May 2020 WMCA E-Newsletter
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Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association Monthly Newsletter
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Celebrate! Municipal Clerks Week
May 3-9
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Governor Evers has signed the
Municipal Clerks Week Proclamation
for the week of
May 3-9, 2020!
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The Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association (WMCA), a professional non-profit association comprised of Professional Clerks, Deputy Clerks and Clerk/Treasurers from Cities, Towns, and Villages throughout Wisconsin, is proud to announce Professional Municipal Clerks Week —May 3 through May 9, 2020.
This week, proclaimed originally in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan and again in 1994 & 1996 by President Bill Clinton celebrates our honored profession by increasing the public’s awareness of the vital services Professional Clerk’s provide to local government and the communities they serve.
As you celebrate this week, don’t forget to congratulate yourself and your staff for administering all the vital services provided throughout the year but also how you rose to the occasion and “dug deep” to successfully perform not only your daily duties but facilitating an unprecedented April election. Never before has it been more evident than over the last several months as you, the Professional Clerk, navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it has had on your citizens, businesses, elected officials and municipality staff. Your stamina, creativity, resolve, fellowship, ethics and heart lifted each and every one of you, as well as the profession you are so proud of serving in, to a new level of awesome. For this and more, you have my utmost respect and gratitude.
The year is not over and we still have much work to do, especially navigating the changing election environment, but I know we will survive and come out at the end shining. Hang in there, support is all around you and if you feel like you are slipping, reach out, we are all here to help. So shine on my Professional Friends and celebrate – you truly deserve to be recognized and applauded.
Click here for a sample Proclamation you can download, complete with your information and put it on your next Board meeting agenda to celebrate Professional Municipal Clerks Week.
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Become a Member of the WMCA Board of Directors
Deadline June 1st
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It is that time of year when we are looking for a few good leaders to serve on the WMCA Board of Directors. The positions that are opening up are 2nd Vice President; Secretary; Treasurer or Director-at-Large. Please note that the 2nd Vice President position ascends to the Presidency in three years. All other positions are term positions.
You need to fill out and send in the 2020-2021 Board of Directors Packet or you can find it on the WMCA website. June 1st is the deadline for the Board of Director Application to be submitted electronically to the WMCA Executive Director at ExecDirector@wisclerks.org and/or mailed to the WMCA Office at 1414 Montclair Place, Fort Atkinson, WI 53558. Applications must be received by 4:00 pm on June 1st and include a letter of support from your immediate supervisor/primary elected official. You can read a short job description on page 4 of the packet.
DIRECTORS NEEDED
We are also looking for District Directors in District 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8.
District Directors work in a Co-Directors team with one vote on the Board. A Co-Director has a two-year term and we stagger the terms between the Co-Directors of a District. That way there is always one Director that knows some history of the job.
The duties involve working with the Executive Director to develop one-day district meetings in the Fall and Spring. The Co-Directors determine what classes to offer and contact speakers. The Executive Director assists in finding places to meet and ordering the food for the day as well as negotiating the prices, creating the meeting registration forms and taking in the money for you. The Directors just need to be at the meeting to check people in from a sign in sheet created and sent to you by the Executive Director. At lunch time you report to the members about what is happening with the Board of Directors and upcoming events. Also as a District Director you are part of the WMCA Board of Directors which meets 4-5 times per year in-person or via telephone. You are part of the decision-making body representing member Clerks from your district! The Board keeps the WMCA growing and sets the pace for helping clerks into the future.
If you are interested in becoming a District Co-Director or wish to nominate someone else, please reply to Faith as soon as possible. District Directors DO NOT have to fill out the Board Packet. If we receive more than one candidate for the position, there will be an electronic election in your District later in June.
If you have any further questions regarding any of the positions above, contact the Executive Director.
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Annual
Professional Education Certificates
Have Your Educational Efforts Recognized
Deadline: June 1st
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This application is designed for annual recognition of your extraordinary efforts for completing additional education to gain knowledge of the current laws and processes to assist you and your municipality towards a productive and efficient office.
Send in the 2019-2020 PEC Annual Application Form on or before June 1st this year and attach the required documentation for proof of attendance. The Certification Committee will review your annual application and verify the points you have earned. Then you will be recognized at the annual WMCA Conference and receive a Diamond, Gold or Silver Certificate for your achievements.* The certificates will be mailed if we do not have our annual conference.
The Certificates are based on the following hours per year:
- Silver Certificate for 25-50 hours
- Gold Certificate for 51-74 hours
- Diamond Certificate for 75+ hours
In addition, all courses listed in this application count toward state certification and will be tracked and documented for you by the WMCA. After you have accumulated the required points for certification, you will send in the certification application with a copy of the annual certificates you have received. You will not need to send in all of the individual certificates of attendance again! The $20 annual fee will be deducted from the regular certification fee for every annual certificate you use.
