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Step-by-step guides for everything in Govably — from scheduling your first meeting to publishing polished minutes.

Getting Started

Scheduling a meeting in Govably takes less than a minute. Here's how:

  1. Click Meetings in the left sidebar.
  2. Click the + New Meeting button in the top right.
  3. Choose the meeting type — Regular or Special — and enter the date and time.
  4. Click Create Meeting. Your meeting appears in the list immediately.

Once created, the meeting appears on your Dashboard under Upcoming Meetings and on the sidebar mini-calendar.

Tip: Set a default meeting time in Settings → County Information so it pre-fills every time.

The Agenda Builder lets you add, organize, and finalize the items for any meeting.

  1. Select your meeting from the sidebar calendar or the Meetings list, then click Agenda Builder.
  2. Click + Add Item under any section to add a new agenda item.
  3. Fill in the title, department, and any attachments or cover sheet details.
  4. Drag items up or down to reorder them within a section.
  5. When the agenda is ready, click Finalize Agenda to lock it for the meeting.

You can also let department staff submit items directly via the Agenda Requests workflow — see article 3 below.

Tip: Use Generate Agenda Packet to produce a print-ready PDF of the full agenda with cover sheets.

The Agenda Requests workflow lets department staff submit items for review before they appear on the agenda.

For staff (Contributors):

  1. Log in and click Agenda Requests in the sidebar.
  2. Click New Request, fill in the item details, and save as a draft.
  3. When ready, click Submit for Review. The clerk is notified.

For clerks (Admins):

  1. Pending requests appear on the Dashboard and in the Agenda Requests view.
  2. Click a request to review it, leave notes, and either Approve or Reject it.
  3. Approved items can be added directly to the agenda from the request detail view.

Tip: Set a submission deadline in Settings → Submission Deadline so staff know the cutoff date for each meeting.

Meeting Mode is the live view for the day of the meeting. It lets you call items, record votes, track speakers, and conclude the meeting — all in real time.

  1. Select the meeting from the sidebar and click Meeting Mode.
  2. Click Start Meeting to begin. A timestamp is recorded automatically.
  3. Work through each agenda item: call it, record the motion, second, and vote result.
  4. If a member raises a motion to table an item, use the Table button to defer it.
  5. Manage public comment speakers from the Speakers panel.
  6. When business is complete, click Conclude Meeting and record the adjournment time.

Tip: Share the Public View link (QR code available) so citizens can sign up to speak and follow along from their phones.

After the meeting concludes, Govably can generate a full draft of the minutes automatically from votes and notes recorded during the meeting.

  1. Go to Meetings → Minutes for the concluded meeting.
  2. Click Generate Minutes. Govably builds a structured draft using all votes, motions, and speaker records.
  3. Review and edit each block directly in the minutes editor. You can add, remove, or reorder items.
  4. Customize the header, approval statement, and signatory lines under Settings → Minutes Settings.
  5. When finalized, click Publish Minutes to make them available on the public-facing view.

Tip: Use the Minutes Header Template in Settings to auto-fill the county name, date, location, and court members so you never have to type them manually.

Still have questions?

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