ABSTRACT
Duties of city clerks—often titled “city secretary”—are varied. In some commumties, especially in smaller communities, the city clerk is the chief appointed official and serves as coordinator or manager of most municipal functions. In other, often larger communities, the chief executive or administrative director role is performed by another official—typically the mayor, city manager, city administrator, or chief administrative officer—and the primary duties of the city clerk are more narrowly defined. In most cases, however, basic responsibilities of the office include providing secretarial services to the mayor and city council, preparing minutes of city council meetings, serving as custodian of official records and ensuring access to those records, and serving as a principal contact for citizen and business inquiries. In many municipalities, the city clerk has a major role in coordinating the assembly and delivery of city council agenda packets that provide background information on items being considered at upcoming city council meetings.
