Find the record.
Know the next step.

Choose your task

One public library. A separate, permission-controlled workspace for the people who maintain it.

Residents can browse the municipality’s published records without an account. Authorized staff use the staff workspace to receive files, review them, prepare public copies, approve records, and release them. A city’s logo and colors may differ, but the underlying workflow is the same.

Upload, approval, publication, and codification are different actions. Uploading transfers a file into private intake. Approval records a completed review. Publication makes the approved copy available to the public. Incorporating legislation into the organized Code of Ordinances is a separate editorial process.

This guide describes Civic Tap Library 3.1.2, including the archive, batch-approval, and municipal-branding updates. It is instructions only: its buttons navigate or search this guide and do not approve records or change application settings. Available menu items depend on your role and the municipality’s configuration.

Find, read, and share a public record

Start with the municipality, then choose the collection or use search.

1. Open the public library and select the municipality. Confirm its name before using its records.
2. Choose Ordinances, Public records, or Meetings. Narrow the collection using the available document-type and year filters, or open Search.
3. Open a record’s title. Read its number, source date or year, document status, and any explanatory information. “Source date not recorded” means that information has not been established in the catalog.
4. Use Download public PDF for the available public copy. Use Copy permanent link to share the record page. Print record prints the record page; use the PDF viewer’s own controls to print the PDF itself.
5. Read the Accessible text transcription where provided. PDF viewing controls vary by browser. Contact the municipality through About this library if a document or text alternative is unavailable or difficult to use.

Search the municipal library

Use the search fields to narrow the municipality’s published documents, current code, and meetings.

1. Open Search within the municipality. Enter a few distinctive words in Words or “quoted phrase”.
2. Choose All words (AND) when each word must match, or Any word (OR) when alternatives are useful. Use the dedicated match controls rather than assuming that every typed Boolean expression is supported.
3. Use Require exact phrase for known wording, and Exclude words or “phrase” (NOT) to remove unwanted matches. An asterisk matches a word fragment, such as licen*.
4. Choose Content to search all public content, records, current code, or meetings. Exact record number, archive year, and document-type filters apply to records; those filters narrow the results away from code and meeting entries.
5. Choose the available order, select Search, and open a result. Use the page controls for more results. Clear filters starts over, and Copy search link shares the same search.

Read, compare, and export code sections

The Code of Ordinances is an organized publication, separate from the original ordinance archive.

1. Choose Code of Ordinances. If no verified code edition has been published, use the ordinance archive instead; uploaded PDFs do not automatically create a codebook.
2. Check the selected Published edition and any current or historical notice. Expand the contents tree and choose a chapter or section. Use breadcrumbs and previous/next section links to move through the code.
3. Use Find on this displayed page, Previous hit, and Next hit to navigate matches in the displayed material. This is different from searching the entire municipal library.
4. Follow available cross-references and source-ordinance links. Keyboard focus or pointer hover can display supported cross-reference previews. Adopted not yet codified identifies published source legislation awaiting editorial incorporation.
5. Choose Compare editions to inspect the selected versions. Additions and deletions are marked; very large comparisons use a labeled whole-section comparison instead of word-level marks.
6. Use Add section to selection for the sections you need from one published edition, then choose Download DOCX or Print / Save as PDF. Up to 100 non-sequential sections can be selected, subject to the text-size limit. Clear selection starts a new selection.

Share copies the relevant link. Email link opens your email application; Civic Tap does not send that email for you. DOCX and print selections contain structured code text, not editable versions of the original scanned ordinance PDFs.

Find meeting records and follow updates

Read the documents connected to a meeting and follow new public releases.

1. Choose Meetings in the municipal library and open the relevant meeting.
2. Check its date, time, location, and description. Review the available agenda items and linked published documents, such as agendas, ordinances, resolutions, packets, or approved minutes.
3. Follow an available recording link or timestamp bookmark. Recordings are external links, not video hosted by this release of Civic Tap.
4. Use the calendar download where offered to add the meeting to your calendar. If details are uncertain, confirm with the municipality rather than treating an old downloaded calendar entry as the latest notice.

