Committee Clerk

Job Description

The Committee Clerk is responsible for administrative and clerical support for the City Council committees and is responsible for the day-to-day execution and administration of the business for assigned committees, exercising judgment to ensure that all work is prepared and completed in a timely, professional and independent manner. In addition, this position supports special projects requested by the President of the Council as well as for the assigned Committee chairs as well as other duties as assigned to assist with smooth operations of the department and assigned committees. The Committee Clerk also provides citizen service by providing information on all aspects of the functions and actions of the City Council.

Essential Elements

• Provides Council Leadership support by reviewing and preparing Council dockets, agendas, reports and Council Orders.
• Provides Committee support by reviewing and preparing Committee agendas and reports along with supporting documents, making recommendations for scheduling, preparing communication for Committee Chairs, prioritizing agenda items, attending evening meetings of assigned Committees, providing staff support during meetings, managing legal requirements of public hearings including proper notifications and placing legal advertisements and provide advice and recommendations regarding the legislative process for Committee members, city personnel and citizens. Committee Clerk must possess detailed familiarly with all items before assigned Committees.
• Provides overall City Council support by generating written communication for Council members, requesting information from City Departments or outside agencies, coordinating review of docket items and requests with appropriate Department Heads, conducting research and archival retrieval, providing support for special committees of the Council as needed, exercising discretion in handling and monitoring confidential information in executive sessions and providing guidance to Councilors in framing issues for the docket including providing advice and recommendations of the legislative process. Committee Clerk must possess familiarity with all items before the City Council.

Primary Elements

• Provides citizen service by notifying interested citizens of upcoming agendas items, directing and explaining City Council and Committee processes and items and responding to citizen inquires of all kinds via telephone, email and office visits including research and archival retrieval.
• Manages website content by posting all agendas, reports, supporting documents and audio to the City website and keeping Committee pages updated for retrieval by the public as well as City Councilors. Updates government directories and documents as necessary.
• Possesses a working knowledge of the City Ordinances, an expert knowledge of ordinances and processes pertaining to assigned committees, general knowledge of Massachusetts General Laws including Open Meeting Law and of the operations of City Government.
• Undertakes special projects as required including research, analyzing and evaluating data and preparing results and recommendations. Special events planning also required.
• Attends and participates in staff, department, training and other meetings.

Secondary Elements

• Performs other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each element satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelors degree and one to three years of related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge of recording and office procedures and the operation of office equipment such as personal computers and computer software, data processing and/or word processing.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read and interpret documents such as reports and procedures manuals. Ability to write reports and correspondence. Ability to present information effectively, which may be controversial in nature, one-on-one, or in small groups, to citizens or employees of the City.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, decimals. Ability to calculate figures and mounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions and percentages. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed written or oral instructions. Ability to solve problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where prescribed standard practices exist.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here represent those requirements that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. Employees must be able to climb a step ladder and lift 30 lbs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Company Description

THE CITY:
The City of Newton is a wonderful place to live and work. Newton has safe and attractive neighborhoods, an excellent public school system, an active community life, multiple transportation systems, proximity to Boston and a well-managed and financially strong City government. The City of Newton has a population of approximately 88,900, with 32,600 housing units and occupies a land area of 18.3 square miles. Newton is principally suburban-residential in character. Unlike many other communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages. Newton has a diversified economic base with approximately 4,700 establishments employing approximately 79,500 people. Newton is special in many ways. It is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools including a portion of Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, Hebrew College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus. The longest stretch of the Boston Marathon runs through the City, including the well-known Heartbreak Hill. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, serves as an important partner to the City. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S.
OUR GOVERNMENT:
Newton has what is known as a “strong Mayor” form of government with the Mayor having the executive and administrative powers of the City. The legislative branch is comprised of 24 City Councilors. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was sworn in on January 1, 2018 after serving on the City Council. She ran on a platform of providing Newton’s children with a top-notch education in an inclusive environment where empty nesters, seniors, young families, and people of diverse incomes can live together in vibrant villages and neighborhoods. Mayor Fuller is committed to keeping Newton safe, improving the city’s infrastructure, addressing climate change, providing excellent and responsive city services, and fostering art, culture and community life. The first female Mayor of Newton, she is a tireless advocate for all the city’s residents and is committed to making sure the city is welcoming, inclusive and diverse. The City of Newton was evaluated by Moody’s Investors Services in February 2020 and assigned its highest rating of AAA. Newton was thus well-positioned to weather the pandemic and economic downturn.
AS AN EMPLOYER:

The City of Newton believes that its employees are its greatest asset. To that end, we are committed to supporting our employees by providing competitive wages and growth, a comprehensive benefits package which includes a defined municipal pension plan, quality health and dental insurance plans, generous paid leave benefits, paid holidays, and access to supplemental benefits such as deferred compensation, short term disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and other employee benefits. We also provide access to an Employee Assistance Program and access to employee training and professional development opportunities. We continuously work to review and expand upon our benefit offerings. We encourage you to visit our Human Resources Department website to learn more about our organization and benefits which are available to our employees. And as always, you are encouraged to reach out to our dynamic HR Team by emailing hr@newtonma.gov.

Human Resources Diversity Statement

We recognize our workforce is a source of strength that is vital to our ability to effectively serve the City of Newton’s diverse community. We will:

• Actively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.
• Proactively address discrimination through education and in partnership with other departments and leaders.
• Serve as a role model to celebrate and nurture diversity.
• Foster inclusion by staying curious and clarifying assumptions.
• Evaluate and develop policies and practices that reflect the diverse nature of our workforce.
• Build and strengthen accountability at all levels to support diversity efforts.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 457 Deferred Compensation plans
• Metro Credit Union
• Verizon Wireless discount
• Employee Assistance Program
• Generous paid leave time benefits and paid holidays.
• City Retirement (Mandatory)
• Weekly Direct Deposit
• Opportunity to serve the public and join a dynamic team of dedicated employees