Washington Municipal Clerks Association

Executive Committee Monthly Report

October 2007

By Kammy Hill, Board Member

What a wonderful experience I had at the Oregon Association of Municipal Recorders (OAMR) Conference this past week!  It was an honor to represent WMCA as your President.  Again, thank you for providing me this opportunity.

OAMR celebrated their 25^th anniversary, and the conference was appropriately titled “Celebrating the Past and Preparing for Our Future.”  It was held in The Dalles, a city with an abundance of rich history about the Lewis and Clark expedition and their settlement.  The Columbia Gorge was breathtaking this time of the year – a bit windy at times, but beautiful.  A special reception was held honoring President Barbara Christensen and retiring OAMR Charter Member Gail Waibel at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center/Wasco County Historical Museum.  The view from the Discovery Center of the Gorge Hills and Columbia River was spectacular, and it was a most fitting location for this honorable event to take place.  A PowerPoint of OAMR’s history was shown of all the wonderful times and friends made over the past 25 years.       

The educational sessions consisted of effective meetings that meet legal requirements; electronic packets; Council/staff relations; expanding the role of Municipal Recorder into the digital age; a rap session (similar to our Roundtable discussions) on Recorder-requested topics; government ethics; and elections.  The speakers and training sessions were informative and educational.  There was so much to learn and take away.        

IIMC President Chuck Tokar attended the conference and provided an update on IIMC.  He reported that IIMC headquarters is working diligently to review the backlog of CMC and MMC applications.  Good news that there is help to get caught up.  IIMC President Tokar also provided some background information on his reasons to study a proposed IIMC name change.  He indicated that IIMC has gone through three name changes since its formation and perhaps it should be looked at to keep pace with its membership.  He explained that there are other positions that do similar work to municipal clerks but are not called "City Clerks" such as “City Recorders, Executive Assistant to the Council, etc.”, and who may not be joining the organization because the name implies the organization is only for municipal clerks, who could benefit from the professional and educational services offered through IIMC.  He also questioned if the term "Institute" was an appropriate name to reflect what IIMC is about.  He indicated that a Task Force has been appointed to study this matter further and will be reporting back to IIMC. 

President Tokar also reported that if IIMC is to truly be an "international" organization perhaps there could be more cross cultural exchanges with Canada.  As such, a Regional Restructuring Task Force was appointed to look for ways to strengthen IIMC’s relationship with Canada.  The IIMC Board is also expecting a progress report from this Task Force.  I would think there would be more information forthcoming from IIMC on the progress of these Task Forces. 

At the Region IX session, it was announced that Colleen Nicol, Region IX representative from Riverside, California is planning to run for IIMC Vice President in 2009!  Way to go Region IX!

OAMR had a successful silent auction with a little over 200 items.  All but 40 of their 1,000  $5 raffle tickets for a $2,000 trip to Cancun were sold by the first day of conference!  OAMR claims the secret to their success is to start soliciting for auction items and donations as soon as one conference ends and planning for the next one begins.  It was pretty evident by the quality and quantity of their auction items they were ready and organized!  Some wore special-made “Show Me The Money $$” t-shirts to solicit those dollars! 

The conference concluded with the Annual Banquet.  Sandy King from the City of Wilsonville, was honored as “Recorder of the Year” in recognition of all the hard work she put into OAMR and her position as City Recorder.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to represent WMCA and share in this wonderful experience!  Alice M. Bush, President. 

It’s your last chance to register for the October 26 WMCA Fall Academy, "Responsive Management:  Core Competencies”, by Richard Baron."  The registration fee for WMCA members before October 5 is $125, after this date it will cost an additional $25.  The session is approved by IIMC for 3 CMC or 3 MMC points toward certification (or six hours for recertification).    There are no refunds on registration.  Rooms may still be available at the Coast Wenatchee Hotel by calling 1-800-716-6199. This will be a great session and a good time to network and catch up.

“Connecting the Pieces of the Parliamentary Puzzle” will be presented by our very own Irvalene Moni on Wednesday, October 17, 2007.  This session will be held at Bellevue City Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Lunch will be provided.  Cost is $40 payable to MOPU.  This session is worth 1 MMC point or 3 CMC points under the “social and professional” or “experience” requirements (not education points).  Mail your registration and payments to Irvalene Moni, MOPU Treasurer, City of Maple Valley, P. O. Box 320, Maple Valley, WA  98038.  For additional information contact Bob Baker at the City of Newcastle.

It’s never too soon to start planning (and budgeting) for the 2008 WMCA Annual Conference at the Coast Wenatchee Hotel.  The theme is “Embracing Unity – Together We Can” and our conference planning and education committees have already been hard at work making arrangements for outstanding educational programs and another top-notch conference. The Academy session will be held on Tuesday, March 18.  The Conference starts on Wednesday, March 19 and ends on March 21.

Registration fees are anticipated to remain at $300 for the conference and $125 for the academy.  The conference planning committee is currently working on finalizing meal selections with the hotel. There may be a couple of meals that attendees will be responsible for so please plan accordingly.  Government per diem lodging rates at the Coast Wenatchee Hotel are $70 for single occupancy and $90 for double occupancy, plus tax.

Put the dates on your calendar now so you don’t miss out!

