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North Ogden staff temporarily disabled Facebook comments; council will review policy after staff briefing
Summary
City communications staff and administration explained a temporary decision to turn off comments on the city Facebook page, citing repeated personal attacks on staff and the administrative burden of moderating abusive posts. Councilmembers asked for a future agenda item to set expectations and policy.
North Ogden — The council heard staff explain why the city temporarily disabled public comments on its official Facebook page. City communications staff said the action was taken after repeated abusive or defamatory comments directed at city employees and volunteers; staff said the decision was intended to protect employee wellbeing and reduce legal and moderation burdens.
What staff said: The city’s public information officer told the council the page had become a regular venue for personal attacks and that turning off comments removed the need for staff to police ad‑hoc attacks while allowing the city to continue publishing official information. Staff cited legal guidance that a government entity that allows comments in one forum must not discriminate on viewpoint, complicating ad hoc comment moderation, and said broad disabling of comments was a defensible, neutral approach.
Council reaction: Some councilmembers expressed discomfort with closing off a public comments channel and asked that the council consider an explicit policy statement and public education about how residents can submit feedback (for example, written comments, speaking at meetings or formal complaint forms). Staff agreed to bring a proposed policy and communications plan to a future meeting and to provide council members guidance on how the city will handle complaints and moderation going forward.
Ending: Staff will draft a proposed social‑media comment policy and provide an explanation for the public to reduce confusion and set expectations about where residents can provide feedback to the city.
