Public records request volume has been climbing steadily for years, but the nature of that increase is changing in ways that matter for how clerk offices manage their workload, their documentation, and their risk. It's not just more requests. It's more complex requests, faster turnaround expectations, and a new category of high-volume, AI-assisted filings that [...]
Managing clerk office workload is a year-round challenge — but June compresses it. Elections to prepare for, records requests to process, emergency plans to update, fiscal years to close, and summer vacations already pulling at staffing. For many clerks in smaller communities, those pressures land on a desk that also carries finance, human resources, and [...]
June marks National Safety Month — and the start of hurricane season. That combination makes it the ideal time for municipal clerks to review, update, and practice their community's emergency plan. You may not have "emergency manager" in your job title. But when disaster strikes, you are often the person everyone turns to. This post [...]
Romulus, Michigan has a history of being a place where people show up to do the right thing: the city served as a stop on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s, and two of those original structures are still standing today. That same sense of civic accountability carries into how Romulus manages its boards and [...]
Poll worker accessibility training is where Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance moves from policy to practice. If poll workers are not prepared, voters are affected, operations are affected, and compliance is affected. Accessibility requirements apply at the polling place Title II of the ADA requires that voters with disabilities have a full and equal [...]
Recruitment is getting harder. Accessible poll worker recruitment is one practical way to expand your applicant pool and reduce friction, not just another compliance requirement layered onto an already full workload. Recruitment is a public-facing program Poll worker recruitment isn't just internal staffing. It's a public program, and public programs carry accessibility obligations. Title II [...]
If you work in local government and support legislative bodies, boards, or committees, you’re already living in Robert’s Rules every day. May 2 marks the birthday of Henry Martyn Robert, author of Robert’s Rules of Order. It’s a simple way to recognize the role parliamentary procedure plays in keeping meetings fair, structured, and moving forward. [...]
Public criticism is part of the job. Sometimes it comes through a meeting. Sometimes it lands in your inbox. Sometimes it shows up online and starts gaining wider traction. If you work in a clerk’s or manager’s office, you’re often right in the middle of it. You’re tracking what happened, what was decided, and how [...]
Board and commission appointments do not follow a single timeline Board and commission appointments rarely follow a single timeline. Terms expire at different points. Vacancies come up unexpectedly. Applications can arrive in waves, trickles, or not at all. Even so, the underlying process is more consistent than it may appear. Most clerk and manager offices [...]
In every community, boards and committees are where much of the real work of local government happens. Appointments are made, terms are tracked, vacancies open, and residents look for ways to get involved. Keeping all of that organized, accurate, and easy to find is not a small task. In Waterford, Connecticut, that work is handled [...]