Agenda
The public list of topics a government body plans to consider at a meeting. Supporting documents may appear in an agenda packet.
City Hall without the jargon
Plain-English Civic Glossary
A quick reference for the terms that show up again and again in City Commission agendas, minutes and FOIPub coverage.
Plain-English rule: These definitions are practical explanations, not legal advice. The exact legal effect of a term can depend on Montana law, City code and the specific action being considered.
Agenda packet
The bundle of staff reports, draft resolutions or ordinances, contracts, exhibits and other material provided for a meeting.
Consent agenda
A group of generally routine items considered together. A member may sometimes ask to remove an item for separate discussion.
Motion
A formal proposal made during a meeting asking the body to take a specific action. Motions are commonly seconded, discussed and voted on.
Roll-call vote
A vote where each member's position is individually recorded or announced, making the member-by-member result identifiable.
Ordinance
A local law adopted by the governing body. Ordinances commonly amend or create provisions of the municipal code and may require multiple readings or hearings.
Resolution
A formal action of the governing body used for many decisions, approvals, declarations, rates, agreements or administrative matters. Its legal effect depends on the subject.
Public hearing
A formally noticed opportunity for the public to comment on a specific matter before the body acts, when a hearing is required or scheduled.
Public comment
Time provided for residents or other participants to address the public body. Rules may differ depending on whether the topic is already on the agenda.
Quorum
The minimum number of members who must be present for a public body to conduct official business.
Notice of quorum
A public notice that enough members may be present at an event to constitute a quorum. It does not necessarily mean the body will take formal action.
Work session
A meeting generally used for discussion, study or planning. Whether formal action may be taken depends on the notice, governing rules and the specific body.
Closed session
A portion of a meeting not open to the public when applicable law permits closure for a specific reason. The legal basis for closing the session matters.
Staff report
A document prepared by City staff explaining an issue, background, options, fiscal impacts or a recommended action for the Commission.
Professional services agreement
A contract for specialized work such as engineering, legal, planning, financial or consulting services.
First reading / second reading
Stages commonly used in adopting ordinances. The exact procedure is controlled by the City's rules and applicable law.
Full FOIPub brief
A meeting page where FOIPub has enough verified primary-source material to publish a meeting-wide 60-second summary, key takeaways, decisions and source links.
Source index
A meeting page that preserves the official meeting page, recording and verified records FOIPub has already confirmed, but does not yet claim to summarize the whole meeting. It is a coverage-status label, not a judgment about the meeting itself.
Issue Trail
A FOIPub timeline that connects verified milestones about the same civic issue across multiple meetings, votes and source documents without filling missing steps by inference.
Policy Origin
FOIPub's source-linked record of how a consequential proposal developed and who is documented as participating in that process. Outside participation is not treated as evidence of wrongdoing.
See the terms in context
Open a real meeting brief.
FOIPub uses plain language first, then links back to the official agenda, vote or source document.