Committee reviews commissioner stipends, time-sheet plan and automated minutes

The Houston County budget committee reviewed a proposed overhaul to commissioner compensation and discussed automating meeting minutes.

The chair presented alternatives to the existing $150 monthly base stipend for commissioners and proposed a time-sheet system that would pay commissioners based on the meetings and committee work they attend. "This is the only time in the next four years you can make a change," the chair said, urging members to review a worksheet that included options at $100, $150 and $200.

Committee members asked for comparisons to neighboring counties and raised practical questions about formatting and proofing minutes. One member said hiring a person to take minutes could cost another roughly $10,000 annually, and the group discussed whether the chairman could proofread AI-produced minutes instead.

A staff member demonstrated or described an app called Minutes that records meetings and transcribes text. "It's called Minutes. It's the app," a staff member said; committee discussion centered on whether the chairman could edit the automated output and add attendance information to avoid hiring separate minute-takers.

The committee did not vote on compensation during the meeting; the chair asked members to review figures and return with changes at the committee meeting in four weeks.

What happens next: Members will examine the proposed stipend/time-sheet options and consider whether to adopt the time-sheet model and an AI-assisted minutes workflow at the next committee meeting.