Town Clerk I

Position Overview

(Excerpt from Town Charter as adopted in December 1988, the position is gender-neutral)

Per the Town Charter Article IX, C9-1. The Town Clerk shall serve as Clerk to the Council. He shall attend every meeting of the Council and keep full and accurate account of the proceedings of the Council. He shall keep such other records, and shall be responsible for maintenance of all town records, and perform such other duties as may be required by this Charter of Council. 

This role requires exceptional writing skills to produce clear, concise, and accurate emails, reports, policies, and public-facing materials that translate complex topics into plain language.

This role supports public meetings and will require occasional evening work—usually 1–3 Tuesday evenings each month. Meetings typically start at 6 PM and run 1–3 hours. Additional evenings may be scheduled for special meetings, with increased frequency during the spring budget season. 

Starting Salary Range: $61,750 – $71,012 annually ($29.69 – $34.14/hour), based on experience
Status: Full-time, Non-Exempt 

Benefits: Details can be found on the Town website at https://townoflaplata.org/35/Employment  

Essential Functions

The following duties are considered essential and are fundamental to the successful performance of this position:

• Performs all services and activities of the Town Clerk’s Office.   
• Keeps accurate records of the proceedings of the Council, boards, and commissions; ensures compliance with the Open Meetings Act and posting requirements; coordinates and prepares Council agenda packets, meeting minutes, calendars, and public notices.
• Maintains custody of Town public records, including certification, indexing, filing, and destruction in accordance with Maryland State Archive standards. 
• Maintains a Records Management System, in coordination with all departments, and maintains Town archives of all retention and destruction records in accordance with applicable policies. 
• Attends and staffs Council meetings and any gathering of a quorum of the Council to conduct business as the official record keeper for the Town.
• Prepares the official notification and follow-up of Town agenda items including ordinances, resolutions, agreements, deeds, and easements to the public regarding public hearings, including legal advertising of notices.
• Attends and staffs meetings of all town boards and commissions, and keeps accurate records of the proceedings of the same.
• Prepares agenda packets, meeting minutes, public notices, and any other required documents.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties are considered secondary to the position’s core functions but are necessary to support departmental and Town-wide objectives:

• Researches deeds and plats; records deeds and plats with the Circuit Court for Charles County, Land Records Division.
• Serves on the Town Board of Supervisors of Elections.
• Serves as the Executive Secretary to the Board of Appeals.
• Performs related duties and responsibilities as required.

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Three (3) years of progressively responsible administrative duties
• Strong knowledge of the Windows operating system and Office 365 administration
• Knowledge of various virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Teams, Zoom, Slack, etc.).
• Experience writing meeting minutes and formal documents.  
• Ability to troubleshoot and use audio/video (A/V) equipment to set up multiple screens, microphones, and audio devices.

Preferred candidate will have:

• Experience in a Town Clerk’s Office, municipal or other local government, or other public agency with similar duties as the Clerk.
• Experience using artificial intelligence (AI) software (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Meta AI, Perplexity AI, etc.) 
• Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) accreditation 
• Certified Records Management (CRM) designation