The NCI Committee met on September 13 and approved the following fees for the 2008 PD I, II and III sessions:   registration:   $495.00   housing/meals  $425.00   commuter package:  $125.00      Contrary to the e-mail blast you received earlier, this does not represent an increase in costs over last year, even though classroom hours will increase.   We are trying to hold the line on costs but can only do so if we can fill the classes.  Please make Institute attendance a priority for your department!  

Costs for the Master Municipal Clerks Academy will remain the same as last year:   $475 registration; $275 housing/meals; and $75 commuter package.

The dates for the sessions are:

PD I - June 2-6, 2008

PD II - June 9-13, 2008

PD III - June 16-20, 2008

Academy (PDIV) - June 11-14, 2008

Do you love to shop?  Did you stop to admire any of the WMCA catalog apparel modeled by our fellow Clerks during the 2007 conference?  Did you think to yourself “Wow that is one of my favorite colors” or “I wish that I could find a great vest or jacket like that”? Well now you can also be one of the stylish clerks wearing this great WMCA apparel! 

WMCA apparel is available exclusively through presale orders.  To get your item at the Fall Academy your order must be placed by October 8, 2007. If you are unable to attend the academy, please make arrangements to have your order picked up by someone in attendance. You can have the item mailed to you for an additional $5.00 fee. WMCA will also be accepting presale orders for the conference in March, 2008, so stay tuned for more information.

To order any of this classy apparel just go to the WMCA website at http://www.wmcaclerks.org/Logo%20wear.htm and follow the links and directions.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to support WMCA and get some great clothes too!

Do you have a Clerk who provides inspiration for you in your career?  Or perhaps one who mentored you or helped identify solutions to an issue you were facing? Maybe it is someone who makes their municipality really shine or steps out and goes beyond all expectations. Let us all make President Alice’s job in selecting the 2008 Clerk of the Year really tough by nominating all those outstanding Clerks we know.

Forms and more information are available at http://www.wmcaclerks.org/index.html. You’ll also be able to see a complete list of past Clerk of the Year Award recipients as well as those honored with the President’s Award of Distinction.

Wouldn’t you like to dream about the possibilities of having an extra $1,500 to do with as you wish?  Like taking a trip, buying a new big-screen TV, or guilt-free shopping! 

Purchase raffle tickets for $5 per ticket for a chance to win a $1,500 VISA GIFT CARD and you may get the opportunity to make your dream a reality. Tickets will be sold at the Fall Academy in Wenatchee and at the 2008 WMCA Annual Conference. Or just contact Diane Foss, City of Ocean Shores, (dfoss@osgov.com) and she will be happy to sell you as many tickets as you would like to buy.  The drawing will be held during the 2008 WMCA conference in March.  With a maximum of 1,000 tickets being sold, your chances of winning are pretty good so make sure you don’t miss out.

If you are a frustrated salesperson in hiding and want to help sell raffle tickets, contact Diane Foss, City of Ocean Shores (dfoss@osgov.com).  All proceeds benefit the WMCA Scholarship fund to help Clerks pay for training vital to our jobs. 

After 23 years of service, Paula Johnston will be retiring as City Clerk of the City of Bremerton on October 1.   She is looking forward to spending time with her husband, who has been a retiree for three years.   Congratulations and best wishes to Paula.

Congratulations to Carol Etgen, currently Deputy City Clerk of Poulsbo, on her appointment as City Clerk of Bremerton.  Carol will be taking over from Paula on October 1.  Carol indicated it was a really hard decision to make - because Poulsbo is an incredible City and she loves working in such a positive environment.  That being said, Bremerton is the "big" City on the peninsula, and since the peninsula is her home, she had to go for it.  Carol, we wish you the best in your new position.

Karen Kuznek-Reese is expecting the birth of her grandson in October in Hawaii so stay tuned for more details (and hopefully a picture) next month.  Her only regret is that she didn’t get to visit before they move back here in November.

Kudos to Sandy Byers and Treva Percival, Pierce Transit, on their respective promotions to Director of Executive Services and Clerk of the Board of Pierce Transit.  Way to go ladies and good luck on your new positions.

Do you have any good news to share about yourself or another WMCA member?  If so, please e-mail Kammy Hill at khill@ci.walla-walla.wa.us and she will see that it gets submitted for the next e-blast.  We all need that “pat on the back” or recognition of a special event in our lives, so please share the good news.

You can find information about the three types of WMCA scholarships on WMCA’s website (www.wmcaclerks.org). Conference scholarship applications will be accepted later this year (keep on the lookout for more details in November), and then shortly after that applications will be accepted for the Northwest Clerks Institute.  The Marge Price Scholarship can be applied for at any time for Clerks working towards their MMC.

The Scholarship Committee is always looking for new members, so if you’re a new clerk (or experienced!) and want to join a fun and relatively easy committee, please contact Carol Etgen at the City of Bremerton (after October 1), 360-473-5323.

Members of the Scholarship Committee would like to graciously remind you that next year’s conference in Wenatchee is just around the corner. We would love to have you start thinking about what you’d like to bring for either the silent or live auction next year!  A number of the big ticket items were from clerks who petitioned businesses in their hometowns for tickets to special events, stays in their bed and breakfasts, or a night out at a favorite restaurant. 

If you have questions or need help with ideas, please contact any of us! 

Carol Etgen, Scholarship Committee Chair, 360-473-5323,

or Margo Tackett, clerk_treasurer@ci.westport.wa.us

or Diane Foss dfoss@osgov.com, Fund-Raising Committee Co-chairs

Updated: 04/24/2008