The meeting side of compliance, finally on the same platform.
Records vendors do not touch meetings. Agenda vendors do not touch records. The clerk carries both statutes as one job. Dekree handles the Open Meetings Act the way it handles FOIA: statute-aware, clerk-approved, published pricing.
What the statute demands, and where Dekree carries it
Notices, by meeting type. Michigan’s rules differ by kind of meeting: regular meetings ride the annual schedule posted within 10 days of the year’s first meeting (MCL 15.265(2)); a schedule change must be reposted within 3 days (MCL 15.265(3)); special and rescheduled meetings need a notice posted at least 18 hours ahead, at the principal office and on a qualifying website (MCL 15.265(4)). Dekree knows which meeting is which and applies the right rule, with the timing math done for you (the 18-hour rule, explained).
Agendas that become packets. Items carry their attachments, the packet assembles itself, and the same structure feeds the minutes afterward.
Minutes on the statutory clocks. Record the meeting, upload the audio, and Dekree drafts minutes with the contents MCL 15.269(1) requires: attendance, decisions, roll-call votes by name, closed-session purposes. The 8-business-day proposed and 5-business-day approved deadlines (MCL 15.269(3)) are tracked on the meeting. The clerk reviews and approves before anything publishes (minutes drafting, in depth).
Closed sessions, handled correctly. The authorizing roll-call vote and purpose in the open minutes, the separate clerk-retained closed-session record kept apart (MCL 15.267-15.268).
Publishing without a webmaster. Notices, agendas, packets, minutes, and chaptered meeting video go to your public portal in one click after review.
One platform, priced in the open
Open Meetings is a Dekree product of its own: from $199/mo for organizations under 5,000 residents, $599/mo for 5,000 to 25,000, published at dekree.ai/pricing, billed annually, with no implementation fee and unlimited users. Buy it alone, or alongside FOIA on the same platform; each product is a la carte, and the full suite is capped at $499/mo at the Starter tier. Counties and larger organizations get an organization-specific quote with the same statute-native workflow.
If you are replacing an agenda product, including the former CivicClerk, the sourced comparison is at /compare/civicclerk-alternative, and your meeting history imports during onboarding (the migration plan).
Common questions
What should Open Meetings Act software actually handle?
The full notice-to-record cycle: the posted annual meeting schedule, per-meeting notices with the right statutory timing by meeting type (in Michigan, 18 hours for special and rescheduled meetings under MCL 15.265(4)), agendas and packets, minutes with the statutory contents on the statutory clocks (8 business days proposed, 5 approved, MCL 15.269), closed-session handling, and publishing all of it where the public can see it.
Why is this usually sold separately from FOIA software?
Vendor history: records vendors built request portals and agenda vendors built board workflows, and the two categories never merged. The clerk experiences both statutes as one workload. Dekree puts both products on one platform, each priced a la carte, with the full suite capped at $499/mo at the Starter tier.
Does Dekree know Michigan’s notice rules specifically?
Yes, they are built in: regular meetings ride the posted annual schedule (MCL 15.265(2)), special and rescheduled meetings get the 18-hour posted notice with the website posting requirement (MCL 15.265(4)), and a schedule change triggers the 3-day reposting rule (MCL 15.265(3)). The software applies the right rule for the meeting type; the clerk reviews before anything posts.
Can residents comment on a meeting before it happens?
Yes. When the clerk turns it on, residents can send a written comment or ask to speak on an upcoming meeting directly from the public meeting page or an embedded widget on your own website. The comment period closes automatically when the meeting starts, comments arrive on the clerk’s meeting workspace with a count of who wishes to speak, and the clerk can mark any comment for inclusion in the record. No resident account is required.
Can residents get an email when an agenda, notice, or minutes are posted?
Yes. Residents can subscribe to email updates for a specific board or for all bodies, and Dekree emails them when an agenda packet is published, a notice is posted to the portal, or minutes are published. Every email carries a one-click unsubscribe link. The feature is on by default and the clerk can turn it off.
Can I keep some agenda attachments off the public packet?
Yes. Mark an attachment confidential and it goes only into the board packet, never the public one, and every attachment on a closed-session agenda item is handled that way automatically. Dekree builds two packets: a public packet that excludes the confidential material and notes each omission without naming the file, and a full board packet that is never posted publicly and reaches board members through a private, time-limited link.
Is there a display for the screen in the meeting room?
Yes. Dekree provides a large-type, in-chamber display page that shows the motion on the floor, the live vote result, whether a quorum is present, and how far through the agenda the board is. It is simply a web address you open on any monitor in the room, with no extra hardware or configuration, and closed-session business never appears on it.
What does it cost?
Open Meetings is published at $199/mo for organizations under 5,000 residents and $599/mo for 5,000 to 25,000, billed annually, no implementation fee, unlimited users, minutes drafting and meeting video included. Counties and larger organizations are quoted to the organization. The full list is at dekree.ai/pricing.