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As expectations of transparency, accessibility, and efficiency continue to rise, traditional public meeting management methods are increasingly falling short. To meet these challenges, many city clerks are turning to advanced meeting management solutions that streamline administrative tasks and offer powerful tools for boosting public engagement.

In this blog, we’ll explore three aspects of meeting management software that city clerks can employ to enhance public participation.

Streamlined Publishing of Agendas, Minutes, and Video Recordings

Transparency is essential for public trust, and one of the most effective ways to maintain that trust is by ensuring that citizens have easy access to meeting materials. However, the manual process of publishing agendas, minutes, and video recordings can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Additionally, paper-based agendas often mean that materials aren’t ready to publish until right before the meeting, meaning citizens don’t have sufficient time to review the agenda and collect their thoughts beforehand. A meeting management solution can simplify this process by providing one-click publishing of these items directly to municipal websites.

With just a few clicks, city clerks can ensure that all relevant meeting documents are published and accessible to the public in a timely manner. This saves valuable time and ensures that citizens can easily find and review the materials they need. For example, after a city council meeting, the clerk can quickly upload the approved minutes and video recording to the website, where they are instantly available for public viewing.

By streamlining the publishing process, clerks can focus more on facilitating meaningful public engagement rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks. This ensures that the community remains informed and involved, with access to accurate and up-to-date information.

Public Comments and Speaker Queues for Efficient Meetings

Managing public comments and maintaining order during meetings can be challenging, especially when dealing with contentious issues or large crowds. A meeting management solution with integrated public commenting and speaker queue features can significantly improve the efficiency and orderliness of public meetings.

These tools allow city clerks to collect public comments in advance, which can be reviewed and organized before the meeting begins. During the meeting, the speaker queue feature ensures that everyone who wishes to speak has a fair opportunity while maintaining a smooth and orderly flow of discussion.

This level of organization helps prevent disruptions and ensures that meetings proceed in a structured and respectful manner. The system's ability to maintain order and prevent disruptions not only ensures a smooth and efficient meeting but also allows clerks to focus on facilitating the discussion rather than managing the logistics, leading to a more productive and inclusive meeting experience. When meetings run smoothly, the public is more likely to want to participate regularly.

Live-Streaming and Automatic Closed Captioning for Enhanced Accessibility

Live-streaming public meetings has become a standard practice for many municipalities. In fact, many states have legislation that requires it! It allows citizens to participate in local governance from anywhere, making meetings more accessible to those who cannot attend in person. A meeting management solution can take this a step further by integrating live-streaming capabilities directly into the meeting platform, complete with automatic closed captioning. This feature extends the reach of the meeting beyond those who can attend in real-time and provides a valuable resource for citizens to refer back to later.

Automatic closed captioning is particularly valuable in making meetings accessible to a wider audience. By ensuring that all spoken content is accurately captioned in real-time, city clerks can guarantee that everyone in the community has the opportunity to engage with the meeting’s proceedings. For example, a clerk can set up the system to automatically generate captions during a live broadcast, which are then displayed on the screen for online viewers.

Some meeting management solutions also support multiple languages, meaning city clerks can automatically translate recordings and other meeting items. This is a simple but effective way to reach everyone in the community, including those whose primary language differs from the majority.

Putting It All Together

Digital meeting management solutions offer powerful, practical tools that help city clerks facilitate public engagement. However, it’s still important to know your municipality’s specific goals, which can help you choose the right meeting management solution to meet them.

Fostering optimal citizen engagement isn’t a one-and-done task; it requires ongoing efforts to see what works for your community and to adjust course accordingly. Meeting management solutions provide the tools to help local governments succeed in this endeavor. Still, it’s up to local governments to engage in continuous dialogue with the public and always strive to find better ways to encourage citizens to participate in public meetings.

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