Minutes of meeting software for city and township clerks

Minutes of meeting software is worth buying as a clerk only if it names who moved, who seconded and how each member voted, because that is the part of public minutes you cannot get wrong. Most tools that show up in search results are built for business meetings and summarize the conversation instead.

This page gives the questions to put to any tool, then describes how Minutes Draft, which we make, answers them. We say plainly where it does not fit.

What should minutes of meeting software do for a municipal clerk?

It should produce a record of decisions that you can correct and post: the motion, the mover, the seconder, each member's vote and the outcome. A summary of what people discussed is a different product, useful for a team but not enough for the minutes of a council, board or planning commission.

The search results for this phrase are mostly general-purpose note takers and board portals. Check each one against the questions below before you spend an afternoon on a trial.

What questions should I ask any tool?

Ask these seven before anything else.

1. Does it list motions, seconds and votes as separate fields, or only as part of a summary paragraph?
2. Does it attribute each vote to a named member? A roll call answer must go to the name that was called.
3. What does it print when it is unsure? A tool that never marks a doubtful vote is guessing.
4. Can you edit every field, including adding a motion it missed?
5. What file do you get? A Word file you can finish is more useful than a locked page.
6. Where does the recording go, and for how long? Public meetings are public records, but you should know the retention.
7. What does it not do? Closed sessions, video and live captioning are common gaps.

How does Minutes Draft answer them?

Minutes Draft is a single-job tool: audio recording in, draft minutes out.

• Fields. Each motion lists the mover, the seconder, the wording, the vote by member and the outcome.
• Attribution. It splits the recording by speaker and you name each voice once from your member list. A roll call answer is attributed to the name called.
• Doubt. A motion with no second is listed as "no second heard". A vote it did not hear is listed as "not heard". A part it could not match is marked to check, and those rows come first in review.
• Editing. Every mover, seconder, wording, vote and outcome can be changed, and rows can be added, deleted or merged.
• Files. A Word file or PDF, in action-minutes or summary style, labeled draft until you mark the minutes reviewed.
• Retention. Recordings are deleted 30 days after you mark a meeting reviewed, or 90 days after upload if you never do. Transcripts and minutes files are kept 13 months. You remain the custodian of the official minutes and recording.
• Input. MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG or WEBM audio up to 30 MB, or up to four parts of a longer meeting; up to 12 recordings a month.

What does Minutes Draft not do?

Fit matters more than a feature list, so here is where it stops.

• It does not transcribe live and does not take video; export the audio first.
• It does not paraphrase discussion. Summary style lists who spoke on each item and for how long.
• It has no closed-session minutes, no agenda packets, no posting to your website and no e-signature or approval workflow.
• It is English only and has one user per account.
• It finds motions spoken in the usual phrasing, and unusual wording may be marked to check or missed.
• It makes no claim that a draft is legally sufficient. You review it.

How is software different from a board portal?

A board portal manages agendas, packets and member access, with minutes as one module. Minutes Draft does not do those things; it drafts minutes from a recording. A clerk whose body already uses a portal can still use a separate drafting tool and paste the result in.

How can I judge it quickly?

Run the sample on this page. It takes a fictional township board meeting with five motions through the same steps as a real recording: naming voices, finding the motions, seconds and votes, then the draft. The download is marked SAMPLE and needs no account.

Then compare what you see with the board meeting minutes example, read how a meeting minutes generator works from audio, or weigh software against hiring help in recording secretary or software.

FAQ

Does minutes of meeting software work for public bodies?

Some does and some does not. Check that it records each member's vote by name and marks anything uncertain, since those are the parts public minutes depend on.

Can software draft minutes from a recording I already have?

Yes. Minutes Draft takes an audio file of the meeting after the fact, up to 30 MB or up to four parts of a longer meeting.

Who is responsible for the final minutes?

You are. The software only drafts; the clerk reviews, corrects and approves, and keeps the official record.