Opinion: City clerks descend on South Tahoe

By Susan Alessi

This past week, I was honored and pleased to have hosted the 2011 Annual State City Clerks Association of California in our beautiful city.

The conference was well attended and all of the attendees appeared to have enjoyed the conference and all the great sites and activities that South Lake Tahoe has to offer. Many city clerks and their families stayed through the weekend to sight see and also experience the shopping, dining and night life.

A big thanks to Mayor Hal Cole for his welcoming remarks and historical information during the opening ceremony, to former Mayor and Councilmember Margo Osti who beautifully sang the national anthem, local Calvary Chapel Pastor Jerry Foster who provided a meaningful invocation and to the South Tahoe High School NJROTC who perfectly executed the color guard ceremony.

Kudos to Embassy Suites who did a fantastic job as the hotel and conference venue.

Also noteworthy to mention as the 2011 CCAC conference host city, through an IIMC (International Institute of Municipal Clerks) Green Project Grant, a Mountain Ash tree was planted at the linear park Wildwood site and a bronze plaque entitled “The City Clerks Association of California, Exhibiting a Leadership Role in the Community through its ‘Green Team’ Efforts, Dedicates this tree to the City of South Lake Tahoe, our 2011 Conference Host.” It is an honor South Lake Tahoe was selected as the first city of this grant project which will now become an annual tradition for annual state conference host cities.

The following is some background information on the CCAC and the city clerk profession:

City Clerks Association of California

Our Mission

The CCAC was founded in 1977 with the objective of promoting the city clerk profession throughout the state of California.

Objectives

The Objectives of the CCAC are to:

* Provide Leadership and Management Training Opportunities in Concert with Our Diverse Society.

* Enhance Levels of Service Responsive to the Growing Demands Within our Organizations.

* Foster Pro-Active Programs to Promote Effective Legislation.

* Promote Networking System Among Members.

What does a city clerk do?

The city clerk is the local official for elections, local legislation, the Public Records Act, the Political Reform Act, and the Brown Act (open meeting laws). Before and after the city council takes action, the city clerk ensures that actions are in compliance with all federal, state and local statutes and regulations and that all actions are properly executed, recorded, and archived. The statutes of the state of California prescribe the basic functions and duties of the city clerk, and the Government Code and Election Code provide precise and specific responsibilities and procedures to follow. The office of the city clerk is a service department within the municipal government upon which the city council, all city departments, and the general public rely for information regarding the operations and legislative history of the city. The city clerk serves as the liaison between the public and city council and provides related municipal services.

Susan Alessi is city clerk for South Lake Tahoe.