What information is required to be included in the minutes?
As noted above, the minutes must include a listing of the claims paid and a summary of receipts. The minutes themselves are required by Code Section 21.3 to include, “the date, time and place, the members present, and the action taken at each meeting. The minutes shall show the results of each vote taken and information sufficient to indicate the vote of each member present.” Beyond these requirements, the amount of additional detail must be determined by each city council. While the minimal requirements may have too little historical value, a full transcript of the meeting may be too long and significantly increase publication costs. The best approach is to strive for something in the middle with the minutes providing the legally required content and enough additional information to be of historical and functional value without being too lengthy. It should also be noted that it is extremely difficult for the individual preparing the minutes to accurately account for emotion and inflec
