CouncilNotes

Our mission

Public records, made legible.

CouncilNotes turns the raw output of local government — meeting minutes, ordinances, recorded votes, and campaign-finance filings — into something a resident can actually read. The goal is simple: make it easier to understand what's going on around you politically.

It's powered by public data — sourced entirely from publicly accessible records, nothing invented and nothing spun. Every figure links back to its source document, so you can always check the receipts. We cover Rhode Island towns, with more on the way, and it's free for everyone.

How it works

  1. 1

    We collect

    We pull the record straight from official town sources — meeting minutes, ordinances, recorded votes, and campaign-finance filings.

  2. 2

    We link the receipts

    Every figure, vote, and quote links back to the source document. Nothing is asserted that you can't verify yourself.

  3. 3

    You ask

    Ask a question in plain English. Every answer cites the exact record it came from, so the trail is always visible.

The record so far

Towns
3
Documents
1793
Votes recorded
6093
Councilors
21
Ordinances
476
Contested matters
369

Who's behind it

An independent project, accountable to readers.

CouncilNotes is an independent project built by Julien Croy, a local to Aquidneck Island, to make local government clearer and easier to follow. It's non-partisan — no candidate, no party, no agenda beyond putting the public record where the public can read it.

The site is free for everyone. Spotted something wrong, or want to suggest a town to cover? Get in touch →