To make sure you receive future emails, please add info@wisclerks.org to your address book or safe list. June 2024 WMCA E-Newsletter Issue 06 - 2024 In This Issue: President's Message Multi-Media Committee 2024 Conference WCEF Lifetime Achievement Award UW-GB Institute Associate Member Ads Links: Career Ads WMCA Mission: To be the premier source for the personal empowerment of municipal clerks in Wisconsin through education, professional development, and the promotion of excellence. President's Message Yee Haw! I am back from the IIMC Conference in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A beautiful and unique city of 1.5 million people, Calgary is full of beautiful architecture. The best view was from the top of The Tower, where you can see the Canadian Rockies.  A very interesting thing is that no matter where you are in the world, all clerks have the same problems. Here are a few interesting things I learned while speaking with other clerks: In the Florida Keys, the state issues building permits for new construction. There is a limit on the number of permits they will issue to a municipality. The clerk I was speaking with said that they get five new home permits from the state per year. Their waiting list to build a new home is years long (kind of like trying to get season tickets for the Green Bay Packers). In Australia, Elections are held on one day. Voters get the day off from work and everyone must vote. If you don’t vote, you must provide a reason why you didn’t vote and if no satisfactory reason is provided, a fine is imposed. In New Jersey, clerks receive tenor after three years. After three years they can’t be fired from their positions. In Canada, municipalities have seen a huge influx of open records requests. Some municipalities have had to hire additional staff to fulfill requests. If you ever get the chance to attend an IIMC Conference, do it. The sessions are top level education. If the conference is cost prohibitive, IIMC and WMCA offer scholarships to attend. You don’t want to miss an opportunity to attend one of these conferences. In 2025, the conference will be in St. Louis, Missouri.  WMCA Districts have been busy holding meetings. I was able to attend the District 6 meeting in Ripon and hear Tina Barton speak on Elections. Then I traveled up north to Black River Falls for DOR training on Liquor and Tobacco licensing. At both meetings, I received valuable information for clerks. Many districts are planning on meeting again this fall. If you have a topic/speaker that you think would benefit clerks, please pass this information on to your district directors. They are looking for meeting topics. Also, we are looking for someone to be a Co-Director for District 7 (counties include: Marathon, Shawano, Menominee, Oconto, Wood, Portage, Waupaca, Outagamie, Brown, Door, and Kewaunee). If you are located in District 7 and interested in being a co-director, please contact Courtney, execdirector@wisclerks.org.  Our Executive Director Courtney and her team are busy working on the new Clerkslist email system. The current Clerkslist is outdated and there is no longer any support for the system. There will be directions sent out as soon as the new system is ready to use.  The conference is coming up and WMCA wants to recognize our Clerks that will be in their positions for 25 years. So, if you will have 25 years as a Clerk please send me an email so I can give you a shout out at the conference. This is a great achievement and we want to recognize you. My email is cgamb@kohlervillage.org. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!  In appreciation, Cindi, Cindi Gamb MMC/WCPC/CMTW WMCA President Message from the Multi-Media Committee Attention Instagram Users!! The WMCA now officially has an Instagram page!! Search “wisclerks” on Instagram and make sure to follow the page!! Lots of great information to look forward to soon! Have any pictures or announcements to share on Facebook or Instagram?! Contact one of the co-chairs of the Multi-Media Committee (Darla Fink – dfink@foxcrossingwi.gov or Diane Coenen - dcoenen@oconomowoc-wi.gov) to get it posted! 2024 Annual Conference 2024 WMCA Annual Conference August 28-30 Madison Marriott West – Middleton We are excited to invite you to the WMCA 44th Annual Conference - Rolling with Education! This will be the shorter 2-day conference - Starting on Wednesday, August 28th, there will be pre-conference classes: New Clerks Class, Athenian Dialogue, UWGB Master Academy Class.  The conference officially starts on Thursday, August 29th and rolls to Friday, August 30th. Professional learning topics include: Elections, Liquor Licensing, Cyber Security and more. Registration is now open! Click the button below for the conference website. Conference Website   Sleeping Room Reservation   Donations Table This year at the 2024 conference, we will have a donation table of school supplies to the Middleton Schools. Every $10 you donate, will get you 1 door prize ticket! Scan the QR Code below for the list! Please bring your supplies and receipt to the donations table when onsite! Wisconsin Clerks Education Fund (WCEF) Hello Clerk World! As announced in last month’s newsletter, the WCEF scholarship application is now available. You can find it here: https://www.wisclerks.org/wcef Please read through the application thoroughly so you know what information is needed. It’s very important that you include a letter of support from your supervisor, mayor or governing board. Applications will not be considered without this letter of support. WCEF always wants to give the fundraising money away in the form of scholarships to the annual conference, but we must adhere to the rules. Here’s a snapshot of scholarship awards over the past few years: 2023: $3,000+ 2022: $8,720    2021: $14,625  2020: - no conference    2019: $9,060  2018: $9,500    Who is eligible: All Wisconsin Municipal Clerks, Clerk-Treasurers, Deputy Clerks, Deputy Clerk-Treasurers, and other municipal office staff who regularly perform clerk, treasurer, and election duties. Why should I complete a scholarship application: Many municipalities have reduced funding for training. By applying for and possibly receiving a scholarship, you show your employers and elected officials that you are fiscally responsible. Plus, it doesn’t take very long to complete it! How are scholarship recipients chosen: Each question you complete on the application is scored by the WCEF Committee. Names are removed for objectivity. Those with the highest scores are awarded scholarships. Scholarship amounts vary each year and can be full (hotel and registration) or partial (registration only). Lifetime Achievement Award Deadline: June 30, 2024 In  our Clerk world, we all know an amazing Clerk who gives above and  beyond in their daily job and to their community. Would you like to  nominate an amazing Clerk for the WMCA Lifetime Achievement Award? The  Lifetime Achievement Award gives recognition to a Clerk who has made a  significant contribution to the Clerk profession and their community.  Please consider nominating a Clerk to receive this honor. The Lifetime Achievement Award is the Wisconsin Municipal Clerk’s  Association’s most prestigious award. This award was originally known as the Clerk of the Year Award, the name was changed in 1999 to reflect the long-term commitment of the recipient clerk. This award was developed to recognize clerks for outstanding contributions and commitment to their local municipality and their profession. The award will be presented at the Annual WMCA Conference in August. If you have someone in mind to nominate for this prestigious award, the person must be a member of WMCA for at least five years, held the position of Municipal Clerk or Deputy Clerk, exhibit leadership ability,  have received or currently hold certification as a Municipal Clerk  (WMCA, CMC, MMC, WCPC), be active in the WMCA by serving on the Board of  Directors, serving on a committee, attending annual conferences,  workshops and trainings. We urge you to work with the person you are nominating to help you gather all the information for the application. Click the button below for the Guidelines and Nomination Form. Send completed nomination forms to the Executive Director at ExecDirector@wisclerks.org. Applications must be returned by June 30, 2023. Lifetime Achievement Nomination Form   UW-Green Bay Clerks and Treasurers Institute July 14-19, 2024 | Fully Online - $499 The UW-Green Bay Virtual Institute is a series of interactive, live online sessions via Zoom. Participants select and register for their track, and UW-Green Bay provides links so that participants can join the cohort live. The session length depends on the content. Click the button below for more information and registration! UW-GB Institute Info   Associate Member Ads Click on the ad for a direct link to their website www.wisclerks.org Copyright © WMCA, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association 262 W. Main Street Wales, WI 53183 info@wisclerks.org If you no longer want to receive emails from 2024 WMCA E-Newsletters, please Opt-Out.