Leeds, Alabama
Client Since: 2020 Population: 11,773
►Visit Their Document Archive Platform
>Learn more about our document archiving tool, MuniDocs
►Search Through Their Self-Published Online Code Platform
>Learn more about how to maintain your municipal code with Self-Publishing Software
►Visit Their Meetings & Agenda Portal
>Learn more about our Meetings & Agenda Management Solution
Leeds, Alabama needed to change a few of their processes to bring more transparency to their residents as well as ease workloads for staff. Specifically, they wanted solutions that would expand the community's access to their Code of Ordinances, government documents, and meetings minutes. These solutions also had to simplify the codification and meetings process for staff.
Leeds utilized processes that slowly became inefficient and out of date. To start, the code and documents were only available in hard copies. Viewing them required either traveling to city hall or placing a request through phone or email. This left a gap in transparency as some may not live close enough to city hall to make the trip. Requests could also take a few days to fill which put a burden on those who needed information as soon as possible. Another big issue with the hard copies is that the code may not always be the most current version. Because codification was not done in house, staff would have to wait for the new codebooks to be sent. Leeds meetings method was also just as inefficient, with a manual process for the creation of every document. This left some members of staff rushing to get agendas and packets completed at the very last minute.
Looking to modernize their processes, Leeds sought the help of Municode and three solutions from the Circle of Governance™: Self-Publishing Software (SPS), MuniDocs, and Meetings & Agenda Management. SPS allows staff to publish and maintain their code in a user-friendly digital platform. Drafting can be handled within the existing online code, cutting down on paper costs. In addition, proposals and voting may also be done in the platform, significantly speeding up the process. Once an ordinance is ready for publishing, it is instantly uploaded online, ensuring the most current version is always online for the community to view. MuniDocs, a document archiving platform, hosts over 650 Leeds documents. While this may sound like a large workload to get online, documents can be uploaded in groups and are then OCR'd to increase searchability and run through a set of accessibility processes to meet some ADA standards. Both the self-published code and documents are available online and can be seen on any device, effectively granting more access to the community. Meetings Management speeds up Leeds meeting process tremendously with automated meeting document creation. Documents can even be created minutes before a meeting with no added stress. These documents are then uploaded online for the community to view.
Outcomes
- Modernized processes for codification, documents and meetings
- Increase transparency for the community as the Code of Ordinances, documents and meetings documents are available online at any time