Publication updates

The municipal update feed lists links to published records and code editions. Add the municipality’s updates.atom address to a feed reader; for example, the Prichard feed is Prichard publication updates. A feed is not an email subscription, SMS alert, or push-notification service. Material already copied by another reader may remain there after a record is withdrawn.

Sign in and protect your account

Use your own Civic Tap account—not someone else’s login or the website hosting password.

1. Open Staff sign in. Enter your email address and password.
2. At your first sign-in, leave Authenticator or recovery code blank. Complete authenticator enrollment before entering the workspace. Store the recovery codes privately; they are displayed when generated and each is single use.
3. For later sign-ins, enter your current authenticator code, or one unused recovery code when necessary. Select the correct municipality if your account has more than one membership.
4. Under Account security, use Change your password to replace your password with the required current-password and authenticator confirmation. The completed change signs you out.
5. Sign out when you finish, particularly on a shared computer. If you lose access, contact your platform administrator through an established channel; this release does not provide a public self-service password-reset form.

Know your workspace and role

A missing menu item usually means your role does not include that operation.

Uploader handles intake and metadata. Editor also works with meetings and code drafts. Reviewer inspects originals and approves public copies. Publisher reviews and releases, with code and meeting tools. Auditor reviews permitted metadata and audit information. A Municipal administrator manages the city’s workspace. A platform administrator has broader authorized support access.

A branding-only account manager is different: assignment gives access to that city’s branding service desk, not automatically to private ordinances or staff administration. Sharing a guide link does not grant any of these permissions.

Upload files, folders, or an archive

Create one accountable intake batch for a source collection. Keep the originals unchanged.

1. Open Import Center and use Create an import batch. Enter a useful batch name, a Source / custody reference, and the correct Default document type. Select Create batch →.
2. On Add records, use Choose files, Choose folder where your browser supports it, or drag files into the upload area. You can upload one document-only ZIP and keep its internal relative paths.
3. If a matching CSV or XLSX manifest is available, add it separately into the same batch. Follow the manifest workflow; do not mix ledgers, unrelated correspondence, or nested ZIPs into an ordinance import ZIP.
4. Keep the upload page open until the transfers finish. Pause transfer pauses browser transfer activity; it is not a command to stop all processing already queued on the server.
5. Refresh results after transfer. A queued ledger entry means server processing is pending, not that you must upload the file again. Check File outcomes & exceptions, All records, and Processing health.
6. Download Reconciliation CSV to account for every input. The visible outcome list is limited to the latest 100 entries, not the full batch.

Apply a matching CSV or Excel manifest

A manifest supplies catalog information. It is not a public ordinance document or an approval.

1. Use Civic Tap’s CSV or Excel template, or the matching manifest supplied with your prepared document ZIP. An Excel manifest uses the worksheet named Records.
2. Make each source_path match the exact relative path of its uploaded file. Include the folder prefix. A path such as Ordinances/1950/example.pdf will not match a file uploaded only as example.pdf.
3. Keep the template’s column names. Supply a clear title, appropriate type, and source reference. Preserve official numbers as text, including zeros and suffixes. Use supported dates only; do not fill an unknown date with the upload date.
4. Upload the manifest separately into the same batch. It may be supplied before the PDFs; unmatched paths at that point can simply mean the files have not arrived. Do not upload both CSV and XLSX copies of the same metadata unnecessarily.
5. After intake and analysis finish, use Reapply latest manifest when necessary. Review the resulting matched and unmatched paths, and verify the metadata on several records before relying on the full set.

Keep these dates distinct

Document date is the date stated on the document. Adopted date and Effective date have separate fields. Record year can be used when only a year is supported. The actual upload and publication timestamps are system events and are not backdated.

Work with missing dates and uncertain information

Incomplete catalog details can remain unknown; they do not justify invented facts.

