The City Clerk shall be a legal voter of the
City and shall, before entering upon the duties of the office, be
sworn to the faithful discharge of such duties, and a certificate
of the administration of the oath of office, signed by the officer
administering the oath, shall be entered upon the records of the City.
The City Clerk shall give a bond, in an amount
to be determined by the City Council, with a surety company authorized
to transact business in the commonwealth, which bond, within 10 days
after the City Clerk's qualification, shall be approved by the City
Council and which shall be conditioned upon the faithful accounting
for all fees received for licenses for which the City Clerk is required
to account and for the payment over in accordance with law of all
such fees.
The City Clerk shall be ex officio keeper of
the City Seal but shall permit the City Council, the Mayor or any
other officer thereto duly qualified to affix the same to any document
to which the City Seal is required by law or ordinance to be affixed.
The City Clerk shall perform all duties required
by the laws of the commonwealth and by the Charter and ordinances
of the City, whether or not herein specified, and such other duties
as may at any time be prescribed by the City Council.
The City Clerk shall act as the Clerk of the
City Council and keep a record of all its votes and proceedings.
[Amended 3-10-2009 by Doc. 30]
A. The City Clerk shall have the care and custody of
all journals, records, contracts, releases, agreements, maps, plans
and other papers and documents of the City respecting the care and
custody of which no other provision is made by law or ordinance. The
office and files of the City Clerk shall be deemed to include those
of the City Engineer for the purpose of filing for record any plan,
contract or other record which may for greater convenience be kept
in the office or files of the City Engineer.
B. The City Clerk, as the keeper of vital records, shall
make available to the public such records for genealogical searches.
Any request for genealogical information which requires a search of
available records by the City Clerk shall be made in writing and processed
in the order in which they are received and at the discretion of the
City Clerk. A fee of $10 per hour, or any portion thereof, spent requesting
a genealogy request shall be paid prior to the release of the information
requested.
The City Clerk shall keep a book containing
the dates of appointment or election and the terms thereof of all
officers or boards elected or appointed by the Mayor or City Council
and a record of the qualifications, acceptances and oaths of the officers
or boards so appointed or elected.
The City Clerk shall notify the Auditor of Accounts
and the Treasurer and Collector of Taxes of all orders passed by the
City Council authorizing appropriations, assessments, apportionments
or abatements relating to streets, sidewalks, sewers, public improvements
or otherwise, and also any board or officer of any order appropriating
money to be expended by such board or officer. The City Clerk shall
also notify any board or officer of any order pertinent to or in any
way affecting the powers or duties of such board or officer, within
three days after such order is passed by the City Council or after
it otherwise becomes operative or in force. The City Clerk shall notify
the Inspector of Wires of the granting of every license or permit
for the moving of a building through the public streets.
The City Clerk shall account for and pay over
to the Treasurer for payment into the City treasury all moneys, fees
and emoluments received as City Clerk, with the exception of the City
Clerk's officially established salary and legal compensation as a
member ex officio of the Board of Registrars of Voters, and shall
render to the Treasurer and to the Auditor of Accounts detailed and
sworn statements of the same at least once in every month.
The City Clerk shall furnish to the Chief of
Police and to the Clerk and Justices of the Central District Court
of Northern Essex attested copies of all ordinances passed by the
City Council or by the qualified voters at any annual or special City
election as soon as such ordinances shall be in effect.