Show All Answers

1. What is the role of the city clerk?

The city clerk’s duties include calling role at all city council meetings, overseeing the preparation of the minutes for those meetings, attesting to signatures, signing various city documents, maintaining city records, and providing and accepting petitions for local municipal elections. Of these, maintaining city records has been the biggest challenge for elected clerks.

The city clerk is a non-voting member of the city council.

2. What is the role of the city treasurer?

The city’s treasurer’s role includes receiving all money paid to the city, paying city bills upon order of the city clerk and mayor, maintaining financial records, creating monthly reports for the city council showing the city’s finances and amounts received and spent during the month, and other clerical duties related to the city’s finances. Aside from signing documents where the treasurer’s signature is required, all of these functions are currently performed by the Finance Director.

The city treasurer is a non-voting member of the city council.

3. Are the clerk and treasurer positions currently paid positions?

Yes. The city clerk is paid $7,370 annually. The city treasurer is paid $600 annually.

4. Why are referendums necessary?

A change to the form of government can only be made through the process of a binding public referendum.

5. What are the advantages of switching the city clerk and city treasurer to appointed roles?

A city clerk and city treasurer selected by the mayor with advice from city staff and consent of the city council, and those appointed would be selected based on qualifications and abilities for each position. Those holding the positions would be subject to performance review and continual accountability outside of the elections by the mayor and aldermen. The city clerk and city treasurer would be city staff members who would have the training to perform their duties.

6. What are the advantages of keeping the clerk and treasurer in elected positions?

Voters select the clerk and treasurer, and those positions would remain accountable to voters only. Those holding the positions could be voted out of office at subsequent elections.

7. What are the disadvantages of switching the clerk and treasurer to appointed positions?

Voters would have no say in the selection for the position and cannot supervise their performance through the election process. The positions cannot be voted out, and any termination must be approved by the mayor and city council.

8. What are the disadvantages of keeping the clerk and treasurer in appointed positions?

There are no qualification requirements for the positions and performance cannot be supervised except through the election process. Selection is limited to those candidates who chose to run for the position. 

9. What does it mean if I vote “yes” on the referendum questions?

Voting yes on each individual referendum question indicates your preference for the city clerk or the city treasurer to be appointed by the mayor with the concurrence of the city council. 

10. What does it mean if I vote “no” on the referendum questions?

Voting no on each individual referendum question indicates your preference for the position to be elected. For both positions, candidates would need to run for office in 2025.

11. If the referendums both pass, when will the changes take effect?

The appointment process would go into effect after the current terms of the treasurer and clerk expire, or if the position becomes vacant during the term.