§01–§10 Practical answers for source-linked agenda alerts.

01.1 Create alert

Choose one topic and at least one city or county.

01.2 Confirm subscription

AgendaWire saves the alert subscription and emails the account owner a confirmation.

01.3 Watch the standby state

Last run: - and standby stages mean monitoring has not started for this account yet.

01.4 Check the receipt

Open the source link before you brief a client or stakeholder.

02.1 What search looks through

Search reads the normalized public record for each agenda item across these fields:

• Agenda item title and body text
• Topic evidence quote
• Public body name
• Jurisdiction
• Meeting date
• Supported topic label and slug

02.2 Filters

Narrow results with Jurisdiction, Public body, Topic, From date, and To date. Filters live in the URL, so a filtered search is shareable.

02.3 Exact phrases and ranking

Wrap a phrase in quotation marks to match it exactly. Exact phrase and title matches rank above broad body matches.

02.4 Source context and official links

Each result shows a highlighted snippet of the matched context and an official source link. The government posting remains the record to rely on.

02.5 Bounded searches

Search stays predictable for empty, malformed, or very broad input:

• Enter a search term to find agenda records.
• Search is limited to 200 characters.
• Enter valid from and to dates.
• The from date must be on or before the to date.
• No agenda records match your search.

02.6 Query examples

Shape a query rather than expecting a canned result: a quoted exact phrase like "special use permit", a term plus a Jurisdiction filter, or a Topic combined with a From date and To date range. These are query shapes, not live records.

02.7 What search covers

Search covers normalized public records only and does not search another organization's private alert or watchlist data. This is source monitoring, not legal advice.

03.1 Create an email alert

Open Alerts, choose one topic, choose a city, county, or both, then create the alert. AgendaWire handles matching terms.

03.2 STR city and county alerts

For a short-term rental owner, select Short-Term Rentals, choose the city and county, and create the alert.

03.3 Data center alerts

Data center proposals and rules can trigger on direct data center, hyperscale, or server-farm agenda language. Cooling, water use, grid or load demand, substations, backup generation, noise, setbacks, industrial zoning, special-use permits, and development agreements count only when the source ties them to a data center. Generic municipal IT purchases, server replacement, records or document storage, cloud or backup services, and unrelated development items are excluded. This is source monitoring, not environmental analysis, utility forecasting, complete DFW coverage, or legal advice.

03.4 Procurement alerts

Procurement and contract signals can trigger on planned solicitations, RFP or RFQ authorizations, budget-backed purchases, contract renewals, vendor selections, awards, and relevant consent-agenda actions when the source supports the match. To create a watch, open Alerts, choose Procurement and contract signals, and select an available city or county. The public DFW page currently checks Dallas and Fort Worth city councils plus five county commissioners courts. An early signal may never become an open opportunity.

03.5 Confirmation email

After the alert is saved, AgendaWire sends the account owner a confirmation email and starts matching future agenda items.

04.1 What counts as a source

AgendaWire reads public meeting systems, agenda centers, council packet pages, and document links posted by local governments. The official posting remains the record to rely on.

04.2 Public source status labels

Healthy means the latest successful check is still within its expected freshness window and no newer failure is recorded. Stale means no successful check is recorded, or the last success is older than the greater of 24 hours or 3 expected poll intervals. Failing means the latest recorded source check failed after the last successful check. Unsupported means no active supported source is configured for that public body. Unknown means source health could not be checked because the agenda database was unavailable.

04.3 What the last successful check means

The timestamp is the most recent time AgendaWire successfully checked that monitored public meeting source. It does not prove that a government body posted every expected document, that later pipeline stages finished, or that no relevant record exists elsewhere.

04.4 Supported and pending places

Public campaign pages show status only for their listed source boundary. If a city or county is unavailable or marked Unsupported, send the jurisdiction and official meeting page so AgendaWire can evaluate coverage.

04.5 Scanned PDF county sources

Four CivicPlus county sources publish scanned agenda PDFs with no text layer. AgendaWire can see that a document posted, but it cannot read the text, so those sources currently produce no topic matches. Check the official posting directly for those counties.

04.6 Data center watch coverage

The DFW Data Center Watch currently covers seven public bodies: Dallas City Council; Dallas County Commissioners Court; Ellis County Commissioners Court; Fort Worth City Council; Kaufman County Commissioners Court; Parker County Commissioners Court; Wise County Commissioners Court. It does not include planning and zoning commissions, utility filings, permit systems, or every DFW jurisdiction.

04.7 Open official source

Use the official source link when you need the public record. AgendaWire points to or stores a snapshot of what the crawler saw, but the government posting remains the record to rely on.

04.8 Request another city or county

Send the jurisdiction name, the public meeting page, and the topic you care about. We prioritize coverage where there is active demand and a reliable source.

05.1 What a match contains

Every alert has two sides. The official record is copied from the government posting. The AgendaWire read is the classification laid over it. Reading them side by side is how you decide whether to act.

05.2 Decision stage and next action

Use these fields to tell a proposal or recommendation from a completed outcome.

Proposed

The source describes a proposal or draft but does not identify a scheduled meeting or completed outcome.

