Crafting an Effective Meeting Agenda: A Comprehensive Guide for Local Municipal Governments

A effective meeting agenda is an essential document which guides the proceedings of government meetings, or public hearings to ensure effective meeting management. Those of you who work on any level of government, are at least familiar with meeting and public hearing agendas. They are a roadmap for elected officials, staff, and the public, outlining the issues to be addressed, the decisions to be made, and the overall structure of the meeting. Most importantly though, in many states an agenda is required to even have a meeting of any governmental body, so crafting an easy to understand and effective agenda ensures that meetings run efficiently, decisions are made in a timely manner, and public participation is encouraged.

Crafting an effective effective meeting agenda requires a clear understanding of its purpose, a knowledge of key components, and a thoughtful approach to structure and format. This blog will explore essential elements of an agenda as part of effective meeting management. I’ll provide guidance on how to develop one that is both functional and conducive to productive meetings. Additionally, I’ll offer some best practices and provide a practical example to illustrate the process.

Understanding the Purpose of a Municipal Agenda

The primary purpose of a municipal agenda is to serve as a planning tool for government meetings. This helps with effective meeting management by outlining the order of business, ensuring all issues are addressed systematically and that meeting participants (elected officials, staff, media, and the public) understand their roles and responsibilities. The agenda acts as both a guide and a reference point, providing the necessary information to conduct proper meetings and maintain the meeting flow.

Key purposes or characteristics of an agenda include:

Organization: It helps structure the meeting by providing a clear sequence of topics and discussions. This minimizes the risk of chaos or disorganization and ensures that each topic is given adequate attention.
Transparency: Agendas give the public advance notice of the issues to be discussed, promoting transparency in local government operations. This allows residents to prepare for meetings, review documents and participate in discussions (many states require this by law).
Decision-making: A well-prepared agenda helps effective meeting management by focusing the meeting on decision-making processes. Whether it's approving budgets, making policy decisions, soliciting comments from the public, or voting on contracts: the agenda ensures that the necessary steps are followed.
Accountability and historical record: Agendas track what was planned for discussion and what was accomplished. This documentation provides accountability for elected officials, government staff and the public, allowing for transparency in decision-making and ensuring that items are properly followed up on. It also provides a snapshot of what topics were discussed and creates a historical record of the meeting.
Public Participation: A clear and concise agenda allows for better public involvement. When residents know what is on the agenda, they can identify topics of interest and prepare to offer comments or ask questions during public comment periods.

Identifying Key Components of a Municipal Agenda

An effective meeting agenda contains key components to help structure the meeting and provide clarity for all participants, and demonstrating effective meeting management. While the exact components may vary based on state, type of meeting or local government structure, there are common elements that should be included in most municipal agendas.

Meeting Details:
1. Date and Time: Clearly indicate when the meeting will take place, including the date and time. If the meeting is scheduled for multiple days, include specific start and end times.
2. Location: Specify the meeting location, including address and room/floor number (if required) and any virtual meeting details (e.g., Zoom links or dial-in numbers for hybrid meetings).
3. Meeting Type: Indicate whether the meeting is a regular session, special meeting, work session, emergency meeting or public hearing.
Call to Order: This is the official start of the meeting. The meeting is convened, and the presiding officer (Mayor, President or Chairperson) formally begins the session.
Roll Call: A list of the members in attendance, typically by calling their names. This ensures a quorum (the minimum number of members needed to conduct business) is present.
Consent Agenda: This section groups routine or non-controversial items into one motion. Consent Agenda items can include approving previous meeting minutes, budget adjustments, or accepting administrative reports. Typically, any member of the governing body can remove an item from the Consent Agenda for any reason to be talked about individually.
Public Comment Period: A designated time for members of the public to address the council on matters that are either on the agenda or not on the agenda but within the scope of what the governing body’s responsibilities are. Public comments provide transparency and accountability by allowing citizens to participate in the decision-making process. Typically, residents are required to sign in/sign up to speak and are limited to the amount of time they have to speak in lager municipalities. In smaller municipalities, this can be more relaxed, but still limited.
Old Business: Items discussed in previous meetings but have not been resolved or finalized. This section provides an opportunity for updates, further discussion, and decision-making.
New Business: New or unresolved issues which require the council’s attention. These are typically the most important items on the agenda and often include discussions about policy changes, new initiatives, or budgetary decisions.
Reports: Updates from municipal staff, committees, or other entities that provide relevant information to the governing body. This may include reports from the Administrator, Clerk, Finance Director, Public Works or other departments.
Adjournment: The formal end of the meeting. This occurs after all business has been addressed.

