Terms of Use

1. Who May Use the Platform

You may use the Platform only if all of the following are true:

• You are at least 18 years old.
• You have been authorized to access the Platform by a staff liaison, platform administrator, or other authorized representative of a subscribing jurisdiction; or you have signed up to evaluate the Platform with our authorization.
• You are not barred from using the Platform under applicable U.S. law.
• You agree to comply with these Terms and with the laws and rules that apply to your role on the Platform, including, where applicable, your jurisdiction’s open meetings law, public records statute, and ethics rules.

We do not run an open consumer signup process. Most accounts are created when a staff liaison or platform administrator invites you.

2. Your Account

2.1 Authentication

You may sign in using email and password or, where enabled, Google OAuth. We do not support Facebook login or other social authentication.

2.2 Account Security

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. You agree:

• Not to share your credentials with anyone.
• Not to allow another person to use your account.
• To notify us promptly at info@golocal.org if you believe your account has been compromised.

2.3 Acting in Official Capacity

If you use the Platform in your official capacity as an appointed member or employee of a subscribing jurisdiction, you acknowledge that:

• Your jurisdiction has authorized your access to the Platform and may revoke that access.
• Content you create or upload through the Platform may be considered a public record under your jurisdiction’s law.
• Your jurisdiction, not GoLocal, is responsible for responding to public records requests, ethics inquiries, or other legal obligations relating to that content.
• When your board service ends, your access to that board’s workspace will end, and the content you contributed will remain with the jurisdiction.

3. The Platform

3.1 What the Platform Is

The Platform is a web-based workspace that supports local government boards and commissions. Current core capabilities include:

• A unified dashboard for board members and staff liaisons.
• Customizable onboarding for new appointees.
• Document management and meeting packet delivery.
• A meeting calendar with attendance tracking and RSVPs.
• Direct and board-wide messaging consistent with open meetings architecture.
• Task assignment and tracking.
• A board member directory and term tracking.
• Configurable email and in-app notifications.
• A mobile-responsive interface.

We add, change, or remove features from time to time. If we make a material change that adversely affects subscribing jurisdictions, we will notify them in accordance with the SaaS Agreement.

3.2 Tenancy and Access

The Platform is multi-tenant. Every piece of content is scoped to a specific board within a specific jurisdiction. You will only be able to see content that you are authorized to see by virtue of your role and your board memberships. In particular:

• Members see only content from boards they are appointed to.
• Staff liaisons see only the boards they are assigned to.
• A user cannot access content from another jurisdiction.
• Direct messages between two users are visible only to those two users.
• GoLocal platform administrators may access workspaces for support purposes; such access is logged.

You agree not to attempt to circumvent these access controls.

3.3 Web-Based Service

The Platform is delivered through a web browser. There is no GoLocal mobile application in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or any other app store at this time. Any references to mobile use refer to the mobile-responsive web Platform accessed through your device’s browser.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any purpose unrelated to your authorized role on a subscribing jurisdiction’s board or commission, or to your authorized evaluation of the Platform.
• Use the Platform in violation of any applicable law, including open meetings laws, public records laws, ethics rules, and laws governing harassment, discrimination, or defamation.
• Upload, post, or transmit content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, threatening, obscene, or that infringes the rights of others.
• Share login credentials, attempt to access another user’s account, or use the Platform under a false identity.
• Attempt to access content, boards, or jurisdictions you are not authorized to access.
• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of the Platform, except to the extent applicable law expressly permits.
• Scrape, crawl, mirror, frame, or otherwise reproduce the Platform or its content other than as permitted by these Terms.
• Upload viruses, malware, or other harmful code, or attempt to interfere with the Platform’s security or operation.
• Use automated tools (bots, scripts, scrapers) to access the Platform, except for assistive technologies and except as we may expressly authorize.
• Use the Platform to circumvent any deliberation rule, quorum rule, or notice requirement applicable to your board.

We may investigate suspected violations and take action, including suspending or terminating your account.

5. Content

5.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of the content you create or upload through the Platform (“Your Content”), subject to your jurisdiction’s rights to records you create in the course of your official duties.

You grant GoLocal a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, transmit, display, and process Your Content as necessary to operate the Platform and provide the services described in the SaaS Agreement. This license ends when the content is deleted from the Platform, except to the extent we are required to retain it for legal, backup, or audit purposes.

5.2 Responsibility for Content

You are responsible for the content you create, upload, or transmit through the Platform. You represent that you have the right to share that content and that doing so does not violate any law or any other person’s rights.

5.3 GoLocal Content

We own the Platform itself, including its software, source code, visual interfaces, design, graphics, documentation, and trademarks. The Platform and its content (excluding Your Content) are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and use the Platform during the period your access is authorized. You may not sell, license, copy, publish, modify, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from the Platform except as expressly authorized by us or permitted by these Terms. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

5.4 Feedback

If you send us feedback or suggestions about the Platform, you agree that we may use that feedback without obligation to you.

6. Termination

6.1 By You

You may stop using the Platform at any time. To request deletion of your account, contact info@golocal.org or follow the account-deletion instructions in your account settings.

6.2 By Your Jurisdiction

Your jurisdiction may revoke your access at any time, including when your term on a board ends, when you resign, or when your board membership otherwise ends.

6.3 By GoLocal

We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms, if your jurisdiction’s subscription ends, if continued access poses a security or legal risk, or if we discontinue the Platform. We may also restrict access by technical means, including blocking specific IP addresses or networks, where reasonably necessary to protect the security or integrity of the Platform.

6.4 Effect of Termination

When your access ends, the rights granted to you under these Terms end. Content you created or contributed in your official capacity remains in your jurisdiction’s workspace as a public record. The provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including ownership, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnities, and dispute resolution) will survive.

7. Disclaimers

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET OUT IN THE SAAS AGREEMENT WITH YOUR JURISDICTION, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE, OR THAT INFORMATION ON THE PLATFORM WILL BE ACCURATE.

8. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL GOLOCAL OR ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, OR DATA, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.

GOLOCAL’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY UNDER THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). LIABILITY BETWEEN GOLOCAL AND YOUR JURISDICTION IS GOVERNED BY THE SAAS AGREEMENT.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

9. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless GoLocal and its affiliates, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of (a) your breach of these Terms, (b) Your Content, or (c) your violation of any law or third-party right. This Section does not require any individual user acting in an official government capacity to indemnify GoLocal beyond what their jurisdiction has agreed to under the SaaS Agreement.

10. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.

The parties will first attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform through informal negotiation. Either party may initiate negotiation by sending written notice describing the dispute and proposed resolution. If the dispute is not resolved within 30 days of that notice, the dispute shall be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in the Commonwealth of Virginia in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this Section limits either party’s right to seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to protect intellectual property or confidential information.

11. Force Majeure

Neither party will be liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, civil unrest, war, fire, flood, epidemic or pandemic, government action, internet or telecommunications outages, denial-of-service or similar cyberattacks, or failures of upstream cloud infrastructure providers.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify subscribing jurisdictions and active users by email or through the Platform at least 30 days before the changes take effect, unless a shorter period is required by law. The current version is always available at golocal.org/terms. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

13. Miscellaneous

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and (where applicable) the SaaS Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and GoLocal regarding your use of the Platform. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to:

Go Local LLC
440 Monticello Avenue, #967654, Suite 1802
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
Email: info@golocal.org