Welcome! The Open Meeting Toolkit helps community-based teams, such as Code for America Brigades, to evaluate and improve the openness of local public meetings while engaging civic technology volunteers.

Map of Public Meetings in the Carolinas. Yellow markers show fixed meeting locations. Pink markers are placeholders for meetings with no fixed locations. The map is not maintained regularly. Confirm meeting details before attending.

Local Scan

Start by getting to know more about your community and the public meetings your local government holds. The Toolkit's local scan includes two activities to help you prepare: a map of public meetings and an environmental scan, called a STEEPLE analysis. Consider hosting one or more kickoff events for your team to do these activities as they prepare to use the Toolkit.

Meeting Marathon Plan

When your team has completed the local scan, it's time to plan which meetings you will attend. Look over meeting data for your community on the Map of Public Meetings, on the meetings data file your team prepared, or on the website of your local government. We recommend that you create an initial plan to observe meetings over a period of three months, then begin to analyze your evaluations as a team.

For fun, you can use this Meeting Marathon Signup sheet to organize your team's plan around the theme of a Meeting Marathon. Because some of the most common races are 5K, 10K and marathons (26.2 miles), challenge your team to pledge to attend 5, 10, or 26 meetings! Make a copy of the Google Document, complete the table with the date, public body, and team member for each meeting. Don't forget to allow a week before the meeting and a week after the meeting to check information for the Before Meeting and After Meeting evaluation forms. Keep the template for your records so you can follow up with teammates and encourage them.

Meeting Evaluation

Our meeting evaluation tools are based on Code for Asheville's summary of their observations, resources on plain language from the U.S. government, Accessibility Beyond Compliance, and other sources on usability. The Meeting Evaluation form helps you observe and record whether you observe similar challenges to participation in your own community.

Access the Meeting Evaluations Google Form

1. A local team leader should access the Open Meeting Toolkit Folder in the Sunshine Request Google Workspace and make a copy of the Meeting Evaluations form (in the Forms folder) and of the Meeting Evaluation Analysis Spreadsheet.
2. Place these copies in a folder in your Google Workspace.
3. Set the Google Form to send responses to the Analysis Spreadsheet. On the Responses tab of the form, access the three dot menu and choose Select response destination. Use the option to send responses to an existing file. Select the Analysis Spreadsheet.
4. Make any changes you would like to make to the Meeting Evaluation form. For example, you might rename the file and/or add your location to the top of the form. Our project team put a lot of work into writing and testing questions, but you are free to adjust, add, or delete questions to make the process work better for your team.
5. Share the form with your team members. Click on the Send button at the upper right. Use the Email or Get a link option to share a link to the form.
6. Make sure all team members have access to the Meeting Evaluation form link.

Team members who are evaluating meetings should start the Before Meeting evaluation one week before the meeting date. Check to see if a meeting agenda that lists the topics that will be covered is available online. Complete the remaining questions on the Before Meeting form at your convenience any time before the meeting. Complete the During Meeting form as soon as possible after the meeting. Complete the After Meeting form one week after the meeting, to allow time for meeting information, such as recordings and minutes, to be posted online.

Full text of all evaluation forms is provided below so you can easily refer to the questions. It is a good idea to read over the questions in advance. It is OK to skip questions. The end of each section provides space for comments and clarifications.