Structuring the Municipal Agenda Format & an Example

The structure and format of an effective meeting agenda are crucial for ensuring clarity and efficiency. A well-structured effective meeting agenda helps participants understand the flow of the meeting, know what to expect, and prepare accordingly. Ultimately, providing a effective meeting management experience to all those involved. Here is a suggested format for structuring a municipal agenda.

This is one of my final agendas I put together when I was Clerk/Treasurer for the Town of Oakland in Jefferson County, WI. While agendas, in Wisconsin, are not required to follow a certain order, there were several items which were required according to the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law Guide (2024). They are “time, date, place and subject matter of the meeting, including that intended for consideration at any contemplated closed session.”

Header
1. City/Town Name: Include the municipality's full name and logo if desired.
2. Date: Clearly state the date of the meeting.
3. Time: Indicate the start time of the meeting, along with any scheduled breaks.
4. Location: Include both the physical and virtual location (if applicable) for hybrid or remote meetings.

Meeting Information
1. Call to Order: Identify the presiding officer and the start time.
2. Roll Call: List the members and note those present, absent, and excused.
Body of the Agenda
1. Consent Agenda: List all routine matters for approval in one motion. In Oakland we did not use a Consent Agenda, but many mid-size and larger municipalities do.
2. Public Comment Period: This is the public’s opportunity to speak about anything they want, on the agenda or not (with some limited exceptions). The presiding officer should announce any limitations on speaking (time limit, topics, etc.) prior to Public Comment starting.
3. Fun facts! Public Comment is not required by law in Wisconsin (Kaul, 2024). However, most municipalities in Wisconsin have at least one Public Comment section before attending to their business (some have one after business too!) In California, Public Comment is required by law so every municipality must have a spot on the agenda for it (Lockyer, 2003).
4. Old Business: Numbered items with brief descriptions.
5. New Business: Numbered items with a concise title or description for each discussion point.
6. Reports: Updates from staff, committees, or other entities.
Adjournment

A motion to adjourn should be clearly stated and seconded. The agenda should be distributed well in advance of the meeting, in accordance with public meeting laws. In Wisconsin, where I used to be a Clerk, the minimum requirement for posting was 24 hours prior to the meeting for a regular meeting or 2 hours for an emergency meeting. (Kaul, 2024) However, most municipalities (especially those who are required to publish their agendas in a newspaper, usually post anywhere from one week to 4 days ahead of time. This gives the public (and governing body) adequate time to review the materials and prepare for the meeting.

Best Practices for Developing an Effective Meeting Agenda

Creating an effective meeting agenda and effective meeting management goes beyond just following a template. Here are some of the best practices I used, and incorporated from my colleagues along the way:

Prioritize Key Items: Arrange the most important or time-sensitive items at the beginning of the agenda. This ensures they are addressed first in case time runs short. Also, if you have people attending for a specific item, move that item towards the front so they don’t have to be in attendance any longer than they would like. Not everyone loves a good local government meeting like me!
Be Clear and Concise: Use clear, plain language when describing agenda items. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms, especially for public-facing documents. We deal with acronyms every day, residents and visitors don’t. Provide enough context to inform discussions without overwhelming participants with unnecessary details.
Time Management: Allocate time limits to each agenda item, where you can, especially for public hearings or discussions with multiple speakers. This keeps the meeting on track and ensures all items are addressed within the allotted time.
Include Supporting Documents (the packet): Attach relevant documents, reports, or presentations which will be referenced during the meeting. These materials should be made available to council members and the public before the meeting to facilitate informed decision-making. Some municipalities project the packet on TV’s while the meeting is happening, others post them online, and some don’t provide the packets to the public. While these are all public documents, and subject to open meetings laws (at least in Wisconsin), there is not requirement (in Wisconsin) that a packet is required to be supplied at the meeting to the public (Kaul, 2024).
An effective meeting agenda and effective meeting management leave room for flexibility: While the agenda should be structured, leave room for flexibility where you can and when unexpected discussions or urgent matters come up. In Wisconsin, if the topic being spoken about wasn’t on the agenda, it would be noted and placed on a future agenda as not to violate the open meetings law (Kaul, 2024). Make sure to follow your state’s open meetings law!

Conclusion

Effective meeting management start with an effective meeting agenda as the backbone of a well-run government meeting. Much like a budget sets the policy priorities for any governing body over the year, the agenda lays out what business will be discussed and acted upon at a given meeting. It’s important to note your state’s Open Meetings Law and follow it! As mentioned above, Wisconsin and California have different agenda posting minimums, so if you’re not sure, look them up!

Most folks take a well-prepared meeting for granted, and realistically, all of us current and former Clerks remember the crazy meetings we’ve had. Recognizing a smooth meeting is just as important too! Fortunately, the first piece of that well-prepared meeting is a well thought out, properly formatted, and executed agenda.