The Connected Clerk

Municipal clerks are at the center of municipal transparency and operational efficiency. From preparing agendas and managing public meetings to fulfilling records requests and archiving social media content, clerks are responsible for making sure their agencies remain accountable and responsive.

But in many communities, these responsibilities are still managed through disconnected systems, manual processes, and siloed data. The result? Duplicative work, compliance risks, and a frustrating experience for both staff and residents.

To combat this, there is a need for better tools, and better connections between them.

That’s where the Civic Impact Platform comes in. By integrating Agenda and Meeting Management, NextRequest, Social Media Archiving, Municode Codification, and Municipal Websites, CivicPlus empowers clerks to manage the full lifecycle of public records with confidence and clarity.

One Clerk, Total Visibility

Clerks wear many hats and are oftentimes managing complex records. From meeting prep to ordinance publishing, public records intake to social media archiving, and resident-facing communications, each task comes with its own set of challenges. Without connected systems, even routine workflows can become time-consuming, error-prone, and frustrating.

1. Agenda and Meeting Management: From Draft to Decision

Clerks are no strangers to the pressure of packet deadlines and public meeting prep. This often means juggling multiple documents, chasing approvals, and assembling packets under tight deadlines. Without automation, clerks spend hours on repetitive tasks and risk errors that can delay public access to critical information.

With Agenda and Meeting Management, clerks can streamline the entire meeting process with a purpose-built platform designed for clerks, from agenda creation and collaboration, to live meeting management and post-meeting publishing.

The platform’s automated workflows, drag-and-drop agenda tools, and real-time collaboration features eliminate the need for late-night packet assembly or last-minute scrambles. And through integration with Municipal Websites and Municode Codification, ordinances can be published online within seconds of adoption, complete with linked agendas, minutes, and voting records.

“I can’t tell you how much time we’ve saved preparing the minutes because the tool compiles them for us. It used to be an arduous process hunting down and searching for all the documents and compiling them; that’s been completely eliminated. The person who takes our minutes now spends maybe an hour when it used to take her a full day or more.”

Sarah Brake, Deputy Clerk and Technology Implementation Specialist | Hillsborough Township, NJ

2. NextRequest: Public Records, Simplified

Public records requests are increasing in volume and complexity, and manual tracking makes it hard to meet deadlines and stay compliant. Clerks need a system that can handle intake, routing, redaction, and release, all while maintaining compliance with FOIA and state-specific public records laws.

NextRequest empowers government organizations to streamline the receipt, routing, and release of public records through an all-in-one, modern online portal. It supports batch redaction, audit trails, and real-time alerts for deadlines or risk flags. The integration with Municipal Websites enables residents to find relevant information before submitting a request, reducing volume and improving resident satisfaction with information at their fingertips.

“It’s been pretty beneficial to just have a centralized system for all records and communications. It’s very easy to go back and see who did what or who touched what. NextRequest not only made us more efficient but has allowed us to better serve our community.”

Marco Martinez, Assistant City Clerk | Manteca, CA

3. Social Media Archiving: Compliance in Near Real-Time

Social media is a primary channel for public communication, and a growing source of public records requests. But relying on screenshots or native platform archives is risky and incomplete. Deleted or edited posts can disappear forever, creating compliance risks and eroding public trust.

Social Media Archiving offers a streamlined solution to automatically capture and preserve social media content, supporting compliance with public records laws. Capture 90% of social media content within 30 seconds of posting, including those that are then deleted, edited, or hidden. It preserves full metadata, supports advanced search and export, and integrates with Municipal Websites for unified search. With an Open Archive, residents can access public social media records directly, reducing the burden on staff and increasing transparency.

“If someone makes a comment on a post and then they delete it, it’s gone to everybody else, but we know it’s still backed up, and we have it there just in case we need it. It is worth the money to have that safety net behind us.”

Jeremy Mumford, City Clerk Casey, IL | Casey, IL

4. Municode Codification: Ordinances Made Accessible

Publishing and maintaining municipal codes is a critical part of transparency and legal compliance. But without integration, codification can be slow, manual, and disconnected from other records, making ordinances hard for residents to find.

Simplify the complex process of drafting, publishing, and maintaining municipal codes with Municode Codification services, and easily amend your code with our experienced team of supplementation experts. When integrated with Agenda and Meeting Management, adopted ordinances can be codified and published online quickly. Integration with Municipal Websites helps residents easily find and search for the laws that govern their communities.

“What we noticed with CivicPlus is that when software programs are implemented or integrated, they work. I’ve noticed situations where organizations bought software with legacy systems. It was tough to make them work together, so the ability to implement multiple products together made a big difference.

Kara Paxton, Clerk Treasurer | Fayetteville, AR

5. Municipal Websites: Your Public-Facing Hub

Municipal websites are often the first place residents go to find information, submit requests, or engage with their local government. But when websites are disconnected from internal systems, they become static bulletin boards instead of dynamic service portals. Without the right tools in place, clerks must manually update content across multiple platforms, wasting time and risking outdated information.

Municipal Websites are a comprehensive content management system designed to help local governments build websites that connect with residents effectively. They’re functional, accessible, and deeply integrated with the tools clerks use every day. From publishing agendas and ordinances to surfacing public records and archived social media content, the website becomes a central access point for residents and a powerful publishing tool for staff.

“What is so nice for us is that everything integrates together a little bit better when the solutions are with that same company. You can literally go to our main search box, and in one click you can see where we have web content and then also meeting minutes and ordinances. We’ve gotten very positive feedback on that. Being able to integrate everything together like that just works so much better.”

Joel Gillie, Public Affairs Director | Wayne County, NC

Why Integration Matters

Each CivicPlus tool solves a specific challenge. But when used together, they create a connected records ecosystem that transforms how clerks work, and how residents experience local government.

Before CivicPlus: A clerk might spend hours tracking down a deleted social media comment, cross-referencing it with meeting minutes, and manually attaching it to a public records response. Ordinances could take days to publish, and residents would need to call multiple departments just to find basic information.

With CivicPlus: That same workflow takes minutes. A deleted comment is already archived. The ordinance is published automatically after adoption. Residents search once and instantly access agendas, minutes, codified laws, and social media posts, all from the municipal website.

The integration powers:

• Unified Search: Residents can search for a topic like “sign regulations” and instantly access related agendas, ordinances, social media posts, and public records, all from one place.
• Resident Portal: A personalized dashboard where residents manage subscriptions, submit requests, and access records.
• Single Sign-On: Staff move seamlessly between systems without managing multiple logins or duplicating work.

And the benefits go beyond convenience:

• Reduce risk by supporting compliance across platforms
• Improve efficiency by eliminating duplicate work and manual processes
• Build public trust through transparency and timely access to information
• Free up clerks to focus on strategic initiatives outside of administrative tasks

Whether it’s a resident searching for “noise ordinances” or a clerk preparing for a council meeting, the integrations help every record, every touchpoint, and every interaction stay connected, accessible, and accountable.

The Connected Clerk: A New Standard

The role of the clerk has always been vital. But with the right tools and the right connections, clerks can go beyond managing meetings and records. They can lead digital transformation, champion transparency, and deliver a better experience for everyone who interacts with local government.

The Civic Impact Platform is a unified platform designed to support the full scope of a clerk’s responsibilities, from meetings to media.

Explore how CivicPlus can help you connect your records ecosystem.

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