Recording Secretary

Job Title: Recording Secretary (Various Boards & Commissions)

Hours: Varies

Salary Pay Scale Based on Length of Meeting (includes minutes):

0 - 2 hours $100 (min)

2 - 4 hours $125

4 - 6 hours $150

6+ hours $175 (max) RESPONSIBILITIES:

It is the job of the Recording Secretary to support the Board/Commission, under the direction of the Chairperson and liaison, and may include: preparing the calendar, securing the meeting room, preparing the agenda, and typing the minutes. The Town Clerk's Office has prepared a booklet "Information and Guidelines for Commissions, Boards and Committees" designed to assist the Chairperson and liaison in his/her duties. Copies will be given also to the Recording Secretary. All meetings should be conducted in conformance with "Robert's Rules of Order".

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND KNOWLEDGE:

Agenda - All agendas (except Emergency meeting agenda) must be posted at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting in the Town Clerk's Office and emailed to the Town Clerk's office for posting on the town's website. There are three meeting types: Regular, Special and Emergency. Regular meetings are established by the calendar or with thirty day- notice of a change in the calendar schedule. During a Regular meeting, item(s) can be added to the agenda by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the membership. Special meetings may be called for changes in the meeting dates due to weather, lack of a quorum, or the need to quickly act on an item. No items can be added to the agenda during the Special meeting. Emergency meetings are extremely rare and must meet a standard of a real emergency. Chairperson should contact the Town Manager and/or the Town Clerk to determine if this is a true emergency. In case of an Emergency meeting, the agenda does not need to be posted twenty-four (24) hours prior to a meeting but if possible, as soon as the meeting is called.

Back-up Information - If additional information is provided to the board or commission members, this information should also be emailed to the Town Clerk's Office to be posted on the town's website.

Executive Sessions - Executive Session is a closed session to the public. State Statutes 1-200(6) and 1-210 governs the reasons an executive session can be held. The agenda and minutes must state why the Executive Session is being held. Attendance at an executive session shall be limited to members of the board/commission and persons invited in to attend. The minutes must state all names of the people participating in the session and, if different, the time they were in the session. The Recording Secretary normally would not participate in Executive Session.

Request for agendas - The public can request that they be mailed a copy of the agenda. The envelope must be typed and will be processed through Town Hall mail. Also, the public can be encouraged to sign up for an email copy through ENotify found on the Town's website.

Unsafe meeting place - State Statute Section 1-230 states that if the designated place for a meeting is unsafe, the meeting may be held at another place designated by the Chairperson. In that situation, however, a copy of the minutes of such meeting, adequately setting forth the nature of the emergency and the proceedings occurring at the meeting, must be filed with the Town Clerk not later than seventy-two (72) hours following the meeting.

Cancelled Meetings/Meeting Place Changed - The Recording Secretary may be asked to post on all exterior doors and the door to the meeting room a notice of cancellation or change in meeting room. The notice should also, if possible, be sent to the Town Clerk's Office for posting on their board and town's website.

Minutes - The votes of each member of the board/commission must be reduced to writing and available for public inspection within forty-eight (48) hours of the meeting and made part of the minutes. Minutes do not have to be a verbatim recording of the meeting but should include main points made by the individual speakers, so the reader understands what happened during the meeting. Minutes should include a listing of members present, members absent, votes taken, and time the meeting started and ended. If a member arrives late or leaves early, the times should be included in the minutes. It is recommended that all public meetings be taped using a recorder. If the meeting is not taped, the minutes should provide enough detail to indicate the substance of what took place. Items or handouts that clarify the subject matter can be attached, if needed, to the minutes. Regular meeting minutes must be available within seven (7) calendar days of the meeting. Special meeting minutes must be available within seven (7) business days of the meeting. Emergency meeting minutes must be filed with seventy-two (72) hours after the meeting. All meeting minutes should be carefully reviewed for punctuation and spelling errors. Minutes are a permanent record in the town. Corrections should be made at the next meeting and stated in that set of minutes.

Calendar - In December the Town Clerk's Office will send a notice reminding the Chairperson that the schedule of regular meetings for the ensuing calendar year and January of the next year is due. The Chair may ask the Recording Secretary to prepare this calendar and secure the meeting room with the Town Manager's Office. The calendar will need to be approved by the Board/Commission. Once the schedule has been approved, the Recording Secretary should forward the list of meeting dates, times, and meeting rooms to the Town Clerk's Office. The Town Clerk's Office will post the meeting dates on the Town's website. This calendar establishes Regular Meeting dates for the Board/Commission.

Attendance - After the last meeting in the calendar year, the Recording Secretary should submit a record of members' attendance for a non-elected board/commission to the Town Clerk's Office. The attendance records are submitted to the Town Council by the Town Clerk for review. The Town Council will make appointments to the boards/commissions in January. The Town Clerk's Office will update the membership list on the website and provide a copy to the Chairperson and Recording Secretary.

Copies - You may be asked to provide copies of agendas, minutes, back-up information or correspondence. You may use the copier in the Town Manager's Office.

Payment - The Chairperson should sign off on the voucher or time sheet for the Recording Secretary. This is submitted to the Payroll for processing.

Retention - Minutes are permanent records of the town and must be maintained in the municipality. If the meetings are recorded, the CD or tape must be retained for a minimum of six months after the minutes are approved - Zoning tape/CD must be kept for one year after minutes are approved unless pending appeal, then maintain one year after appeal decision. The Recording Secretary should work closely with the Town Clerk's Office concerning the retention of agendas, tapes or CD's and minutes. Permission must be received from the Public Administrator before documents, tapes or CD's can be destroyed.