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1. Why should I upload attachments as PDF instead of Word documents?

You have the capability to upload different types of documents, however, the preferred document type is PDF. When you upload a Word document, the system automatically converts it to PDF after it is published on the website. There is sometimes a delay in that conversion process, so in the mean time, someone can open your document in Word and save it as Word. Another thing to consider is that formatting such as strike, underline, color and highlight are not retained when the system converts from Word to PDF. If you have a document with any formatting you would have to convert it to PDF before uploading it as an attachment to protect that formatting.

2. What is the procedure for contracts now that we have Legistar?

See procedures for contracts in the online Staff User Guides.

3. What are some common things I can do in the Legislative Information Center?

In the MEETING INFORMATION Tab

See assigned ordinance or resolution numbers in the meeting details after a meeting has been updated

• In the MEETING INFORMATION tab in the search field, type the date of the meeting you would like to see like: 2/26/2019
• Check the box to the far right that says “notes”
• Click Search Meeting Information button below the search field
• Scroll through the meeting and you will see ordinance and resolution numbers right in the meeting details

See what actions any meeting body took

• There are two ways to see action summaries for meetings:
• In the MEETING INFORMATION  tab, click on the Action Summary link for the meeting you would like to see
• In the MEETING INFORMATION tab, click on the Meeting Details link for the meeting you would like to see
• Set your “Show” button to Show: all agenda items
• Scroll through the agenda to the item you are interested in
• Click on the Action Details link. This will shows essentially the same information as the action summary with the added feature of how individual councilmembers voted on each item.

View Agendas and Minutes for individual meetings

• Click on the MEETING INFORMATION Tab
• Use the time filter and meeting body filter to find the meeting you would like to see
• Click on the Agenda link or the Minutes link
• The agenda links to each agenda bill file
• The minutes document is a pdf of the detailed minutes for each meeting. The link will say “Draft Minutes” before they have been approved by Council

Add any meeting to your own calendar

• Click on the MEETING INFORMATION Tab
• Use the time filter and meeting body filter to find the meeting you would like to add
• Click on the little green calendar icon between the Meeting Date and Meeting Time columns
• This creates an event that you can then save to your calendar

Watch live video for a meeting

• Click on the MEETING INFORMATION tab
• Use the time filter and meeting body filter to find the meeting you would like to watch
• When a meeting is in progress, a link appears in the Audio/Video Column that says “In Progress.”
• Click on that link and listen to the meeting.
• NOTE: Different screens display the video, index and agenda differently. Experiment with zooming in and out to see how it changes. To zoom in and out hold down the control button on your keyboard and “scroll” your mouse up and down. When you zoom out, you can also see the full linked agenda if you click on the Agenda button on the top of the agenda pane to the right.
• The index will highlight each item as the meeting progresses so you can see where they are in the agenda at any given time

Watch video for a meeting or just a particular item after a meeting

• Click on the MEETING INFORMATION Tab
• Use the time filter and meeting body filter to find the meeting you would like to watch
• Click on the link for Media
• Click on Index below the video window and you should see a list of the agenda items. You can scroll down the agenda to the item you would like to watch. NOTE: Different screens display the video, index and agenda differently. Experiment with zooming in and out to see how it changes. To zoom in and out hold down the control button on your keyboard and “scroll” your mouse up and down. When you zoom out, you can also see the full linked agenda if you click on the Agenda button on the top of the agenda pane to the right.
• An alternate way to view video on just one item is to open the Meeting Details for a meeting, scroll down to the item you would like to watch and click on the media link to the far right of that item

Share video on the whole meeting or just one item

• Follow the instructions above to view the video for an item. Below the view window click on the Share button. If you can’t see the share button click on control on your keyboard and “scroll” your mouse up and down to zoom in or out.
• It will ask you if you want to share the whole meeting or just that one item. After you fill in the bubble of your choice, you can either copy the link in the field or click on one of the share method icons.

In the SEARCH FILES Tab

See a list of adopted/approved ordinances/resolutions

• Click on the SEARCH FILES tab
• In the search box type either Ord or Res
• Use the dropdown filter in the next field to filter for the time period you would like
• Click the Search Files button under the search box
• To order the list by enactment number, click on the word “Enactment #” at the top of the column.

Search for a file on a given topic

• Click on the SEARCH FILES tab
• In the search field, enter a search term. This field search titles of files and of attachments
• You can filter by time period or file type
• Make sure all the boxes to the right of the search field are checked
• Click the Search Files button under the search field
• You can also click on Advanced Search >>> and that allows you to narrow your results down by many criteria

4. How do I search for all the files I've created?

Click on the Files Module (even if you are already in it--this assures you are in Search Mode). Go to the Details tab and enter your email address in the "Entered By" field. Click Search in the green toolbar at the top. You can also fill in other fields such as agenda date to filter your created files by more specific criteria. Double click a file name to open it. Then you can use the arrows on the top right of the window to go forward and backward from one file to the next, or click on the pointing finger icon to return back to the search results list.

5. How do I spell-check text in the Title and Summary Tab in Legistar?

If you prefer to use a spell checker, create your document in Word on your computer first, spell-check it, then copy and paste it into the appropriate boxes of the Title and Summary Word Template. The Template itself does not have the ability to check spelling.

6. How can I allow someone to edit my file while it's still in draft form (before the approval process)?

If you'd like someone to be able to edit your file while it's in the formation (draft) stage, in the Files Module go to Tools>File Assignments and choose someone to assign the file to. 

7. Can I delete someone in an approval sequence once the sequence is started?

You can delete people from an active sequence only if the file has not yet come to them. To do this, go to the Files module and the Approval Tracking tab. At the bottom of the window, click on the Pause button to pause the sequence. You can then delete someone who has not yet been involved in the approval process. 

8. Should I delete attachments of a file from one meeting to the next?

No. The file is a record of the whole life of the file. We want to keep attachments. You can even add replacement files, but for the record, the old one should stay to show the file's history.

9. If I edit a document on my computer that I've already attached to the file in Legistar, does Legistar also update the file?

No. Legistar is just a copy of the original document on your computer. Legistar does not sync in any way to your computer's drives. If you change a document for Legistar on your computer, you would need to attach it again to copy the edited version to Legistar.