Technical Training Session on Legistar Minutes and Video Workflow (October 1, 2026)

This was a working session between Manny (Granicus tech support) and Jad (city staff) to address ongoing issues with generating minutes and managing video within Legistar and related software. The focus was on resolving formatting problems in Word documents, adding new motion options, and streamlining the minutes creation process. No official city council business was conducted.

Discussion Items

• Word Document Formatting Issues: Jad reported that when generating minutes as a Word document, every section appeared as a separate box, requiring manual adjustment on 13 pages. Manny demonstrated that the boxes do not print, but Jad found the layout cumbersome. They tested copying and pasting text to reduce box manipulation.
• Adding the “Recuse” Motion: Jad noted that a council member recused themselves during a vote, but the “recuse” action was not available in Legistar motions. Manny added “Recuse” as a procedural action and applied it to all relevant file types (public hearings, staff reports, etc.).
• Handling Items Pulled from Consent: For items pulled from the consent agenda, Jad wanted to show the original item number but replace the title with “This item has been pulled for a separate vote.” Manny recommended copying the file to create a new version with the desired title, then replacing the original in the minutes while keeping the agenda unchanged.
• Admin Reports Section: Jad encountered extra text in the admin reports section that appeared in minutes but not in the agenda. Manny suggested splitting the section into a separate, non-numbered subsection that can be manually deleted from minutes.
• Live Manager Shortcuts and Video Workflow: Manny showed how to set up text expansion shortcuts in Live Manager for common meeting actions (e.g., “MCO” for meeting call to order). They discussed using Media Manager to edit notes after recording and the option to mark items as consent for bulk voting.
• Video Export and Hidden Meetings: They reviewed exporting a hidden test meeting to avoid public visibility and confirmed the video encoder setup. Jad reported that Live Manager works well, but entering votes during fast-moving council meetings is challenging.

Key Outcomes

• The “Recuse” motion was added to Legistar actions and will appear in future meetings.
• A method was established for handling pulled consent items: copy the file, change the title in the copy, and replace the original in the minutes.
• The admin reports section may be restructured to a separate subsection for easier management (pending confirmation with Sam).
• No changes were made to the test minutes; they will remain as a training record.
• Manny will send a recap and continue to investigate the locked item number field in minutes.
• A follow-up session is planned for the next week to address any remaining issues.