For Cities & Residents

A clearer public window into local government.

You cannot attend every city council meeting. You cannot read every agenda or staff packet. Most residents never see what their local government is actually discussing.

GovData Portal gives cities and residents a clearer view of what is being discussed and decided. Meetings are summarized in plain language. Topics can be followed over time. Agenda items are linked to outcomes where available.

Plain-language meeting summaries Follow topics over time Link agenda items to outcomes No change to how you run meetings

This is not a replacement for your existing portal.
It is a clarity layer that sits on top, making your meetings and decisions more accessible without requiring system changes.

Features

What GovData Portal provides

Built on GovData's normalized municipal decision layer - the same foundation that powers our institutional Signals product.

For Residents

Stay informed without attending meetings

Plain-language summaries make it easy to understand what happened and what's coming up.

  • Meeting summaries in plain language
  • Follow specific topics or issues over time
  • See how agenda items connect to outcomes
  • Search across meetings and documents
For City Staff

Reduce time spent answering questions

When residents can find answers themselves, staff can focus on higher-value work.

  • Self-service answers to "what happened with X?"
  • Reduce repetitive FOIA and public records requests
  • Clear audit trail of decisions and discussions
  • No change to your existing meeting workflow
For Council & Commissioners

Full context at your fingertips

See the complete history of an issue without digging through archives.

  • Topic timelines across meetings and committees
  • "What changed when" views for ongoing issues
  • Voting history and sponsor patterns
  • Quick briefings before meetings
Technology

AI-powered summaries and decision tracking

GovData uses AI and custom machine learning to distill meetings into plain-language summaries that show what was discussed, what changed, and where key items are headed.

Decision momentum tracking

Because summaries are attached to normalized agenda items, motions, votes, and participants, GovData can track decision momentum over time.

  • How commissions and councils are leaning
  • Where support or opposition is strengthening
  • Historical context for ongoing debates
  • Connections between related items across meetings

Built on the same foundation as Signals

GovData Portal is built on the same normalized decision layer as GovData Signals, our product for institutional investors.

This means your city benefits from the same data infrastructure that processes 20,000+ meetings monthly across thousands of jurisdictions.

The portal improves transparency while contributing to a national decision graph that helps benchmark and contextualize local issues.

How It Works

A clarity layer, not a replacement

GovData Portal works with your existing systems. No migration required. No change to how you publish agendas or run meetings.

Step 1

We connect to your existing data

GovData integrates with Legistar, CivicPlus, Granicus, and other common systems. We normalize and enrich your data without touching your workflow.

Step 2

AI generates summaries and connections

Our AI processes meeting packets, agendas, and available transcripts to create plain-language summaries and link related items over time.

Step 3

Residents and staff access the portal

A branded, searchable interface lets anyone explore meetings, follow topics, and understand decisions without reading hundreds of pages.

Pricing

Straightforward annual licensing

Priced in the low five figures annually, tiered by city size. No per-user fees, no surprise charges.

What's included

  • Integration with your existing legislative system
  • AI-powered meeting summaries and topic tracking
  • Branded public-facing portal
  • Search across meetings, agendas, and documents
  • Ongoing data updates and system maintenance
  • Staff training and onboarding support
Why Cities Choose GovData Portal

GovData Portal offers a better experience without forcing cities to change how they run meetings. Improve transparency and reduce staff burden at a predictable annual cost.

Get Started

Request a demo for your city

See how GovData Portal works with your existing data. We'll show you what it would look like for your jurisdiction.

What to expect

We start with a short discovery call to understand your current systems, pain points, and goals. Then we prepare a demo using sample data from your jurisdiction to show exactly what the portal would look like.

If it's a fit, implementation typically takes 4-6 weeks, with no disruption to your existing workflow.

Typical demo covers:

  • Sample meeting summaries from your city
  • Topic tracking across recent meetings
  • Search and navigation experience
  • Integration options with your current systems
Contact
Organization: GovData Consulting
Principal: Darius Tajanko, Original Legistar Architect
Email: info@govdataconsulting.com
Phone: (312) 767-4004

Already working with Legistar or CivicPlus? We integrate directly with both systems and can have a demo ready within days.