Thanks for taking notes for our meetings! This is an important way for us to remember key decisions and remember discussions that we can refer to later.

In general, we don’t need word-for-word notes, just the main gist of the discussion, any proposals, a summary of the opinions both supportive and concerns raised, and any decisions and/or next steps/tasks that we came to. Here are some helpful tips below:

Please remember to record the following for each meeting:

1. Date and type of meeting (Community, Board Meeting, Committee, Retreat, etc.)
2. Participants: Facilitator, Tech Support, and Notetaker names, members and guests present, quorum or lack thereof
3. Final agenda with presenters
4. Summary of all decisions made at the meeting
5. Notes on each agenda item:
   • Brief discussion of issue and relevant background (problem statement)
   • Nature of item (announcement, discussion, or decision)
   • Brief list of concerns, questions, comments and opinions stated
   • Outcome (decision, agreement consensed, stand-asides and reasons for standing aside if any, or issue sent to a committee or future meeting)
6. Four Nexts:
   • Next facilitation team names and beginning of next agenda,
   • Supah suppahs for coming week,
   • Upcoming committee meetings,
   • Next work party date & organizers, and
7. Evaluations

Other things to keep in mind:

There are a few things we as a community consensed upon and are good practice:

• Please do not record last names in the meeting notes — First name and last initial are enough for all guests and residents of the community. (Consensed at 2008-09-30 Meeting). Since our notes are made public both historically on our [wiki](https://urbansoil.net/wiki.cgi?) and on this notion workspace, we like to support a level of privacy for members, residents, and guests.
• Please post the notes within 48 hours — Notes are automatically saved as part of this notion database, but as a courtesy send a link to the relevant notes page to the USTU Google listserv at [email protected] (Consensed at 2011-07-18 Meeting) To get a shareable link, navigate to the page you want to share, click the Share button in the top right, and click Copy link .

Note:  I propose removing the following language that was consensed upon many years ago, but seems obsolete now:  “Initial agenda items for the upcoming meeting will be identified at the end of each community meeting, and will be noted in the minutes.”

Closed Session “Hidden” Notes or Member Only Notes

<aside> 📓 “Hidden” Notes is nomenclature leftover from use of the wiki, just referring to notes that should not be publicly viewable on the web.

</aside>

If you take notes during the closed session, please keep in mind the following: