Guides for clerks and board secretaries

Practical, sourced guides to the parts of the job nobody trains you for.

• ADA Title II web accessibility deadline for small governments

  DOJ's Title II web rule, the 2026 extension to April 2027 and 2028, and what it means for agendas, minutes, PDF packets, and meeting video captions.

• Action vs. summary vs. verbatim minutes: which style fits

  The three styles of meeting minutes compared: what each records, when each fits a small public board, and the state-law rules that can decide for you.

• Can AI write meeting minutes? An honest look for clerks

  What AI transcription and drafting do well and badly for public meeting minutes, why clerk review is essential, and what to ask vendors about your data.

• Certificate of posting: proving you noticed the meeting

  What a certificate or affidavit of posting is, why clerks keep one for every meeting notice, what it should include, and example state notice deadlines.

• How to livestream public meetings on a small budget

  A practical setup for streaming small board meetings to YouTube: cameras, OBS, fixing audio first, going live, captions, recordings, and hybrid issues.

• How to record motions and votes in meeting minutes

  Minute-ready wording for motions, seconds, amendments, withdrawn and tabled motions, roll-call and voice votes, abstentions, recusals, and unanimous consent.

• How to write meeting minutes for a small public board

  A practical guide for clerks of small boards: what minutes must contain, what to leave out, a worked motion example, and how approval and corrections work.