GRIC Action Sheet Database
A Throwback to the Unofficial Council Action Sheet Database
(THROWBACK)
Over the next few weeks I’m going to be posting older projects because I’m migrating my information over from my website. These are some older projects but I think still useful. Hope you enjoy
This was one of my first major data projects and still one of the most useful ones for me today. I spent so much time doing this one - Imagine the height of 2020 when the pandemic is keeping everyone at home. I started working on this at night while my wife and I were watching netflix. It has become a bit of a ritual for me to do these projects during my nights and weekends. Dang COVID habits…
Anyway, this was one of my first major projects on Airtable - and this was all done before AI was popularized. I look back and think about the massive amount of time I spent transcribing information and my heart hurts… so glad to have AI as part of my process now!
This was before I did very detailed project updates on my process, time, and costs.
Anyway, I still come back to this database to track legislative history. It isn’t perfect - the data set didn’t include special meetings or committee meetings so there are cracks. But, it is a helpful way to see what is going on in Council over time.
I know a few other folks using this or a fork of it to help track the data over time as well. Personally, I stopped updating it, but it is something I think about updating…. With AI I feel like it would be so much easier to keep updated - but I need to make time for it. Oh well.
What is the Data Source?
The data for this project came exclusively from issues of the Gila River Indian News and the Council Action Sheets printed each month.
Why did I do this Project?
I kept seeing all these action sheets and seeing them month after month with all this interesting data, but no way to search for anything or track subjects. So... I made a way to do it!
How long did it take?
A long, long time. From tracking down newspaper copies to transcribing the information by hand - getting this database together took months of night and weekend work.
I also did this QA blog post after I received initial feedback. Posting here in case you are interested….
I need somewhere to respond to various questions that I receive from the public on the Action Sheet Database. As I get new ones or as information evolves I will update here!
Q. Can you shade every other line in the database for easier visibility?
A. I wish! This would make it much easier to read. Airtable doesn’t allow this function right now, but it’s on their product roadmap. Once it’s available I will implement it or add a tutorial on how do it yourself.
Q. Can you link the items associated with their files? PDFs of Resolutions, reports, etc?
A. Maybe. I pulled this information from GRIN action sheets, but the original documents are housed in CCSO. I believe they have an electronic copy of most submissions, but those are not all public records according to CCSO policy.
It is possible to add documents to this database for resolutions and ordinances, so maybe someday. It will mean a LOT of record requests to CCSO, and that is time consuming.
Reports and information in new and unfinished business are NOT considered public record. In my past experience with CCSO I have been told that reports need to be requested from the reporting agency following their individual departmental or organizational policy. So this is a maybe, but unlikely.
Also, note that meeting minutes are NOT considered public record and can not be requested.
Q. Can you post the associated GRIN documents where you found this information?
A. Yes! You can find most of my sources at my Newspaper Database. Note that my records and this database are missing the following:
- Action Sheet - second June Meeting 2011
- GRIN issue April 2012
- GRIN issue June 2012
- GRIN issue October 2012
- Action Sheet - second December Meeting 2019
- GRIN issue (2) February 2020