The meeting is over. The discussion was robust, citizens’ voices were heard and decisions were made. As a clerk, you can briefly bask in the glory of a job well done.
But the work isn’t done yet. After a public meeting ends, clerks need to get to work with action items, ensure meeting transparency laws are followed and perhaps even start planning for the next meeting! But where to start?
The best advice often comes from peers who know the sort of work you’re doing. So we went straight to clerks to find out how they handle post-meeting tasks in a survey conducted earlier this year. We published our findings in our guide, “Simplify Your Work Life: An Efficiency Guide for Managing Public Meetings.”
[This blog is part of a series that explores how clerks can better manage time before, during and after meetings. Check out our pre-meeting and during-meeting blogs for more information.]
Here are a few highlights of what they recommended:
As mentioned in a previous post about best practices for running a meeting, you should turn action items into a checklist. That checklist is probably quite long by the end of the meeting, so you shouldn’t waste any time in getting started on the work. One way to make this easier to track your progress: Use a platform that allows motions and votes on agenda items, so you can manage your list of to-dos.
This was far and away the top tip from clerks about what to do after a public meeting. Clerks frequently take extensive notes during the meeting, but it’s easy to forget what a random scribble on the page might mean if it’s been a day, or even a few hours, since it was written down.
Putting together minutes can be a drag, but Granicus’ suite of meeting and agenda solutions can significantly cut back on work after a public meeting. For example, if you’re using Granicus’ Minutes solution, it easily integrates with agenda management tools like Legistar or Peak and vote counting with VoteCast. If you’re streaming with Granicus Video, the minutes can be time stamped, so citizens can easily click to watch a specific segment of the public meeting. Once these solutions are working together, post-meeting bliss is just a few clicks away.
Your website is the front door of government for many citizens. As such, it should provide as much information as possible, including what happened during public meetings. Be sure to use modern and user-friendly designs that make it easy to navigate. Informed citizens are involved citizens—something every government should strive to have!
Do you want more information about how clerks can get more done before, during and after a public meeting? Check out our free guide.