Before the Meeting

1. Select the name of the public body holding the meeting. A public body could be a board, commission, council, or other group.
   • County Board of Commissioners
   • City Council
   • Other
2. Date of the meeting?
3. A meeting agenda lists the topics to be discussed during a meeting. When was the meeting agenda available?
   • At least one week in advance (for example, on Monday for a meeting the following Monday)
   • At least 48 hours before the time of the meeting
   • Fewer than 48 hours, but before the start of the meeting
   • No agenda was available before the start of the meeting
4. Which of these types of location information are you able to find? Mark all that apply:
• Meeting street address
• Meeting location (room name or number)
• Remote attendance instructions
• Parking information
• Public transit information
5. Before attending the meeting, which of the following, if any, were you able to locate? In this question, the word “board” refers to the board, commission, council, or other group holding the meeting. Mark all that apply:
   • Board membership
   • An email address or telephone number to contact the board
   • Email addresses or telephone numbers to contact individual board members
   • Name of at least one local government staff member who works with the board
   • Board meeting schedules
   • Board bylaws (may also be called something else, such as rules of order or policy manual)
6. Which of these types of access information are you able to find? Mark all that apply:
   • Accessibility considerations that will be provided, including foreign language translation or interpretation
   • Instructions on requesting accessibility measures
   • Instructions for submitting questions or comments before the meeting by phone or voicemail
   • Instructions for submitting questions or comments before the meeting by email or web form
   
   

   Web Accessibility Evaluation

   
   The Open Meeting Toolkit helps you focus on identifying barriers to participation, especially barriers that exclude people who are frequently left out of local government decisions. The questions in this section have been developed to help you learn about assistive technologies and tools to identify website accessibility problems. These questions help you center empathy for people who use these websites and give you practical tools that you may find helpful in your own work.
   
   When answering these questions, consider all of the web pages where you found information for the previous questions. Be sure to allow enough time to familiarize yourself with the resources at the links in the questions, especially for your first Before-Meeting evaluation. You may also find it helpful to use the free Axe Browser Extension for Accessibility Testing or a similar automated tool to review the web page.
   
   
7. Cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities. People with cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities may use assistive technology that changes the colors, spacing, or size of text to make it easier to read. They may be affected by visual flickering or long sections of text. Mark Yes or No for all of the following website features:
   • 7a. Text written in plain language (short, clear words and sentences)
   • 7b. Text content structured using logically-nested heading tags and lists when appropriate
   • 7c. No distracting animations or sound like popup ads and autoplay slideshows
   • 7d. Meaningful visuals like photos, graphs, and icons to supplement text
   • 7e. Multiple ways to find content like search and menu navigation
8. Physical disabilities. People with physical disabilities may use assistive technology like ergonomic keyboards, joysticks, or voice recognition to navigate web content. Mark Yes or No for all of the following website features:
   • 8a. Links and interactive elements that can be browsed and selected by keyboard in a logical tab order
   • 8b. Visual focus indicators when navigating by keyboard
   • 8c. Option to skip to main content when navigating by keyboard
   • 8d. Large clickable areas on non-text links like buttons and controls (at least 44x44 pixels)
9. Visual disabilities. People with visual disabilities may have customized settings that adjust screen colors or enlarge text. They may also use a screen reader or navigate websites by keyboard. Mark Yes or No for all of the following website features:
   • 9a. Alternative text (alt text) for any images like photos and icons that have a purpose other than just decoration
   • 9b. Link text that describes the purpose of the link
   • 9c. Pages that remain functional when the text is zoomed to 200%
   • 9d. Semantic markup to identify types of content like navigation and footer
   • 9e. Enough text contrast with the background
   • 9f. Visual cues aside from color alone to indicate links and other information like data in a graph
   • 9g. Page layout that passes the straw test for proximity
10. Provide any additional information you think is important here.

