City Secretary

Location:  City of Irving, TX Download:  City of Irving, TX - City Secretary Brochure

About the City

Settlers began arriving in what is now Irving in 1850.  These small settlements were then organized and became known as Irving in 1903.  The town was founded by J.O. Schulze and Otis Brown.  The city's name was attributed to famed author, Washington Irving.

The town grew rapidly and was a center for cotton growing, truck farming, dairy farming, and poultry production.  In the 1950's due to unprecedented growth, Irving welcomed the University of Dallas and hired its first paid fireman.  In the late 60's, the city approached the coach of the Dallas Cowboys to bring the team within city limits and Texas Stadium opened its facilities in 1971.  The city population grew to 100,000 in the 1970's and continued to grow to become a city of over 215,893 residents in the present day.

Irving is a vibrant, progressive community. The city offers outstanding business opportunities and countless options for recreation and relaxation - providing residents and corporate citizens with a wonderful place to live, work, learn and play.

Whether you enjoy golfing, shopping at boutiques and specialty shops, amusement parks sporting events or the arts, Irving has something for everyone. With Dallas and Fort Worth nearby, the possibilities are endless.

Irving enjoys a mild climate with January temperature averaging 54 degrees. Summers are hot with average temperatures hovering around 96 degrees.   Residents of Irving enjoy an average of 300 sunny days throughout the year.

Irving sits as a key city within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.  It serves as an important residential community and is geographically located right in between the two cities.  Irving is also home to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and has been essential to the city's economic boost throughout the past several years.  

Key employers in the area include Verizon, Citigroup, Nokia, Accenture and Cigna Health.  Irving also has a wonderful planned community within its borders called Las Colinas, an area that more than 25,000 residents call home.

With unemployment rates below the national average and the percentage of highly educated residents earning a bachelor's degree surpassing the thirty percent mark, the city of Irving is a flourishing region.

City Facts

Date of Incorporation:  1952
Current Population:  215,893
Total number of full-time employees:  1,820
2009/2010 All Funds Operating Budget:  449,957,289
2009/2010 General Funds Budget: $ 176,362,533
2009/2010 Capital Budget: $ 233,381,965

Irving operates under a council-manager form of government. Residents elect a mayor and eight council members to serve the city. Through 2009, all nine members have been elected at-large.  Going forward for elections in 2010, two council members and the mayor will be elected at-large, but Places 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 will be elected  from their  districts.  The mayor and council members in Places 2 and 8 can live anywhere in Irving.  Council members serve three-year terms.

The City Secretary's Office initiates/conducts city elections; attends the City Council meetings and workshops and prepares the minutes; is responsible for circulating, recording, storing, and microfilming permanent legal documents of the city; supervises the city's records management program and supervises the codification, supplement and distribution of the City Code Book.

The Department

Vision:

The Office of the City Secretary is an Office of Trust that champions democratic principles and serves as vigilant guardians of public information and records.

Mission:

To act as a progressive administrator of municipal clerical duties and legal records entrusted to the Office of the City Secretary in order to enhance delivery of superior customer service to our diverse clientele.

Values:

The office of the City Secretary believes in:

  • Being responsive to our diverse clientele with professional knowledge, equal enthusiasm, and timely service.
  • Performing with professional, moral, and ethical behavior, ever mindful of our democratic principles.
  • Working together by showing respect and appreciation for individual strengths so as to achieve performance excellence.
  • Having the satisfaction of working in an environment of respect and acceptance.
  • Celebrating individual and team achievements.
  • Encouraging professional and individual growth through continuous learning.
  • Thinking innovatively to develop and improve operational processes and services.

 

The Position

Purpose:

To plan, direct, manage, and review the activities and operations of the City Secretary's Office, coordinate assigned activities with other City departments and outside agencies, and provide highly responsible and complex support to the Mayor and City Council.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Develops, plans, and implements goals and objectives for the City Secretary's Office and recommends and administers policies and procedures.
  • Coordinates department activities with those of other departments and outside agencies and organizations, provides administrative assistance to the Mayor and City Council, maintains Council calendar, maintains Mayoral appointment calendar, and prepares other necessary correspondence and processes citizen complaints received by the Mayor and Council.
  • Plans, directs, and coordinates the department work plan through subordinate-level staff, meets with management staff to identify and resolve problems, assigns projects and programmatic areas of responsibility, and reviews and evaluates work methods and procedures.
  • Serves as Chief Election Official, supervises and coordinates City elections, trains election staff, serves as filing authority for candidates and office holders, and administers Dallas County elections contract. e Community
  • Attends all City Council meetings, records official votes, directs the composing and typing of City Council minutes, and takes necessary action regarding Council agenda items and minutes.
  • Oversees an in-house records management program including Records Administration Division, the Irving Municipal Records Center, and the Microfilming/Imaging Division.
  • Serves as custodian of legal documents, deeds, bonds, contracts, and other related documents and contracts belonging to the City.
  • Performs a variety of official duties including posting of all city meetings as required, signing official documents and seals with City seal, notarizing City documents as required, and administering oaths of office.
  • Publishes all City ordinances, resolutions, proclamations and legislative files for such documents.
  • Serves as custodian of confidential records if required for Council executive sessions.
  • Monitors and evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and procedures; assesses and monitors workload, administrative and support systems, and internal reporting relationships; identifies opportunities for improvement; and directs the implementation of changes.
  • Serves as Public Information Officer and processes Open Records Requests.
  • Coordinates and produces the Council agenda packet for the City Manager.
  • Performs related duties as assigned.