Leave unconfirmed dates and official numbers blank. Use a neutral, source-based title or archive identifier when the full title is not known, and retain the source/custody reference. A scan date, email date, or number mentioned inside another ordinance is not automatically the document’s own adoption date or ordinance number.

Batch approval explicitly allows acknowledgment that “Remaining unknowns are intentional, not guessed.” That acknowledgment covers metadata uncertainty; it does not bypass missing public copies, unsafe or missing public text, unresolved redaction findings, active holds, failed processing, or identity/jurisdiction flags.

Use a factual review note describing which catalog details remain unknown and what review was actually performed. Platform approval is not proof of adoption, current legal effect, or incorporation into the code.

Handle file types, duplicates, and exceptions

A successful upload is not a guarantee that every member will become a new record.

PDF and supported image files use the standard document-processing workflow. Office documents remain held when the optional converter is disabled or unavailable. Outlook message files are not ordinance PDFs; extract and identify their intended document attachments through an authorized preparation process, preserving the originals separately.

A document-only ZIP should contain the intended documents and their folders—not another ZIP, a control report, a password-protected file, or executable material. The standard release defaults are 300 MiB per uploaded source, 400 pages per record, 2,000 archive members, and 1 GiB expanded archive content. Your administrator may configure different limits; follow the limit shown by your installation and report failures rather than assuming the defaults guarantee capacity.

When an exact duplicate is reported

1. Read the outcome and identify the existing record. Matching filenames alone are not enough to decide that two records are identical.
2. Use Use existing record for a confirmed identical source that should remain linked to the existing record. The alternate intake path is retained in the ledger; this does not create a second independent public record.
3. Use Retain separately only when there is a genuine reason to maintain a separate record. Different-byte scans or draft/signed versions need comparison, not automatic deletion.
4. Reconcile imported, duplicate, held, and failed outcomes against the original inventory. Do not delete the original source or repeatedly re-upload a failed file merely to remove a warning.

Understand processing and record status

Use the latest saved job result, not only a green readiness indicator.

Open Processing health → Refresh status. Read the latest worker heartbeat, job ID, job kind, state, attempts, completion time, and error. The heartbeat is shown in UTC. Recent completed attempts and pending jobs are listed; the page is not a complete historical audit export.

Intake may queue analysis, and preparing a public copy queues another operation. The queue count can therefore increase while work progresses. Scheduled document processing continues independently of the browser, but a batch action page must remain open while it dispatches its own short approval/preparation requests.

Review a document and mark redactions

Examine the actual pages. Automated findings are candidates for a decision—not a completed review.

1. Open the record from All records or Document review. Confirm its identity and catalog details in 01 / Metadata.
2. Open 02 / Review & redaction. If analysis is not ready, wait for the relevant job or inspect its error. Use the restricted source view to inspect every page, including attachments and signature pages.
3. For each suggested finding, choose Redact or Keep public and enter the authorized reason. Common suggestions include SSN-like, payment-number-like, and email-like patterns; the list does not find every sensitive item.
4. For a manual mark, enter a reason and draw the area on the page. Use Keyboard / exact area entry for page-relative percentages, or Mark this entire page when justified. Check the selected page, scale, orientation, and each marked area.
5. Review all saved decisions and the substantive review note. Resolve incorrect marks before preparing a new public copy.

Prepare and inspect the public copy

Preparation changes the candidate for release, not the authoritative original.

1. Complete the source-page review and saved redaction decisions. Add the required review note.
2. Choose Prepare a new public copy on the record. To prepare many eligible documents, use Batch approval → Prepare public copies and follow the preview and confirmation workflow.
3. Allow the background worker to finish. In the review workspace, change the viewer to Prepared public copy. Preparation being queued is not the same as preparation being complete.
4. Inspect every prepared page. Confirm the intended areas are removed, the remaining content is legible, and the copy corresponds to the current saved decisions.
5. Open 03 / Public-copy approval. Review and correct the Reviewed public text alternative and the accessibility review note. Do not paste text from the unredacted source into the public field without checking it.
6. If marks or metadata need correction, update the record and prepare/review the resulting current copy before approval. Do not approve an earlier candidate whose underlying decisions have changed.

