City Clerk

The City of Buffalo is seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented professional to serve as our City Clerk — a key leadership role at the heart of local government operations. As the City’s official record keeper, the City Clerk ensures transparency, accountability, and compliance with state laws governing municipal operations. This position oversees City Council agenda and minute preparation, election administration, licensing and permits, and the City’s records retention program. The City Clerk also serves as the authority on data practices, ensuring compliance with open meeting laws and the Minnesota Data Practices Act. This is an impactful role for someone who values public service, enjoys working in a fast-paced municipal environment, and takes pride in supporting effective and efficient city governance. Essential Functions Official Documents This position plays a crucial role in maintaining and processing official City documents with precision and timeliness. Core tasks include: Preparing the agenda and packet for City Council meetings, drafting, and recording accurate minutes, and ensuring proper documentation for all City Council actions. Managing and updating the City Code, ensuring all amendments and revisions are accurately documented and disseminated. Collaborating with departments to help maintain the City’s policies and procedures, ensuring annual updates are incorporated and well-documented. Maintaining official City Council resolutions, ordinances, legal notices, and correspondence, ensuring they meet legal standards. Coordinating the preparation and execution of official documents, including obtaining signatures, notarizing, certifying, and ensuring proper recording and transmission. Safeguarding the official City seal, ensuring its proper use in official documents. Publishing City Council agendas and meeting minutes on the City’s website, ensuring accessibility and compliance with open meeting laws. Data Management The role holds ultimate responsibility for the comprehensive maintenance of public records, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and best practices. Key responsibilities include: Serving as the City’s Responsible Authority under M.S. Chapter 13, overseeing all matters related to data governance. Managing the administration and enforcement of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, ensuring full compliance. Coordinating the work of the City’s Records Management Team that meets quarterly to assess, strategize, and implement effective record-keeping methods, continuously evaluating technology resources for optimal efficiency. Overseeing the proper storage, retention, and destruction of records across departments, adhering to the City’s established records retention schedule. Developing and maintaining a complex and organized filing system for both active and inactive records. Serving as the custodian of official City records, including meeting agendas, minutes, ordinances, codes, and resolutions. Communicating with various departments staff; directing staff the process for the effective use of the City’s document repository (Laserfiche), enhancing organizational capacity and accuracy. Collaborating with vendors and the IT Department to continually improve the City’s document repository and its utilization by staff. Elections This position holds critical responsibility for overseeing the entire process of local, state, and federal elections, ensuring compliance with all laws and the smooth execution of voting procedures. Key duties include: Serving as the City’s Local Election Administrator (LEA), representing the City in all official election‑related meetings and discussions. Ensuring timely posting and publication of all election notices, candidate filing forms, and financial reporting requirements, adhering to legal deadlines. Leading the designation and coordination of election boundary lines and polling locations to ensure accessibility and efficiency. Overseeing the online tool for application of election judges and training new ones as needed, ensuring the election process is fair, accurate, and well‑staffed. Overseeing the testing and certification of election equipment, ensuring all technology is functioning correctly and securely. Responding promptly to any issues or questions that arise during elections, ensuring quick resolution to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the process. Organizing and conducting absentee voting for healthcare facilities, ensuring all eligible voters are able to participate in elections. Managing updates to the precinct finder, ensuring that Wright County receives timely information regarding new residential developments and boundary changes. Administering annual Fire Department elections, ensuring accurate voting and adherence to regulations. Municipal Administration Support This role is central to providing confidential, high‑level administrative support to the City Council and City Administrator. Key responsibilities include: Serving as a liaison between the city and the public, providing essential communication, assisting with inquiries, and supporting the City Council and City Administrator with administrative duties. If the City Administrator is not available, serving as a signatory for City bank accounts, with authority to approve electronic fund transfers and other financial transactions. Offering confidential administrative assistance to the City Council and City Administrator, ensuring seamless operations. Attending City Council meetings and workshops, providing essential support and taking accurate minutes. Conducting in‑depth research to answer inquiries from the public, staff, and City Council regarding records, ordinances, and policies. Preparing written reports and delivering presentations related to the City Clerk’s office to the City Council. Organizing and preparing notices for public hearings and public improvement projects. Contributing to the maintenance and updating of the City’s website to ensure accurate, current information is available. Developing and recommending budget proposals for elections and City Clerk functions, ensuring efficient financial planning. Assisting the City Administrator and City Council with various tasks and projects as directed, providing critical support as needed. Licensing The role is responsible for the accurate and timely issuance of all licenses, including alcohol and other permits, ensuring regulatory compliance. Specific duties include: Determining the appropriate license type based on City Code and State Statute, ensuring that all requirements are met before issuance. Establishing and managing comprehensive records of all licensing activities, maintaining up‑to‑date and accurate documentation. Minimum Qualifications Associate Degree in business administration, public administration or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Plus five years of related experience. Experience administering and coordinating elections. Experience with document management software, such as Laserfiche. Knowledge of emerging best practices related to the management of electronic information, including laws and regulations. Exceptional organizational, communication, and administrative skills, as well as the ability to manage complex tasks. Excellent editorial skills with a focus on proofreading, grammar, comprehension, and formatting. Experience with project management. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities In-depth expertise in city operations, workflows, processes, ordinances, policies, and procedures, ensuring seamless and efficient governance. Advanced knowledge and extensive experience with election laws, regulations, and the management of local, state, or federal elections. Mastery of records retention and management practices, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Exceptional organizational abilities, with a proven capacity to anticipate changing circumstances and adapt plans to meet evolving demands, as well as the ability to manage complex tasks. Expertise in conducting comprehensive research and data analysis, reviewing records, evaluating options, and implementing strategic recommendations for informed decision‑making. Precision in managing data, ensuring accurate and complete records are maintained in accordance with standard procedures with meticulous attention to detail. Advanced use of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook), Adobe products, website, and electronic records management systems. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, adept at presenting complex information, engaging diverse audiences, and preparing detailed technical documents. Strong interpersonal skills, facilitating effective communication, direction, and collaboration, even in challenging or high‑pressure situations. Excellent reading comprehension skills, enabling the interpretation and analysis of complex documents with accuracy. Demonstrated ability to maintain professional relationships and work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders, fostering a positive and productive environment. Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively, contributing to team success while independently managing responsibilities. Strong commitment to honesty, integrity, and credibility in all professional interactions. Working Conditions Environmental Conditions Office environment; exposure to computer screens; working closely with others, frequent interruptions. Physical Conditions Essential and other important responsibilities and duties require maintaining a physical condition necessary for sitting or standing for prolonged periods of time; general manual dexterity; adequate hearing, vision and speech required; must be able to operate assigned equipment. Election days begin at 5:00 a.m. and can be up to 18‑hour days. #J-18808-Ljbffr