 

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Provides orientation for newly elected City Council members in conjunction with City Manager.
  • Participates in a variety of boards and committees and attends and participates in professional groups and organizations.
  • Responds to and resolves difficult and sensitive internal and/or citizen inquiries and complaints.
  • Selects, motivates, and evaluates department staff, provides or coordinates training and works with employees to correct deficiencies, and implements and administers disciplinary and termination procedures.
  • Explains and justifies department programs, policies, and activities.
  • Monitors, documents, and responds in person to telephone or written inquiries on City ordinances, directives of the City Council, and available municipal services.
  • Oversees compilation and preparation of Mayoral proclamations and certifications, keys to the City, ceremonial letters, and related awards.
  • Provides administrative support to Council for board and/or commission appointments as well as council appointed Citizen Task Forces.
  • Remains abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of records management and control.

 

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Provides administrative control and guidance over an entire department through two subordinate managers.

Knowledge of:

  • Administration and Management: principles and processes involved in business and organizational planning, coordination, and execution. This includes strategic planning, resource allocation, manpower modeling, leadership techniques, and production methods.
  • Budget Management: developing plans and budgets, and monitoring them against actual activity.
  • Confidentiality: methods and techniques of the proper handling and precautions for classified, confidential, and sensitive information.
  • Customer Service Management: principles and processes for providing customer and personal services including needs assessment techniques, quality service standards, alternative delivery systems, and customer satisfaction evaluation techniques.
  • English Language: the structure and content of the English language, including the meaning of words and grammar.
  • Government Policy: policies, operations, and processes at the local, state, and national levels.
  • Law and Government: laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, and the democratic political process.
  • Municipal Elections : local, state, and federal laws relating to municipal elections.
  • Municipal Operations: current social, political, organizational, and economic trends affecting municipal government.
  • Office Systems: administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word-processing systems, filing and records management systems, forms design principles, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Open Records Act: laws and guidelines related to fulfillment of requests for information.
  • Personnel and Human Resources: policies and practices involved in personnel/human resource functions, including selection, supervision, training, performance evaluations, and termination.
  • Records Management: principles and processes in the preparation, filming, developing, storage, retrieval, and retention of City records.
  • Regulations: federal, state, and municipal restrictions, laws, and ordinances.
  • Statistical Principles: principles and processes dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of quantitative data.

 

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate should have exemplary interpersonal skills, effective communication skills and the capacity and interest to be an effective mentor and leader for staff. This person must exhibit strong coordination and relationship-building skills in working with the entire organization.   He/she must set a positive example of competence, professionalism, energy and work ethic to the organization and the community. The successful candidate will be detail oriented with superior customer service and organizational skills. 

This is a key position within the City government environment, and it is essential for the successful candidate to work closely with City Council and with City Management.  The ideal candidate will also have experience coordinating the conduct of City Council elections.

The following skills are requested:

  • Active Listening
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Public Speaking

 

Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited four year college or university with major course work in political science or a closely related field.
  • Certification as a Texas Registered Municipal Clerk (TRMC) or Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) is required.
  • At least 10 years of related experience within a government agency, including at least 5 years of supervisory and administrative experience.
  • Must be willing to relocate to Irving, Texas, as the City Charter requires that this person be a qualified voter in the city.

 

Salary / Benefits

The starting salary and benefits for this exceptional professional opportunity are negotiable and highly competitive, depending upon the background and qualifications of the successful candidate.  Relocation assistance will also be available for the successful out of area candidate.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to:
resumes@affionpublic.com
Reference: City Secretary

Affion Public

 

20 North 2nd Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
888.321.4922 toll free
717.214.2205 fax
www.affionpublic.com

Posted: 03/22/2022