§ 2.20.055. Municipal clerk's office.  


Latest version.
  • A.

    Organization.

    1.

    The municipal clerk's office is established by Charter sections 4.05 and 4.06.

    a.

    Reserved.

    b.

    Reserved.

    c.

    Reserved.

    d.

    Assembly Program and Budget Analyst. The general duties shall consist of annually preparing the Assembly Department Budget proposal for submission to the Assembly; assisting the Assembly in its analysis of the operating, capital and utility budgets prepared and presented by the administration, as may be directed by the presiding officer; administering the contract for the annual municipal independent financial audit and other contracts assigned to the Municipal Clerk's Office by ordinance; and the Assembly program and budget-related duties as assigned by the municipal clerk or the presiding officer.

    2.

    All positions in the municipal clerk's office shall be classified as executives under section 3.30.172.

    3.

    Appointments.

    a.

    Appointment of the municipal clerk shall be subject to the approval of the assembly, the municipal clerk serves at the pleasure of the assembly, pursuant to Charter section 4.05.

    4.

    Notwithstanding section 3.30.172C.:

    a.

    The municipal clerk shall hire the deputy municipal clerks and the assembly program and budget analyst, in consultation with the presiding officer, subject to confirmation by the assembly;

    b.

    Except for deputy municipal clerks and the assembly program and budget analyst, the municipal clerk may appoint assistants or other personnel necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, in consultation with the presiding officer, within the assembly-adopted budget for the municipal clerk's office.

    B.

    Duties and responsibilities. The municipal clerk's office, through the municipal clerk and the clerk's staff, is responsible for implementation of the following core duties; other duties as detailed in the charter and elsewhere in the Anchorage Municipal Code, including AMC 2.20.050. Duties may be established and prioritized by the presiding officer of the assembly:

    1.

    Provide administrative and logistical support to the assembly and to its individual members, the municipal clerk shall assign the duties and responsibilities set forth below to staff members, as appropriate, in consultation with the presiding officer.

    2.

    Prepare ordinances, resolutions, memoranda and other working papers to support the activities of the assembly and its individual members equally without discrimination among the members.

    3.

    Work with the presiding officer in scheduling assembly meetings, work sessions and committee meetings; and

    4.

    Attend assembly meetings, assembly work sessions and standing and ad hoc committee meetings as required by the presiding officer, and to maintain records of such proceedings as required by ordinance or as required by the presiding officer; and

    5.

    Work with the presiding officer in reviewing and scheduling assembly agenda items to determine compliance with the requirements of the Charter, the Code, and the adopted policies and procedures of the assembly and, further, to insure the assembly timely and appropriately deals with those matters coming before the assembly.

    6.

    Assist the assembly in its analysis of the operating, capital and utility budgets prepared and presented by the administration, as may be directed by the presiding officer; and

    7.

    Administer the contract for the annual municipal independent financial audit and such other contracts as may be assigned by ordinance.

    8.

    Assist individual assembly members with constituent inquiries, to the extent possible and not addressed by the assembly members' legislative aides, insuring all assembly members are promptly and timely informed of constituent inquiries coming to the attention of any staff member.

    9.

    Coordinate requests for information by individual assembly members and by the various standing and ad hoc committees of the assembly to the administration and to various municipal departments.

    10.

    Prepare for and conduct the general and special elections of the municipality.

    11.

    Administer licensing functions assigned to the municipal clerk's office by ordinance.

    Editor's note— Formerly codified in part as subsections 2.80.080A., C., D., E., G., H., J., K., L., M., and N.

    C.

    Access to municipal information.

    1.

    In the performance of duties under subsection B. above, the municipal clerk's office staff shall have full, free and unrestricted access to:

    a.

    All public records, as defined in section 3.90.020;

    b.

    All activities of the municipal government and its various departments;

    c.

    All municipal property;

    d.

    All municipal personnel; and

    e.

    All policies, plans and procedures, and records pertaining to financial expenditures by municipal funds.

    2.

    This subsection C. does not authorize public disclosure of confidential or privileged material under federal, state or local law, or of material, the public disclosure of which constitutes an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

    D.

    Political activities by staff. It is imperative the staff of the municipal clerk's office serve all of the citizens of the municipality in a fair, equal and nonpartisan manner. Because the municipal clerk's office administers municipal elections, the staff of the municipal clerk's office, including the municipal clerk, shall not engage in partisan politics in any manner, further described as follows:

    1.

    The staff shall not participate in any capacity, whether paid or unpaid, nor make any political contributions of any nature, cash or in kind, in any municipal election campaign including elections for mayor, for members of the assembly, for members of the school board, or for any office on any service area board or commission in which the staff person does not personally reside. Staff shall not participate in any local ballot initiative, bond proposal, proposed charter amendment or other matter put before the voters of the municipality or any service area of the municipality.

    2.

    Nothing set forth above shall prohibit staff from expressing private political opinions, so long as such expression does not interfere in any manner with, or occur during, the business operation of the municipal clerk's office.

    3.

    "Staff" in this section is defined as anyone working for the municipal clerk or working in the municipal clerk's office.

    Editor's note— Formerly codified in part as section 2.80.050C.

    E.

    Annual budget and administrative procedure.

    1.

    The municipal clerk's office shall annually prepare a budget proposal for submission to the assembly. Copies shall be provided in a timely manner to the mayor for informational purposes to assist in the preparation of the municipal budget.

    2.

    The municipal clerk's office shall comply with those administrative procedures prescribed by ordinance except as otherwise provided in this section. Requests for approval of various administrative matters shall be submitted to the administration in proper form. In order to ensure the independence and objectivity of the municipal clerk's office, the administration's discretionary administrative decisions shall be considered advisory.

    3.

    The administration shall retain the authority to deny any request contrary to ordinance or exceeding the assembly-adopted budget.

    4.

    Any disputes arising between the administration and the municipal clerk regarding administrative matters shall be resolved by the presiding officer and the mayor.

    Editor's note— Formerly codified in part as subsections 2.80.070B. and C.

    Cross reference— Principal executive personnel, boards and commissions, § 1.35.010.

(AO No. 2005-138(S), § 2, 10-18-05; AO No. 2017-40 , § 1, 3-21-17; AO No. 2017-53 , § 2, 4-11-17)