Prepare or approve an entire batch

Select across all pages, preview the exact set, and keep control of the exceptions.

1. Open Batch approval. Choose the Import batch and an Action: Prepare public copies or Approve records. Select Show batch.
2. Choose Entire batch — all received records to include records across every page, or explicitly select records on the displayed page. “Entire batch” captures the records received at that time; it does not silently include files arriving later.
3. Select Preview for the chosen action. Inspect the eligible count, metadata cautions, and every exclusion reason. Use Full results CSV for the full set.
4. Complete only the review confirmations that have actually been performed. For approval, confirm metadata, every prepared copy, public transcription, and accessibility review. Acknowledge intentional unknowns where appropriate. Add a substantive shared review note.
5. Type the exact confirmation shown, such as PREPARE 50 or APPROVE 50, using the actual count displayed. Confirm the action, then choose Start / resume confirmed action.
6. Keep this action page open until “Batch action complete.” The browser sends short authenticated requests, processing at most five records per request. Do not start another copy of the same action.
7. If you close the page, reopen the same saved action from Recent batch actions with the same account and resume. Completed outcomes remain saved. Pause requests stops new browser requests; it does not cancel document jobs already queued.
8. Review the result counts and download the full CSV. Correct exceptions separately, then create a new preview for the newly eligible records.

Records still processing, actively held, missing required copies or text, carrying unresolved findings or known identity/jurisdiction issues, or changed after preview are skipped. Canceling the remainder of an action does not undo completed outcomes. The current selection limit is 10,000 received records, not a performance promise.

Approve and publish reviewed records

An approved record remains private until an authorized release.

Approve one record

1. Open 03 / Public-copy approval on the record and confirm that the current prepared copy is available.
2. Check the public title, dates, source reference, tags, relationships, and transcription for both accuracy and inappropriate disclosure. Enter the actual review and accessibility notes.
3. Complete the required confirmations and choose Approve reviewed copy. Use Batch approval instead when the same review has genuinely been completed for a larger selected set.

Release approved records

1. An authorized publisher opens the approved record and chooses Publish approved record, or opens Batch approval → Publish approved records.
2. For a batch, choose the import batch, select the full or selected set, preview the current approvals, and complete the explicit release confirmation shown. Start the action and leave the page open until it finishes.
3. Open a released record in the public library while signed out or in a separate browser session. Check its PDF, public text, title, dates, and permanent link.

Withdraw and correct a published record

Stop new public access first; preserve the original and the permanent record identity.

1. Open the public record’s staff page. Use Withdraw public copy and record the authorized reason.
2. Verify that the withdrawn document is no longer served to new public requests. Do not delete its restricted original to make it disappear.
3. Correct the metadata or redaction decisions, prepare a new copy when needed, and inspect the full copy and public text.
4. Approve the corrected version and have the authorized publisher release it. Recheck the public page using the same permanent record link.

Organize records in Archive desk

Manage the catalog without renaming protected files or breaking links.

1. Open Archive desk. Filter by batch, document type, year, state, or missing information.
2. Review the original paths, available metadata, conservative filename hints, and proposed copy names. Treat source-derived hints as clues until checked against the document.
3. Edit eligible metadata in groups of up to 25 selected rows per save. Published and actively processing records stay locked; changing previously approved metadata can require fresh review.
4. Use year coverage and identical-source groups to locate gaps or repetitions. A missing year or sequence number is a catalog issue to investigate, not proof that an ordinance was never adopted.
5. Export the full filtered inventory for a source-to-record ledger. Use the separate existing-path manifest export when updating metadata for files already received.

Create and maintain code editions

Use verified source material and editorial authority. Receiving an ordinance does not revise the code.

