "public records." As such we often must, by law, make this information available upon request.

If you use our website to conduct interactive transactions such as service requests, job applications, and online payments we may use "non-persistent" cookies to facilitate information processing. Certain application forms and other transaction-related features on our site may require use of cookies to work correctly. The "non-persistent" cookies that our site uses for such transactions may disappear as soon as you finish filling out the form or application that requires them.

In an effort to help safeguard your identity, the City utilizes Verisign's 128-bit SSL encryption for all online forms. Please be aware that some online forms, such as the job application and business license application form, may require the transmittal of sensitive information such as a driver's license and/or social security number. Such information is not transmitted via form email, but rather is kept in a secure web server database accessible only by authorized City personnel. Once the information is obtained, the database record is deleted and purged.

Your participation in any feature, option, or service provided on our website is and will remain entirely at your discretion. We will never assume that you wish to "opt in" to anything nor will we require you to "opt out" of any feature, option, or service that our site provides. Users visiting our website may, at any time, decline to participate or discontinue their participation in any activity that asks for personal information (service requests, payment transactions, job applications, surveys, and the like). Choosing not to provide this information will in no way affect your ability to continue to use our site or any other feature on our site. However, electing not to provide certain important information may prevent the City from responding to your request for service or completing your transaction.

If you send us an electronic mail message with a question or comment that contains personally identifying information, or fill out a form that emails us this information, we will use only the personally identifiable information to respond to your request. We may, if appropriate, redirect your message to another government agency or person who can better respond to your question or need.

Our website may offer links to websites of other organizations. Our privacy policy does not apply to these websites. Please review carefully the appropriate privacy policies of any independent site you may access through links provided on the City of Madison Heights site.

The City of Madison Heights Webmaster, through the authority of the City Manager and the City Council, has responsibility for changes to and interpretation of these policies. To comment or inquire about their content, please email the Information Technology Department.