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Study commission reorganizes digital binder; city attorney cautions against treating AI transcripts as official record
Summary
The study commission directed staff to reorganize its online repository and the digital binder for clearer public access and to separate official city documents from study-commission documents.
The Bozeman Study Commission on March 6 directed staff to reorganize its online repository and digital binder to make materials easier for the public to find. Staff will rename the current “digital binder” folder to “Reference Materials,” add a folder for official city documents and a folder for study-commission documents (agendas, minutes, bylaws, timetable, tentative and final reports), and keep the bylaws accessible from the agenda as a top-level item.
Commissioners stressed straightforward navigation: separate folders for (1) city-adopted documents (growth policy, adopted plans), (2) study-commission documents (timetable, bylaws, reports), and (3) other reference materials (articles, guidance). Staff said written public comments will be stored and, when the volume grows, organized by topic folders (e.g., neighborhoods, transportation) to group like items together.
Members also discussed whether the commission should capture spoken public comments in written form. Some commissioners proposed using automated transcription tools to produce quick searchable text for internal use. City Attorney Greg Sullivan cautioned that an AI-generated transcript of oral public comment should not be considered the official record unless it is reviewed and confirmed by a human. He said: “I would suggest that you never consider an AI generated transcription of an oral public comment to be the official record unless it is actively reviewed by a human and confirmed that it's accurate.” Sullivan noted the city already provides live closed captioning for meetings and that the official record remains the meeting recording.
Staff confirmed the city pays for human-produced closed captioning for broadcasts from the main chambers and that closed captions can be reviewed. The commission agreed to proceed with the repository reorganization; staff will implement the folder changes and bring back any recommended procedures for indexing written public comments and for how the commission may use AI-assisted transcriptions as an internal aid (subject to human review).
Commissioners set a planning meeting for March 19, 2025, to develop a communications and outreach plan for the April 3 public hearing and to finalize how repository navigation and public-comment filing should appear to the public.
