AI meeting minutes for local government: a practical guide
AI can produce a solid first draft of public meeting minutes from a recording. The secretary still reviews it and the board still approves it. This guide covers what the law requires, how to review an AI draft, and how to handle the recording afterwards.
Last updated October 11, 2026
Is it allowed?
State open-meetings laws define what minutes must contain, not how they are produced. Using software to prepare a draft is no different in principle from using a recorder and a word processor. What matters is that the minutes are accurate and that the body approves them. About a quarter of clerks already use AI to help draft minutes, according to a 2026 survey of more than 500 clerks by eScribe and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
What minutes must contain
Requirements differ by state, but most include the date, time and place; members present and absent; every official action; motions and roll-call votes by member; and the reason for any closed or executive session. Pennsylvania also requires the names of citizens who appeared officially and the subject of their testimony (65 Pa.C.S. § 706). See the state-by-state guides.
How to review an AI draft
- Check attendance against your sign-in or roll call.
- For every motion, confirm the mover, the seconder and each member’s vote.
- Confirm amounts, parcel numbers, ordinance and resolution numbers against the agenda packet.
- Resolve every item the draft flagged as uncertain by listening to that moment in the recording.
- Make sure discussion is summarized neutrally and that nothing said in executive session appears in the public minutes.
Recordings as public records
In many states a recording made by the municipality is itself a public record. Keep it for the period your retention schedule sets, which is often until the minutes are approved or longer, and dispose of it by the method your schedule requires. Pennsylvania municipalities follow the Municipal Records Manual; PSATS publishes a model resolution for disposing of meeting recordings.
Questions
Is it legal for a township or borough to use AI to draft minutes?
No state law we have reviewed prohibits it. Open-meetings laws specify the content of minutes (attendance, actions, votes and so on), not how the draft is produced. The secretary remains responsible for the minutes and the board approves them.
Should AI-assisted minutes be labeled?
It is not generally required, but some municipalities add a short note such as “Prepared with AI assistance; reviewed and approved by the Board,” and some state municipal leagues recommend disclosure.
Is the recording a public record?
Often, yes. For example, the Ohio Attorney General concluded in Opinion 2008-019 that a fiscal officer’s recording of a meeting is a public record subject to the retention schedule. Check your state’s retention schedule before deleting recordings.
Can AI get votes wrong?
Any transcription can mishear. Good tools flag uncertain names and votes and link them to the recording so the secretary can confirm them before the board votes to approve.
See it with your own meeting.
Send us a recording of a recent meeting and we'll send back draft minutes in your board's format. Free, no credit card, no sales call.