1. Open Code publishing → Create a draft edition. Enter an edition title, verified effective date, incorporated-through reference, clerk-approved baseline/source, and an appropriate public note.
2. Start from the verified source or use Copy sections from existing edition. Create the private draft; do not attempt to edit a published edition in place.
3. Add sections with their number, title, body, parent, order, and source/history information. For an authorized structured import, use the code-section CSV with number, title, and body, plus supported optional fields.
4. Review the hierarchy, text, source references, and proposed changes. Saving a section clears the prior editorial approval. Move or remove child sections before removing a parent in the draft.
5. Complete editorial approval, then use a different authorized publisher for release. A future-effective edition is not automatically made current; an authorized publisher must activate it on or after its verified effective date.
6. Check the published reader, edition notice, source links, and comparison. Clone into a new draft for the next revision rather than overwriting the historical edition.

Use the Codification workbench

Track what belongs in the code, what needs clarification, and what was included in a supplement.

1. Open Codification workbench and record an ordinance’s proposed disposition: recommended for inclusion, archive-only, adopted by reference, deferred, or reviewed as incorporated.
2. Add the explanation, source reference, placement reference, and authorized decision details. A disposition entry does not itself rewrite a code section.
3. Create review issues for conflicts, missing information, or proposed changes. Record the recommendation, responsible person, due date, and eventual decision authority.
4. Use the printable editorial review memorandum to discuss the recorded questions and recommendations. It is a staff work product, not an automatically attorney-prepared legal opinion.
5. Track supplements with the supported milestone dates, source records, and associated code edition. Keep production notes private and write a separate public summary when a notice is intended for release.
6. Release a public supplement notice only after its edition and required source records are published, its release date has arrived, and the reviewed summary has passed the approval and separate-release steps.

Withdrawing a linked source hides an affected public supplement notice. Review the source relationship before trying to republish it. Nothing in the workbench determines retention authority or creates an automatic legal adoption.

Create meetings and connect their documents

Use one meeting record to connect the agenda, available supporting records, and recording links.

1. Open Meetings & agendas and create the meeting with its verified date, type, time when known, location, and description.
2. Add agenda items in the correct order. Link the appropriate existing records instead of uploading a second copy merely to associate it with the meeting.
3. Enter verified decisions and external media links or timestamp information when available. Leave an unknown media timestamp blank rather than inventing a value.
4. Publish the verified meeting details through the permitted action. Linked private documents do not become public simply because a meeting references them.
5. Check the public meeting page, its released attachments, external recording links, and calendar download. Update details through the meeting workspace when a correction is authorized.

The original launch configuration uses City Council. Other meeting bodies and staffing arrangements depend on the installation. This release does not create live votes, attendance evidence, a hosted livestream, or a recording that has not been supplied.

Keep research notes and export records

Research notes, publication exports, and system backups serve different purposes.

My research

1. Open My research. Choose a private note or saved public search, enter a title and the relevant notes or supported search fields.
2. Select Save private research. Reopen it later or choose Run saved public search for a stored query.
3. Use Archive this research item when it is no longer active. Personal research does not become a public annotation, shared ordinance draft, or nationwide search.

Municipal exports

1. Open Municipal exports using an authorized account. Choose the appropriate scope: current approved public material or, where permitted, the complete restricted municipal collection.
2. Select Queue export and wait for completion. Use the protected download offered for the completed export.
3. Keep a complete restricted export private; it can include originals, earlier versions, review material, roles, and audit information. Do not place it in the public website as a convenience download.

Change your municipality’s logo and colors

City branding is separate from Civic Tap’s platform-wide logo.

1. Open Branding & support → Upload artwork & brand guide. Choose the asset purpose: logo/seal, decorative banner, browser icon, or private PDF guide.
2. Choose the file and select Upload privately. Refresh after background validation. Only images marked Ready can be selected for the theme.
3. Under Edit your city’s branding, enter the public display name, subtitle, and official website link. Select the ready artwork and add meaningful logo alternative text.
4. Choose the header, accent, and link colors. Select transparent or white logo backing as appropriate. Keep essential text in the name/subtitle rather than only in a decorative banner.
5. Choose Save draft & preview. Inspect desktop and phone widths, logo proportions, readable colors, and the official link.
6. Type APPLY BRANDING for the reviewed draft and apply it. Then check the city’s public pages. To restore a previous appearance, load that revision as a new draft, preview it, and explicitly apply it.