During the Meeting

1. Select the name of the public body holding the meeting. A public body could be a board, commission, council, or other group.
   • County Board of Commissioners
   • City Council
   • Other
2. Date of the meeting?
3. How did you attend the meeting?
   • On site
   • Online
4. Was your attendance at the meeting tracked?
   • There was a registration process that asked me to confirm my identity.
   • There was a registration process that asked for my name.
   • My attendance was countable, but not tracked to me personally.
5. Did attendees have to pass through screening to enter the meeting? Mark all that apply.
   • Bags were screened.
   • People had to pass through a scanner or metal detector.
   • People were physically screened (patted down).
   • People were asked to show identification.
   • There was an online registration process.
   • No screening was required to enter the meeting.
6. Did the agenda show how and when public comments can be made by community attendees?
   • Yes
   • No
7. Were you able to participate in the meeting by making comments or questions? Participation may be spoken or written.
• Yes, and the meeting included a clear explanation of how to participate.
• Yes, but the meeting did not include a clear explanation of how to participate.
• No, attendees could listen but not participate.
8. Which of the following accessibility considerations did you see? Mark all that apply.
   • Foreign language interpretation
   • Live transcription speech-to-text
   • Sign language interpreter
   • Verbal description or explanation of images such as charts
   • Reserved spaces for people with disability parking placards (on site only)
   • Near public transit (on site only)
   • Clear signs to help people find the meeting (on site only)
   • Meeting room could be accessed without using stairs (on site only)
9. Was the meeting disrupted by technical problems? Mark all that apply.
   • No, at most minor technical difficulties that were quickly resolved.
   • Yes, the public body holding the meeting had technical problems.
   • Yes, my device or connection had technical problems. (online only)
10. Did the meeting follow an agenda that was available at the start of the meeting?
    • Yes
    • No, the meeting did not follow the agenda
    • An agenda was never provided
11. During the meeting, I learned that some of the previously posted information was not current. Mark all that apply.
    • Board membership
    • Elected officials
    • Contact information
    • Meeting schedules
    • Meeting bylaws
12. Provide any additional information you think is important here.

After the Meeting

1. Select the name of the public body holding the meeting. A public body could be a board, commission, council, or other group.
   • County Board of Commissioners
   • City Council
   • Other
2. Date of the meeting?
3. Were participants informed of where records like meeting minutes or recordings would be posted after the meeting? Mark all that apply.
   • Yes, participants were told at the meeting
   • Yes, participants were given written information at the meeting
   • Yes, participants were notified by email after the meeting
   • No, participants were not informed about where to find records after the meeting
4. After attending the meeting, which of the following records were you able to find? Mark all that apply.
   • Meeting agenda
   • Meeting minutes
   • Meeting video recording
   • Meeting transcript
   • Contact information page
   • Last time contact information was updated
5. Were you informed about ways to provide additional comments about topics discussed during the meeting? Mark all that apply.
   • Email
   • In writing, postal mail
   • Online form
   • Voice mail
6. Were you informed about ways to provide additional comments about how the meeting was conducted? Mark all that apply.
   • Person to contact by phone
   • Person to contact by email
   • Online form or survey
7. Web accessibility for auditory disabilities People with auditory disabilities and English language learners may use captions and transcripts to help them understand multimedia content. Mark all that apply.
   • 7a. Does the multimedia content have captions?
     • Multimedia content has accurate captions (also known as subtitles) that describe audio information, including non-speech audio like music descriptions.
     • Multimedia content has automatic captions that have not been proofread to match audio content.
     • Multimedia content has no captions.
     • No audio or video content.
   • 7b. Does the multimedia content have transcripts?
   • Multimedia content has accurate transcripts that describe both audio and visual information.
   • Multimedia content has transcripts that may not be accurate or complete, such as automatic or audio-only transcripts.
   • Multimedia content has no transcripts.
   • No audio or video content.
8. Provide any additional information you think is important here.

Analysis

You are welcome to analyze your team's findings using any method that is comfortable for you. We have developed a suggested method of analysis aligned with the Open Meetings Policy developed by Code for Asheville and Sunshine Request.

The Open Meetings Policy is divided into sections, including Basic Public Body Information, Public Meeting Information, Public Meeting Materials, Meeting Procedure, and Public Participation. The analysis approach described here has the goal of helping you understand whether the problems they found also exist in your community. This can be a starting point to make a decision about whether you want to recommend the same or similar policy changes as they did. You may want to refer back to the section above called Sunshine Request and Code for Asheville Observations as you begin your analysis.

The Analysis Spreadsheet you have used to collect Meeting Evaluations contains Google Sheets macros that can be used to view columns with responses related to each section of the policy proposal. What each macro does is explained on the Macro Descriptions tab of the Analysis Spreadsheet. After using a macro to refine a view, use the AllColumns macro to unhide all columns before using another macro.

