Assistant City Clerk

 

Code: 205A BU: 09 (Salary Info) Grade: 012 Effective Date: 2/17/1998

Description of Work
General Duty Statement

Performs responsible supervisory and technical work directing the registration of voters, assists with overseeing the elections contract with Ramsey County, maintaining and developing a variety of legal records and record systems including records of the City Council, and assisting in supervising citizen contact functions. Performs other duties as required.

Supervision Received

Works under the technical, general, and/or administrative supervision of a unit or division manager.

Supervision Exercised

May exercise technical supervision over lower-level support, technical, or professional staff.

Typical Duties Performed

The listed examples may not include all the duties performed by all positions in this class.

• Coordinates with Secretary of State, Saint Paul delegation, and Attorney General regarding legislation passed by State or filed with State. Interacts with various private attorneys and City attorneys.
• Reports election returns to the City Council who sit as the canvass board. Prepares resolutions for election judges, polling locations and canvass of returns.
• Informs voters, candidates, and challengers of the laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to their rights and duties for elections.
• Reviews election procedures and recommends modifications.
• Oversees the contract with Ramsey County for providing election services for the City, including the evaluation of the level and quality of service. Recommends and develops changes to the contract based on analysis of performance.
• Oversees the distribution and routing of vacations, summary abatement notices, property code enforcement, claims/summons appeals, and other legal documents. Maintains duplicate official records of elections.
• Oversees the preparation and maintenance of index City Council Proceedings, City Clerk files, and City Council policy issues. Ensures annual Council Proceedings book is accurate and published in a timely manner.
• Establishes, evaluates, reviews, and ensures compliance with records policies and procedures as required by State and local laws including development and maintenance of records retention schedules.
• Directly supervises a clerical staff and assists in supervising the citizen contact functions. Ensures staff is properly trained, understands office policies and procedures, and develops and monitors individual and work unit standards, taking improvement action as appropriate.
• Assists and/or takes the lead in the design of city record collection, storage, and retrieval and access systems, including applying automation, document imaging, and information systems technology. Assists in the design and monitoring of the quality assurance program of all records under this office.
• Develops and maintains appropriate standard operating procedures that can be followed easily by other staff to detail all the major functions of the office.
• Maintains and preserves all City Council records and files presented at Saint Paul City Council meetings. These items include meeting minutes, agendas, property claims, applications, vacations, policy discussions, etc.
• Researches Council actions, ordinances, and resolutions and provides information to City staff and the public in response to inquiries and requests for information. Prepares "Writs of Certorariar".
• Accepts petitions, administrative orders applications, claims, and appeals. Reviews and verifies signatures on documents. Reviews them for compliance with legal requirements.
• Assists in overseeing the quality, timeliness, and courtesy of the staff in dealing with complaints and inquiries.
• Publishes appropriate legal notices of public hearings, City Council minutes, and vacations.
• Receives complaints and inquiries from citizens in person and over the phone, responding courteously and taking prompt, appropriate action.
• Prepares street vacation petitions for filing in County Recorder's Office, Real Estate, and City Clerk's Office.
• Requests, reviews, analyzes, and summarizes reports, statutes, and similar materials.
• Prepares statistical and narrative reports.
• Supervises the Office in the absence of the City Clerk.

Competencies

• Through knowledge of City procedures, laws, rules and regulations of Saint Paul Legislative Code, Administrative Code, City Charter, and other rules and regulations governing municipalities.
• Considerable knowledge of records maintenance and retention procedures, legal requirements for record keeping and retention and modern concepts of information technology especially as related to legal documents.
• Considerable knowledge of city government structure and organization.
• Knowledge of supervisory method and procedures.
• Considerable ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with supervisors, elected officials, subordinates, candidates, and the general public, some of whom may be hostile.
• Considerable ability to apply concepts of information technology to procedures while ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
• Considerable ability to operate standard word processing, spreadsheet, database, and other software packages to organize reports and analyze and solve problems.
• Considerable ability to plan and organize work.
• Considerable ability to deal with complex detail involved in processing and indexing Council proceedings and records.
• Considerable skill in oral and written communication.

Requirements

Two years of college and two years of experience managing a records maintenance unit or function; or high school graduation and four years of experience managing a records maintenance unit or function; or two years of college and 2 years of experience as a Clerk IV; or two years of college and one year of experience as a Citizen Service Senior Analyst. (No substitution for education.)