Scheduled

The source places the item on a future agenda or hearing calendar.

Recommended

The source reports an explicit recommendation to another body. A recommendation is not a final decision.

Continued

The source reports that the item was postponed, continued, or rescheduled.

Approved

The source reports approval as a completed outcome.

Denied

The source reports denial as a completed outcome.

Adopted

The source reports formal adoption of an ordinance, resolution, rule, or plan as a completed outcome.

Unknown

AgendaWire did not find enough source-supported procedural detail to assign a stage. Check the official source. Unknown is not a legal conclusion.

Body roles

Recommending body

The source says this body sends a recommendation to another body. It has not made the final decision.

Final decision-maker

The source identifies this body as making the reported approval, denial, or adoption.

05.3 Affected location

This field shows where an item applies, using only the location text found in the official source.

Exact address

A specific street address the official source names for the item.

Parcel or case

A parcel identifier or case number the source cites for the item.

ZIP code

A ZIP code the source states for the affected area.

Council district

A council or commissioner district the source names.

Corridor

A named street, highway, or corridor the source describes.

Named development

A named project, subdivision, or development the source identifies.

Neighborhood

A neighborhood or district name the source uses.

Citywide

The source describes a citywide or jurisdiction-wide effect.

Every displayed location comes from the official source text. AgendaWire keeps each supported location on an item, so a multi-property or citywide item shows all of them, not just the first.

05.4 No alert events yet

This empty state means no saved email alert has matched a classified agenda item yet. It is expected before the next matching public agenda appears.

05.5 Email delivery

Every alert sends an immediate email. Weekly summaries unlock at 2 purchased watchlists and daily summaries at 5, and both stay optional per alert, so no summary arrives unless you turn it on.

05.6 Read the source link first

Every alert should point back to the agenda, packet, or saved source document. Treat the summary as a pointer, then check the official posting before acting.

06.1 Watchlists, trials, and pricing

Each purchased watchlist slot is $40 per month. One watchlist starts with a 14-day free trial; two or more start paid service immediately. Weekly summaries unlock at 2 purchased watchlists and daily summaries at 5, at no extra cost, and both are optional.

06.2 Stripe billing

Change how many watchlists you pay for from your account page. Adding watchlists is prorated right away, and the quantity cannot go below the watchlists you have active. Invoices and payment methods are handled through Stripe; if the portal is unavailable, sign in with the account that started the subscription or contact support.

06.3 Clerk profile and security

Use your account profile for email, sign-in, and security settings. This release uses individual signed-in accounts. Contact support if multiple people need the same monitoring setup.

07.1 Public records only

The ingestion pipeline reads public government postings. It does not use private city systems, paid databases, or unofficial social posts.

07.2 Saved source snapshots

Source documents are saved so an alert can be traced back to what the crawler saw. The saved snapshot helps distinguish a changed source from a missed match.

07.3 Procurement alert limits

AgendaWire is not a bid database. Procurement alerts do not replace SAM.gov, a municipal bid portal, solicitation documents, vendor registration, or procurement due diligence. A source-backed agenda signal may never become an open opportunity.

07.4 Not legal advice

AgendaWire is an early-warning tool. Verify the source and talk with counsel before relying on a rule, deadline, or public hearing notice.

08.1 No email arrived

Check spam first. If the Alerts page still says No alert events yet, setup may still be pending or the next matching public agenda may not have posted.

08.2 A hit looks wrong

Open the source and compare the agenda item with the alert text. If the match is wrong, send the source link and alert subject so we can label it as a false positive.

08.3 A source is stale

Send the jurisdiction and the official page if you see a newer agenda outside AgendaWire. That gives us the exact connector to inspect.

09.1 Can I use AgendaWire as the official record?

No. AgendaWire points you to official postings. The city, county, or public body remains the source of record.

09.2 Why did one city produce more alerts than another?

Posting habits vary. Some bodies publish detailed packets every week. Others post shorter agendas or meet less often.

09.3 What should I include with a support request?

For support, include the alert name, city or county, topic, source link, and alert subject if you have one.

09.4 Can I create an alert myself?

Yes. Open Alerts, choose one topic and the places to watch, then create the alert.

09.5 Can AgendaWire add a topic?

Usually, if the topic appears in public agenda language often enough to classify. Send examples from two or three jurisdictions.

10.1 What to send

For an existing alert, send the source link, alert name, city or county, topic, and alert subject. For a source problem, send the jurisdiction and the official page. That is enough to start tracing the pipeline.

10.2 Escalation paths

Every path below reaches the same inbox, support@help.agendawire.com. Picking the right one pre-fills the subject and the details we need.

General support

Anything that does not fit the paths below, or when you are not sure where the problem belongs.Email support

Coverage request

A city or county you want AgendaWire to add or re-check. Send the jurisdiction name, the official meeting page, and the topic.Email coverage request

Bad match

An alert that does not match the agenda item it cites. Send the alert subject and the source link so we can label it a false positive.Report a bad match

Stale source

A body posted a newer agenda that AgendaWire has not picked up. Send the jurisdiction and the official page with the newer agenda.Report stale source