*You do not have to be working toward certification to qualify for the annual certificate.
If you have any questions about allowable courses, contact the Certification Committee Chair Melissa Blease at Cambriadeputy@gmail.com or the WMCA office at ExecDirector@wisclerks.org or call the WMCA Office at 1-920-568-9278.
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Lifetime Achievement Award
Deadline June 14th
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What is a Lifetime Achievement Award? This award is the Wisconsin Municipal Clerk’s Association’s most prestigious. It was originally known as the Clerk of the Year Award, and the name was changed in 1999 to the Lifetime Achievement Award to better reflect the long-term commitment of the recipient clerk. The award was developed to recognize clerks for outstanding contributions and commitment to their local municipality and their profession.
Who is eligible for the Lifetime Achievement Award? Must be a current member of the WMCA for at least five years, hold the position of municipal or deputy clerk, exhibit leadership ability, have received or currently hold certification as a Municipal Clerk (WCMC, CMC, MMC, WCPC), be active in the WMCA by serving on the Board of Directors, serving on a committee, attending annual conferences, workshops, or trainings.
What is the process for nomination? Nomination forms must be received by the WMCA Executive Director by June 14th of each year. Click here for the Guidelines and Nomination Form on the WMCA website, or you may contact WMCA Executive Director at ExecDirector@wisclerks.org. Because of the level of detail required in the nomination, it is strongly recommended that if someone is going to nominate, they work with the individual.
When is the award presented? The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented at the annual conference in August.
Nikki Elsen WCMC
Chair – Lifetime Achievement Award Committee
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ARMA MILWAUKEE
MAY 7, 2020 E-MEETING
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ARMA Milwaukee is hosting a free e-meeting on May 7, 2020 entitled, “Leveraging Remote Reality.” (see attached)
With most states still on lock-down, Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on our lives like nothing we have ever seen before. While many professionals are adjusting to new work-from-home realities, others are being furloughed and it’s all happening against a backdrop of economic uncertainty. Choosing how to react to this new remote-reality could be key to your future but, what kinds of things should you be thinking about? What are those opportunities to be taken advantage of and where can you find them?
Join the Managing Director of Vision Search, Beth Hynes, CRM, IGP and the Chief Technology Officer and Technologist for consultIG, Brent Gatewood, MBA, CRM, for a joint ARMA Milwaukee and AIIM Wisconsin sponsored event, as they discuss things you should be thinking about as well as ways to utilize the current environment to your advantage. This will be a free session as a way to support our members and other RIM professionals in these unprecedented times.
Register at https://armamilwaukee.org/
Click here for a flyer on the May 7th Meeting.
Click here for a flyer on the ARMA Spring Seminar on May 18-22.
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WMCA Associate Members are great partners with the WMCA. The next time you need to purchase a service or software, or other items, check out the vendors ads on the WMCA website on the Municipal Vendor page.
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Other WMCA
Educational News
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Board of Review Certification Training is Available On-line
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You can take BOR certification training in the safety of your own home this year. The on-line video will be available to you through the month of May. Click here to check out how to register.
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40th Anniversary WMCA Conference
The WMCA Board of Directors will be making a decision regarding the Annual Conference in the next week. Watch for an email coming soon.
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2020 UWGB CTI Update
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The Institute in July will still be held this year in a new, VIRTUAL platform. This means that there will be no in-person classes. You will participate in a mixture of live formatted classes using Zoom and pre-recorded, online courses. The Zoom classes will also be recorded for those who are unable to view them live. You will have a window of time to view the pre-recorded courses at your convenience. We are very excited to explore this new, virtual platform with you all!
LODGING UPDATE: Your lodging reservation at the Radisson Hotel or Wingate has been cancelled for you. There is nothing that you need to do on your end to cancel your hotel room.
Tuition will remain the same at $489. Your municipality will be saving $460 in lodging plus travel expense.
Registration is still open! To register: https://www.uwgb.edu/govt/clerks-treasurers-institute/fees-and-registration/
We look forward to seeing you virtually in July!
Kassie M. VanRemortel
Director of Government Affairs & Economic Development
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Have You Checked Out the Career Ads Lately? Have you been thinking of making a change or possibly moving up to a bigger position? Don’t forget to check out the “Career Ads” section of the WMCA website. Go to: https://www.wisclerks.org/ and click on the blue button on the right side of the website to check out all of the openings around the state.
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THE 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.
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