The thinking is that town government would likely run more smoothly if the Selectboard had the authority to determine whether a person is properly qualified for the job and making hiring decisions that way. In a neutral vein, Buckland Town Administrator Heather Butler provided the board with informal research she conducted on town clerk positions across the state. The duties of Town Clerk are governed by federal, state and local bylaws and include acting as chief registrar of voters, chief election official, recording officer, registrar of vital records, public records official, supervisor of voter registration and licensing officer.
Managing an election is like choreographing a ballet of pirouetting players — especially with early voting recently added to the mix. If the last time you voted, the process went smoothly — thank your town clerk. With so much at stake, towns want the best person in that office and the question of elected versus appointed comes up time and again.
Conway residents in voted to keep the town clerk position an elected one, rejecting a proposal to make it an appointed role. An analogy is often drawn between the role of city clerk in municipal government and the role of the US Secretary of State in the federal government.
Candidates for the position of city clerk must be able to manage large organizations and must be knowledgeable in the areas of public policy, finance, urban planning, transportation, emergency management, and community development. They also must have a solid foundation in ethics, leadership, and law. Increasingly, the preferred background for city clerks is a Master of Public Administration MPA and several years of experience as a city department head or as a deputy city clerk or manager.
Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Definition The Milpitas Police Department is a full service department, with employees 86 sworn.
This might seem mundane, but consider the following true story. A city secretary described what happened at a gathering of individuals to celebrate the opening of a new store. A resident reported to the city secretary that the assembly being held was illegal. This group involved local residents and a quorum of councilmembers.
While no business of the city was expected to be discussed, it inevitably was and thus, constituted a meeting of the council. The Open Meetings Act dictates that meetings must be posted. The secretary, who assures compliance with the act, was able to advise that the meeting had been posted.
Records management. A clerk is the official keeper of records. This responsibility includes the legal liability associated with tasks that involve enormous legal accountability for a local government.
While state and local laws and ordinances may vary with respect to specific tasks and functions, in general clerks maintain official records, documents, vital statistics, and financial records.
Theyalso record and publish council meetings, ordinances, and resolutions; retain custody of the official seal; issue licenses and permits; retain historical records; and record contracts and agreements, bids, deeds, maps, and various licenses.
The land included mineral rights that were conveyed and a family member was suing the city, claiming she was the rightful beneficiary of the millions of dollars the city had earned because of these rights. The clerk told the lawyer from the stand that the document was incomplete and was not what she had originally submitted as evidence from city records. The judge asked if she could produce the original document, which originated from the early s.
This type of attention to detail related to records can save a local government time and money. Public information.
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