Lee County staff test AI tools to speed meeting minutes but stop short of adopting one

Becky, a county staff member, told the Executive Committee that she and staff tested Onboard’s new minutes module and a separate AI workflow this week. "The minutes builder is actually more of a bullet point type thing," Becky said, adding Onboard pulls the YouTube video and transcripts into its module but "it doesn't get into the meaty part of the meetings."

Becky said a comparison showed a large price gap: "the onboard is actually $3,000 a year," while "the program that Jack showed me is $250 a year." She also said she had accessed an advanced version of Google’s Gemini at about $19.99 a month for testing.

Becky and other speakers said the lower-cost option summarizes lengthy discussions into conversational summaries but does not automatically produce the formal motions and roll-call details the county must keep. "You still have to do the work," Becky said, describing the tools as time-saving aids rather than full replacements for minutes preparation.

Michael Pien, Public Safety and Court Services, said AI could be a "time saving opportunity for the county" but acknowledged there will likely be costs for implementation. Board members and staff discussed whether a countywide business account or individual subscriptions would be needed; Becky said she was unsure whether a business subscription would be required.

The committee treated the presentation as discussion only and did not vote. Becky recommended continued evaluation, including checking whether a chosen tool could be made available departmentwide. The committee agreed to review the options further before considering procurement or formal adoption.