# Moorhead mayor deletes budget post over open meeting law

> Mayor Shelly Carlson removed a Facebook post about the city's 2027 budget, citing Minnesota's Open Meeting Law, sparking debate about how those rules apply to social media.
- Title: Moorhead mayor deletes budget post over open meeting law
- Summary: Mayor Shelly Carlson removed a Facebook post about the city's 2027 budget, citing Minnesota's Open Meeting Law, sparking debate about how those rules apply…
- Keywords: moorhead, minnesota, shelly carlson, mayor, facebook post, open meeting law, open records, budget, golf course funding, deb white, social media, public records
- Source: Valleynewslive — https://valleynewslive.com/2026/09/17/moorhead-mayors-deleted-budget-post-raises-new-open-records-questions
- Published: 2026-09-17T16:21:46.703+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: moorhead, minnesota, shelly carlson, mayor, facebook post, open meeting law, open records, budget, golf course funding, deb white, social media, public records
## Mayor deletes budget post
Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson posted details of the city's 2027 budget on Facebook, including criticism of a council member's golf course funding proposal, then removed it.
## Post criticized golf course subsidies
Council Member Deb White had proposed ending city subsidies for golf courses to cut costs. Carlson disagreed, arguing parks and recreation are essential to Moorhead's appeal.

> parks, trails, golf courses, recreation facilities, and other amenities are part of what makes Moorhead a place where people choose to live, raise families, spend time together, and build community.
## Mayor cites open meeting law
Carlson said she deleted the post to avoid violating Minnesota's Open Meeting Law, which restricts how officials discuss city business outside formal meetings.

> It was not due to anything I stated in the post. It was because I needed to be mindful of Minnesota's Open Meeting Law.
## Social media discussion risks
Carlson warned that when multiple council members discuss city business on social media, even one more joining could create a legal problem, so she removed the post.

> Rather than risk turning a Facebook post into a Council discussion, I removed it.
## New questions about records
The deletion has raised questions from residents about how Minnesota's open meeting and records rules apply to social media and whether deleted posts about public business should be preserved.
## Key takeaway

Deleted social media posts by elected officials about public business create ambiguity about what counts as a public record and when online discussion crosses legal lines.