NORFOLK, Neb. — The City of Norfolk is no longer recording subcommittee meetings after council members claimed the recordings made the meetings tense and less productive.

The council discussed the decision as a special item at Monday’s meeting. The city made the change in June. The council didn’t need to vote on it at a meeting because it’s simply a policy and doesn’t involve tax dollars.

Mayor Shane Clausen said recordings have, in recent years, allowed some individuals to take participants’ comments out of context and use them to “smear” those involved in the discussions. He said the pressure of the recordings made it so participants felt they couldn’t safely share their ideas.

“You were nervous and scared that your thoughts and what you said could be used against you because… it’s a meeting to formulate ideas,” Clausen said.

According to the City of Norfolk website, the city council has five subcommittees: Public Services, Traffic and Infrastructure; Public Health and Safety, Emergency Services; Community and Economic Development; Culture and Recreation; and Policies and Procedures.

Jim McKenzie, who lost to Clausen in the 2024 mayoral election, spoke against the new policy. He said the recordings should exist to allow for transparency and accountability.

“This slams the door on any real public access to subcommittee meetings,” McKenzie said. “Meeting minutes are not a substitute for public access or a recording.”

Current city attorney Melissa Figueroa and former city attorney Danielle Myers-Noelle, who still has the city as a client, both spoke during the discussion. They said the Open Meetings Act doesn’t apply to subcommittee meetings. City staff researched the policy and said Columbus was the only other first-class city in Nebraska that recorded subcommittee meetings.

Third Ward Councilman Justin Webb said he’s already seeing more open and honest communication after instituting the new policy.

“Hard questions were asked and answers were given, and that wasn’t happening before,” Webb said. “I think it pushes the one-on-ones out of (city staff) offices and then pushes them to talk to the elected body.”

A city staff member will still be present at subcommittee meetings to take minutes.