From STAFF REPORTS

ATLANTA – On Thursday, April 27, Governor Deal signed the Proclamation declaring May 7 through 13 as Municipal Clerks Week in Georgia. More than a dozen members of the Georgia Municipal Clerks and Finance Officers Associations (GMC/FOA) from across the state of Georgia attended this event at the Georgia State Capitol.
During this week, Municipal Clerks throughout the world will host open houses and tours of the Municipal Clerk’s office, visit local schools, and participate in other various events. It is also a time for city councils and citizens to show their appreciation to their clerk for all their city clerk does for them.
GMC/FOA has a membership of more than 350 clerks, deputy clerks and finance officers. The vision of the Georgia Municipal Clerks and Finance Officers Association is to promote integrity and excellence through education and professional development, to strengthen and support its Membership, and to enhance its image.
During this week, Municipal Clerks throughout the world will host open houses and tours of the Municipal Clerk’s office, visit local schools and participate in other various events.  It is also a time for city councils and citizens to show their appreciation to their clerk for all their city clerk does for them.
Municipal and Deputy Clerks’ main function is to serve as the council’s foundation. Other duties include, but are not limited to, preparing agendas, taking minutes, maintaining ordinance and resolutions files, keeping the municipality’s historical records, processing permits and serving as the clearinghouse for information about the local government. They also record the actions of the various commissions and committees appointed by the council. Many serve as financial officers or treasurers and, in small municipalities, may act as chief administrative officers. Another important responsibility is administering part or all of the local election functions.
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), a professional non-profit association with 14,500 members comprised of City, Town, Township, Village, Borough, Deputy and County Clerks throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries, has sponsored Municipal Clerks Week since 1969. In 1984 and in 1994, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, respectively, signed a Proclamation officially declaring Municipal Clerks Week the first full week of May and recognizing the essential role Municipal Clerks play in local government. “The true worth of the Municipal and Deputy Clerk is often not realized,” said IIMC President Vincent Buttiglieri, MMC, and Municipal Clerk for the Township of Ocean, New Jersey. “But Clerks perform some of the principal functions of the democratic process.”