Introduction

The Office of the City Clerk (OCC) is a dynamic information center whose services impact a diverse clientele, including the general public, the media, and other governmental entities. Although the OCC is traditionally associated with municipal elections and recording Council meeting minutes, its scope of business also includes the following:

• Supporting Council during City Council meetings – audio-taping the meetings, registering citizens to speak, and preparing minutes of the meeting
• Retaining and distributing official Council documents
• Preparing citizen recognitions
• Registering lobbyists
• Providing the City approval portion of the State Alcoholic Beverage Permit process
• Coordinating appointments to City boards and commissions
• Consulting and training City departments on records management systems, policies, standards, and guidelines
• Inventorying, transferring, storing, retrieving, and retaining records from City departments according to State law

The advance of the Information Age and Austin's growing prominence in the technology industry has challenged the department to find more efficient and innovative ways to manage its services, utilizing the latest information management tools and principles. The staff combines professionalism and skills to deliver on its Mission Statement:

"To provide information to the City Council, City staff, general public, candidates, voters, and media in order to promote a work environment that leads to compliance with all laws and better decision making."

The City Clerk, Deputy City Clerk and City Records Manager oversee the staff of the Office of the City Clerk.