For example, use the Participation macro to see responses by your team members related to the ability of members of the public to participate in meetings. If you observe similar barriers to those observed in Asheville, you may want to make a similar policy recommendation.

Recommendations

As you decide what changes to recommend, here are three approaches to consider: Feedback, Policy & Partnerships.

Feedback

Feedback means telling local government staff about barriers you observe at public meetings. You may have opportunities to provide this through surveys or a web form. You can also use the Sunshine Request Meeting Accessibility Email Templates. This document includes sample emails and advice on how to find the right person to contact.

Policy

Sunshine Request and Code for Asheville created a policy proposal called the Open Meetings Policy and presented it to the Governance Committee of Asheville City Council. They also prepared a petition and gathered support from organizations and individuals. Your team may want to use these as models.

As you consider policy recommendations, review the political and legal sections of your STEEPLE Analysis. Look at what local policies exist for public meetings and for changing or amending those policies. Keep in mind that local policies can create additional requirements for local governments but must still meet all requirements of state law. Some questions to consider:

• What actions can you take if a current policy is not being followed in practice?
• What is the process to propose changes to current policy?
• Were there practices used in response to COVID-19 that you would like to make part of your community's policy?

To gain and document support for their policy proposal, Sunshine Request circulated petitions for individuals and organizations. You can use the templates provided in the Forms folder of the Toolkit to develop your own petitions.

Partnerships

Your team may also want to consider partnerships as a way to make it easier to participate in local government, especially by making information easier to access. We provide a few examples here. Think carefully before making an ongoing commitment for your team to provide this information. It may be better for you to partner with a local non-profit that will host the information on an ongoing basis. Your team might be most effective by engaging civic technology volunteers to help the non-profit prepare their site, rather than trying to start a new organization.

• The Council Data Project provides a model for hosting recordings of local government meetings. The Council Data Project offers open source software so their approach can be used in other communities.
• Digitizing city records, such as agendas and minutes, following this model.
• Maintaining a map of public meetings for your county and/ or providing downloadable calendar notices in the standard format, ICS (Internet Calendar Scheduling).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a public meeting?

We use the term public meeting to refer to local government meetings that are required by law ("NC General Statute Chapter 143 33C") to allow the public to attend and, in some cases, to provide public comment. From the statute: "public body" means any elected or appointed authority, board, commission, committee, council, or other body of the State, or of one or more counties, cities, school administrative units, constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, or other political subdivisions or public corporations in the State that (i) is composed of two or more members and (ii) exercises or is authorized to exercise a legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative, or advisory function." There are a few additional considerations, so if you are in doubt, please consult the statute.

Can I use the Open Meeting Toolkit for the Carolinas in other places besides North Carolina?

There is some interest in adapting the Toolkit for use in other places. Right now, it provides resources for North Carolina.

Why is a meeting showing up in the wrong place, such as the wrong county or in the ocean?

The tools that estimate latitude and longitude depend on a complete, correct address. Some solutions might be to check the address and try again or to look up the location on Google Maps.

Can a team use the Open Meeting Toolkit without a team leader?

Yes, the Toolkit can be used by self-directed teams who share responsibility for leadership.

What if I notice a technical problem or want to suggest an improvement?

The Toolkit is being developed by civic technology volunteers. If you are a civic technology volunteer yourself and know how to fix the problem, we invite you to collaborate with us on GitHub. Another option would be to email records@sunshinerequest.org. You are also welcome to modify the openly licensed Toolkit to better meet your needs.

What if we didn't attach the Analysis Spreadsheet to our Google Form?

If you didn't attach the spreadsheet before collecting responses, you can still use the analysis macros. Copy your responses from the Responses tab of the Form to the Analysis Spreadsheet.

Is the Toolkit suitable for research?

No, the Toolkit provides a structure and resources for local teams to make observations to help inform improvements to public meetings in their own communities. Findings from the Toolkit are not intended for publication or as contributions to general knowledge. Use of the Toolkit may involve observing some public information about public officials, but in general the Toolkit is for observing information about public meetings, not about people.