How this site works

Where the information comes from

• City Council and Planning Commission agendas, packets and minutes from the City of Lakeville's official meeting portal.
• Dakota County board agendas, and county maps of parcels and zoning.
• Road closures from MnDOT's 511 system and county and city road notices.
• Photos taken by Garett Johnson.

The site does not use social media posts, other news outlets, or anonymous tips.

What is automated

Software checks the city's meeting portal every two hours. When a new agenda is posted, it reads the packet and drafts a plain-language summary of each item. Every sentence links to the packet page it came from. The software rejects any draft whose dollar amounts, parcel numbers or names can't be found in the original document.

What a person reviews

Garett Johnson reads every meeting preview and recap before it is published, and checks vote counts and names against the official minutes. Pages that contain only data, such as road closures, are published automatically.

Rules the site follows

• People are named only as they appear in the official record, with their role. Members of the public who speak at meetings are not named.
• No words describing anyone's manner, motives or competence.
• Votes come only from official minutes or from attending the meeting.

Corrections

If something is wrong, email contact@civraria.com. Errors are fixed within 24 hours and listed on the corrections page.