Public meetings are crucial to any functioning local government, but they can also become highly complex and time-consuming with many moving parts and stakeholders involved. It can feel challenging to wrangle all these components and achieve optimum efficiency, but it can be done with the right tools and approaches. Here are six ways to maximize efficiency at every stage of the public meeting process, allowing city clerks to minimize administrative headaches.
1. Optimize Agenda Creation Processes
The foundation of any successful public meeting is a well-organized agenda; however, preparing the agenda can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of a clerk’s job. The challenge lies not only in gathering input and approvals from multiple departments but also in ensuring that every item is properly documented and presented in a clear format.
Use Agenda Management Software
If you haven’t already, invest in an agenda management software. Many platforms now offer templates for different types of meetings, allowing you to standardize agenda creation. You can also set up templates for recurring agenda items so that the basic structure is already in place before you even start.
Many platforms also feature collaborative tools that allow department heads or other stakeholders to submit their items directly into the system for review. This eliminates back-and-forth emails and enables real-time updates, making the agenda preparation process smoother and faster.
Set Deadlines for Submissions
One way to ensure agenda items don’t come in last minute is to set clear submission deadlines for departments or staff. You can introduce a policy that all agenda items must be submitted at least a week before the meeting. This provides ample time to review, organize, and ensure that supporting documents are included.
Now, this may seem easier said than done, but there are tools that can help. Automated workflows, task reminders, and approval workflows can eliminate bottlenecks and ensure that agenda items are submitted in a timely manner – without having to chase them down!
2. Prioritize Public Access and Transparency
Public meetings are meant to give citizens insight into the decisions that affect their communities. Ensuring easy access to meeting materials beforehand promotes transparency, minimizes confusion during the meeting, and encourages public participation.
Publish Agendas and Documents Early
To minimize last-minute requests from the public, post the finalized agenda and supporting documents online well before the meeting. When people have access to the agenda ahead of time, they are more likely to come prepared with their questions or comments, which can help streamline the meeting. Plus, when citizens can take time to understand the meeting topics, it prevents tangents that can quickly waste valuable time.
Use Public Comment Tools
Some meeting management platforms offer public comment portals where citizens can submit questions or concerns before the meeting. Reviewing these comments beforehand allows you to prepare responses, which can help address common concerns and reduce the risk of drawn-out public comment periods. This approach also helps keep discussions focused on the most important issues.
3. Efficient Meeting Facilitation
Once the agenda is set and the public has access, the next challenge is running the meeting in a way that balances thoroughness with efficiency. Meetings can quickly become bogged down in extended discussions or tangential topics, and while city clerks may not have total control over how the meeting is facilitated, there are a few things clerks can do to help.
Create and Distribute Speaker Guidelines
One way to ensure that meetings remain on track is by creating clear speaker guidelines for council members and the public. Set time limits for speakers (e.g., three minutes per person during public comment periods) and enforce them consistently. Include these guidelines in the agenda packet or post them in the meeting room so participants know what to expect.
If certain issues require more extensive discussion, consider moving them to a special meeting, where stakeholders can dedicate more time without disrupting the flow of the regular public meeting.
Delegate Responsibilities to a Meeting Moderator
If the meeting is likely to involve contentious or complex topics, having a designated moderator—separate from the mayor or council president—can help. This person’s role is to enforce time limits, maintain order, and keep discussions focused on the agenda. Many municipalities use this technique to prevent meetings from derailing into personal disputes or lengthy debates on irrelevant topics.
Use Voting Technology
To expedite the decision-making process, consider using electronic voting systems that allow council members to cast their votes digitally. The process is simple: council members can use their devices to cast their votes, which are then automatically logged and tallied in the system. Meeting management software like eScribe has this capability. This speeds up the vote count and reduces the potential for error. These systems can display results in real-time.
4. Use Technology in the Meeting
Running the meeting itself offers a prime opportunity to utilize technology to improve efficiency. City clerks can feel empowered and efficient by adopting digital tools to streamline in-meeting tasks. They can use technology to their advantage rather than relying on paper copies of the agenda or minutes. Plus, modern meeting management software does much more than simply eliminating paper.
Use Live-Streaming and Recording Tools
Whether your meetings are in-person or virtual, live-streaming and recording tools offer several benefits. First, they allow the public to participate or watch from home, which can help remove barriers to attendance. Second, recorded meetings provide a precise record of proceedings, which can be referred to later for minute-taking or public inquiries. Some states even require it!
Many meeting management platforms allow for integrated live-streaming and recording, so once the meeting is over, a video is automatically saved and cataloged. This cuts down on the time it would take to manually archive video files or post recordings on the city’s website.
Digitize Minutes-Taking
Using a meeting management software like eScribe makes building minutes virtually effortless. You can digitally take notes, create follow-up tasks, track attendance, and record motions as the meeting progresses – all from one place. This can free up time that would normally be spent manually compiling meeting minutes using paper-based processes.
5. Post-Meeting Follow-Up
The work doesn’t stop when the meeting adjourns. After the meeting, clerks are responsible for drafting minutes, processing action items, and ensuring that resolutions, ordinances, or other decisions are followed up on. How you handle this after-meeting process can make a big difference in your overall efficiency.
Use Task Management Software for Action Items
To ensure that all post-meeting tasks are completed efficiently, use task management software to assign responsibilities and track progress. Meeting management software allows you to create post-meeting checklists, assign tasks to the appropriate staff members, and monitor completion. Automated reminders and configurable workflows can ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.
Automate Document Uploads
Once the minutes and other meeting materials are finalized, some platforms allow you to publish them on your city’s website easily. This feature ensures that approved documents are posted publicly as soon as they’re ready, without requiring much manual effort.
6. Review and Optimize Processes Regularly
Efficiency is an ongoing process, and the best way to stay on top of it is by regularly reviewing how your meetings are conducted. Ask yourself and other stakeholders questions like: Are meetings running longer than necessary? Are there recurring issues or bottlenecks? Which tools are underutilized, and where could technology be better leveraged?
Conduct Post-Meeting Debriefs
Schedule brief post-meeting check-ins with key stakeholders and the public to identify areas for improvement. This is especially important if a meeting involves contentious or unexpected issues. Use this opportunity to tweak processes, reassign responsibilities, or integrate new tools based on constructive feedback.
