City Clerk

ABOUT THE ROLE

The City Clerk is the official record keeper for the City of Cambridge. Appointed and held accountable by the City Council for a three-year term, the City Clerk performs those duties prescribed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the ordinances of the City of Cambridge and other such duties as the Cambridge City Council prescribes. Records kept by the Clerk’s Office include vital statistics (including births, marriages, domestic partnerships, and deaths), business and professional certificates, cemetery deeds for the Cambridge Cemetery, and the Cambridge Municipal Code and Cambridge Zoning Ordinance.

The City Clerk is responsible for preparing and maintaining City Council documents, filings related to appeals before the Board of Zoning Appeal and Planning Board, and advertisements and postings of all notifications of meetings of Cambridge municipal bodies including all official City Boards and Commissions. The Clerk’s Office maintains a list of rules and regulations for various departments, boards, and commissions in Cambridge.

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Provides administrative and supervisory oversight of the City Clerk’s office, including day-to-day operations and departmental budget.

• Statutorily responsible for collecting, recording, and depositing fees; developing, maintaining, and disseminating certain records and vital statistics, including marriage, domestic partnership, death, and birth certificates, as well as business and professional certificates.

• Serves as Clerk to the City Council. Attends (or assigns attendance) and keeps records of all meetings of the City Council and of its committees/subcommittees and carries out the actions required by decisions at those meetings. Ensures that votes are properly documented and minutes are created in compliance with the Open Meeting Law. Acts as a resource and provides guidance on parliamentary procedures.
  
  Ensures that the actions taken at City Council meetings are properly finalized.

• Responsible for the preparation and timely posting of the weekly City Council Agenda.

• Notifies and provides documentation to the public of all City Council meetings and City Council actions and provides notification of all meetings of municipal bodies and official city boards and commissions in accordance with the requirements of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law.

• Provides public information to the media and maintains the City Clerk’s website and the Open Meeting Portal.

• Assists the City Council, its members, and committees in their development of public policy.

• Performs staff work and research that may be required for the City Council to efficiently carry out its policy- making responsibilities.

• Assists members of the City Council in providing information for other agencies or levels of government.

• As directed by the City Council and in consultation with the City Solicitor, files, and monitors legislation of importance to the City of Cambridge at other levels of government.

• Statutorily responsible for maintaining and updating the Cambridge Municipal Code and Zoning Ordinance.

• Responsible for binding, maintaining, and preserving the vital records and City Council records for the city.

• Responsible for the ongoing digitization and digital cataloging of historical paper records maintained by the Clerk’s Office, to make them more accessible to the public.

• Responsible for proposing technology upgrades or implementations necessary in order to perform the duties listed.

• Responsible for carrying out the provisions of Chapter 40A as it relates to zoning procedures.

• Ensures proper public notice of all meetings of municipal bodies and official city boards and commissions in accordance with the requirements of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law.

• Administers the Oath of Office to members of Boards and Commissions and…