The Clerk is one of the oldest and most honorable professions beginning with the early Middle Ages when churches and governments recognized the need for accurate record keeping. The first settlers in America created the Office of Town Clerk and this position continues today as essential to municipal government.

The Clerk’s Office is considered the hub of local government because the Clerk is the contact between the citizens and the government and is expected to know almost everything about the operation of the government or where to find the information. The office of City Clerk is dedicated to serving the community in a professional, ethical, impartial, and equitable manner.

Supervisor

The City Clerk is supervised by the City Manager.

Responsibilities

In accordance with Lake Wales City Charter, Sec. 5.03, the City Clerk is a Charter Officer appointed by the City Commission and serves at its pleasure.

Other responsibilities include:

• gives notice of commission meetings to its members and to the public,
• keeps the minutes of its proceedings
• performs such other duties as assigned by City Charter, the Commission, or by the City Manager.

Legal Responsibilities

The City Clerk must stay abreast of changing times and circumstances, State Statutes on the Sunshine Law, Public Ethics, and Financial Disclosure as well as Election Laws. The City Clerk continually strives to improve the administration of the affairs of the Office of the Municipal Clerk through participation in education programs, seminars, webinars, and workshops.

Duties

Under both state law and local ordinances, the City Clerk is entrusted with numerous and diverse duties. In addition to the required duties performed, the Clerk has many other responsibilities resulting from long-practiced local rules and customs. The statutory duties of the City Clerk are relatively fixed, regardless of the form of government:

• Secretary to the City Commission
• Secretary to the municipal corporation
• Chief Election Officer with judicial authority
• Custodian of public records
• Administrative officer on the municipal level

Other City Clerk's duties include:

• Prepares and publishes of City Commission and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting agendas
  • Attends all City Commission and CRA meetings
  • Maintains an accurate record of proceedings
  • Transcribes minutes
  • Posts public meeting notices and publishing public hearing notices as required by law
• Manages appointments to city boards and roster
• Writes agenda items, ordinances and resolutions for the City Clerk’s Office
• Prepares proclamations for the Mayor to sign. Here is the Proclamation Policy for review.
• conducts municipal elections and ensures that all elections are conducted in a proper and legal manner
• Serves as custodian of official records and all contracts, deeds, ordinances, resolutions, and other city records
• Maintains records index system; maintains and updates the city’s Code of Ordinances
• Serves as the Records Management Liaison Officer (RMLO) with the State of Florida Department of State and oversee records management, retention, and destruction in accordance with state regulations
• Attests and affixes  the city’s seal to all legal documents, official contracts, and documents
• Acts as custodian of the city seal with the authority to execute and emboss documents to authenticate the validity of city records
• Provides notary services in relation to official business of the city
• Administers Oath of Office to city officials, city board members, and police officers
• Serves as the Financial Disclosure Coordinator with the State of Florida Commission on Ethics
• Performs other duties as requested by the City Commission and the City Manager