PNG and JPEG are recommended. WebP depends on the available decoder. Current branding limits are 8 MiB and 12 megapixels for a single-frame image, and 10 MiB/100 unencrypted pages for a private PDF guide. SVG, Illustrator, EPS, ZIP, scripts, and custom font files are not accepted by this uploader.

Ask Civic Tap to prepare the branding

Use the in-app request thread and approve the exact proposal before it is applied.

1. The city administrator uploads the artwork and guide under Branding & support. Under Have Civic Tap apply it, enter a subject and instructions, select the relevant uploaded assets, and submit the request.
2. The assigned manager opens Account-manager desk, reads the private request and replies, and prepares a proposed theme from the validated artwork. If no manager is assigned, the platform administrator can see the unassigned request.
3. A local city administrator other than the proposal’s author previews that exact revision and types APPROVE PROPOSAL to approve it.
4. The manager or authorized city administrator explicitly applies the approved revision with APPLY BRANDING. A revised proposal needs fresh city approval.
5. If a city draft exists or newer live branding conflicts with the proposal, resolve the competing revisions rather than forcing an older proposal over newer work.

Assign an account manager

A platform administrator opens Account desk, assigns an active manager account to the city, and supplies the real contact name, email, and phone shown to city staff. A branding-only account can be created there. It does not automatically grant municipal membership or private document access.

In-app delivery only: requests and replies are saved in the account desk. Managers must check that desk. A displayed email link opens the sender’s email application; this release does not send request notifications, account invitations, or attachments automatically by email.

Manage staff and library settings

Give each person the permissions they need for that municipality.

1. Open Staff & permissions → Add a staff member. Enter the name, email/username, and municipal role. A new account also needs an initial password meeting the minimum shown.
2. Use an approved private channel to deliver a new account’s initial access details. Passwords and invitation emails are not automatically sent by this release. Each person enrolls their own authenticator.
3. An existing account receives the new municipal membership without having its password changed. Review existing roles before adding duplicate accounts.
4. To change another person’s municipal role, use the role control and save. Suspended removes access to this municipality, not other memberships. Do not share accounts to work around missing permissions.
5. Open Library settings to maintain the municipality’s name, official website, record-assistance email, timezone, and public currency/custody notice. Supply real, approved contact details, not placeholder information.
6. Keep the municipality’s configured review and separate-release controls in place. Resolve staffing and role assignments through the authorized process instead of changing safeguards to clear a single blocked record.

Troubleshoot the next blocked step

Capture the specific status and error before changing or repeating anything.

Terms, scope, and quick checks

Use these distinctions when handing a task to the next person.

Before you hand off an archive

Keep the original sources, source inventory, and rename/manifest mapping. Reconcile all files, including duplicates and failures. Leave uncertain metadata explicit. Confirm the prepared copies and safe public text. Identify the reviewer and separate publisher. Recheck the released records from the public side.

Guide scope

This is public how-to documentation for the supplied Civic Tap Library 3.1.2 release and its existing archive, batch-approval, and branding modules. It is not a legal opinion, records-retention schedule, accessibility certification, live service-status report, or claim that every installation has all optional tools enabled.

Instructions are based on the supplied application and release guides, not on features advertised by a different vendor. The platform does not automatically provide attorney codification, email/SMS/push subscriptions, a nationwide legal database, hosted video, or a fully automated disclosure decision. Contact the municipality for record authority and the platform administrator for installation-specific availability.

Guide edition 1.0 · Prepared September 9, 2026 · Application reference: Civic Tap Library 3.1.2. Interface text may vary with later updates. This page can be linked publicly; reading staff instructions does not grant staff permissions.