Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Meeting Support Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clerk staff outline rising meeting‑support workload; accessibility templates and policy changes planned ahead of 2026 law
Summary
Clerk staff told the committee that increased transparency and new accessibility obligations have raised meeting‑preparation time and that the office is creating templates and internal deadlines; staff said an accessibility law effective April 2026 will require new policies for documents provided by third parties.
Clerk staff briefed the committee on a stepped process the office follows to prepare, host and follow up on council meetings and said workload has grown because the office now posts materials in advance, makes post‑meeting documents available and must meet new accessibility requirements.
Staff described a multi‑step packet preparation process that occurs before, during and after meetings and noted that the list does not yet include the additional work needed to make materials accessible. They said they are developing templates for agendas, ordinances, resolutions and notices and are drafting internal deadlines for submission of presentation slides and other meeting materials so documents can be made accessible before meetings.
Staff said the accessibility law will take effect in April 2026 and will likely require council policy about the format and accessibility of third‑party documents submitted for meetings. Staff advised that the clerk’s office will propose policy language and templates (including accessible templates) and that the legal department and other city departments could use the templates to standardize submissions.
Staff also raised interview‑scheduling workload and the heavy time commitment required to coordinate interview committees for appointments; multiple council members and staff said interview logistics have been time consuming this year.
Next steps: staff will bring a fuller accessibility briefing and potential policy proposals to a future meeting and circulate templates and internal deadlines to departments.
