Welcome! My name is Margie Brown and it’s been my privilege to serve
you as a member of the Flagstaff City Clerk’s Office since 1991 and as City
Clerk since 2004. Our office is located at City Hall, 211 W. Aspen, Flagstaff, Arizona, and we’re open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Flagstaff City Clerk’s Office is staffed by three additional fulltime
employees: Laura Matthews (Deputy City Clerk), Susan Alden (City Records
Technician), and Karen Caravona (Executive Assistant to the Mayor and
Council). You can also
contact any one of us for general information. We’ll help in any way that we
can with your needs. If you would like to arrange for a member of our staff
to make a presentation to your organization, contact us! We’re here to
provide guidance and information on government processes and decisions.
Margie Brown, C.M.C.
City Clerk
(928) 779-7607
Meetings – Agendas
Elections
Boards and Commissions
City Code
City Charter
Laura Matthews, C.M.C.
Deputy City Clerk
(928) 213-4828
Meetings – Minutes
Boards and Commissions
Research
Liquor Licenses
Public Records
Susan Alden
City Records Technician
(928) 779-7629
Records Management
Public Records Requests
Karen Caravona
Executive Assistant to Mayor and Council
(928) 779-7600
Assistance to the Mayor and Council
What
does a municipal clerk do?
Clerks are one
of the oldest public servants in local government. The position of municipal
clerk, in one form or another, took form before the advent of writing. Over
the course of history, clerks have been known by such titles as “scribes”,
“reminders”, “remembrancers,” “clerks”, “mayors of the palace”, and
“clarkes”.
By nature, we
love to help and a clerk’s office operates on that core premise. Clerks’
offices are a communication link between our City Councils, City Manager,
City departments, and you. You can come to us for information on:
Boards and
commissions
Campaign
finance forms
City Council
agendas
City elections
City Code and
local laws
Initiative, referendum
or recall
Liquor
licenses
Off-track
betting licenses and bingo licenses
Ordinances, resolutions,
minutes, and meeting audios
Public records
requests
Records
management activities
Service of
notice of claims and lawsuits
Video
streaming of Council meetings
The position
of municipal clerk is specifically called out by the Arizona Revised Statutes
and the Flagstaff City Charter. The statutes and charter entrust municipal
clerks with a multitude of activities:
As Secretary
to the City Council, the office
·
Prepares and
posts meeting agendas and notices for the City Council
·
Provides guidance
on the conduct of public meetings
·
Attends the
meetings of the City Council and prepares minutes
·
Keeps an
official record of the proceedings of every meeting and keeps custody of
original minutes, ordinances and resolutions
·
Certifies
official records of the City
·
Processes,
records, files, and, when necessary, advertises ordinances, resolutions, or
other documents
·
Maintains
conflict of interest files, citizen petitions, legal opinions, and other
similar records the City
·
Administers oaths of office
As Secretary
to the Municipal Corporation, the Clerk is
·
Custodian of
the municipal seal
·
Custodian
of permanent records
The Clerk as
Secretary to the Municipal Corporation also
·
Attests
signatures of municipal officers and elected officials
·
Accepts
service of legal documents and maintains receipt of same
·
Attests
signatures of municipal officers and elected officials
·
Maintains receipts of service of legal documents
As the
Elections Official for the City, the Clerk
·
Ensures the
democratic process is fair and legal and protects the rights of voters
·
Prepares and
receives candidate nominating packets
·
Prepares and
receives referendum, initiative, and recall petition packets
·
Receives
candidate and political committee campaign finance reports
·
Prepares and
furnishes election publicity and advertisements
·
Receives pro
and con arguments
·
Prepares
publicity pamphlet
·
Enforces
political committee advertising and campaign sign requirements
·
Certifies
election results
·
Obtains
Justice Department election preclearance
·
Prepares the
ballot
·
Provides
assistance to candidates and voters
·
Assures legal
compliance with election laws
·
Files
necessary notices and reports
As the
Records Management arm of City Government, the Clerk
·
Manages the
records center/local archives
·
Oversees
retention schedules
·
Trains staff
in appropriate records management techniques
The City Clerk’s Office prepares the agendas for City Council
meetings. Agendas are typically available the Thursday prior to a meeting.
Full Council meeting agenda packets are posted to our website at this location. This means
that you can view the supporting documentation behind an item that is
presented to the City Council for consideration. To sign up to receive
notification and links to agendas as they are posted to the website,click
here. Paper copies of full agenda packets can be viewed in the main
lobby of City Hall. Agendas (without supporting documentation) are available
in the City Clerk’s Office during office hours. Any member of the Clerk’s Office can assist you
with this.
Information for boards and commissions is available on these webpages. The City
Clerk’s Office collects applications from citizens who wish to serve on
boards and commissions. We provide support on appropriate meeting protocol
and formal training to board and commission members as well as the staff
liaisons and technical staff who support boards and commissions. We also
work with members of our boards and commissions answering general and
technical questions and providing guidance on Arizona’s Open Meeting Law and
Conflict of Interest Law. Contact Margie Brown or Laura Matthews for more information.
During an active election cycle, candidates and political committees
are required to routinely file campaign finance report forms. According to
state law, their completed reports must be posted on-line. During the next
active election cycle, you will be able to find these reports on line by
clicking here. Blank campaign finance forms are also available on this page. Your contact
is Margie Brown for more
information.
City Code is the body of local laws that governs Flagstaff. It is
maintained by the City Clerk’s Office. Only the City Council can amend,
delete, or add sections of Code. When changes are made to City Code, they
must be made by ordinance. If the changes are substantial, the changes are
usually assembled in one large document and declared to be a public record by
resolution. When this happens, three copies of the proposed amendments are
kept on file in the City Clerk’s office and are available during business
hours for viewing by the public. Unless declared by emergency, code
amendments become effective thirty days after adoption. City Code in its
entirety is available online and you can access it here. Contact the City Clerk if you would like to know more.
The City’s Clerk’s Office is responsible for the City’s elections.
During active election cycles, elections pages are posted on this website,
with complete information as it becomes available. This is a link to the elections webpage. It will keep
you up to date as the page is updated through the year and the election
cycle. If you’d like to know more, get in touch with Margie Brown.
Initiative actions are typically a proactive activity. In other
words, citizens initiate the legislative act rather the governmental body and
citizens then vote on whether or not they want the new law.
Referendum actions are typically a reactive activity. They are
undertaken in response to a governmental action and they refer that
governmental action to the voters for their consideration.
A recall action is an action that is taken against a member of the
governing body. The member of the governing body must be in office at least
six months before a recall action can be taken out.
Initiative, referendum, and recall are provided for under Title 19 of
the Arizona Revised Statutes. The Clerk’s Office prepares packets containing
the law and the forms needed in order to file for an initiative, referendum,
or recall action. It is important that you make an appointment with a member
of the Clerk’s office so that we can
go over the forms with you and provide you with important information on the
timelines that are required by state law.
The City Clerk’s Office works in conjunction with the State Department
of Liquor Licenses and Control on permanent liquor licenses for
establishments selling liquor. The City’s processing fee for a liquor
license is $560, which must be paid time at the time of receipt of the
application from the Sate. While the City of Flagstaff has no direct control
over whether or not a liquor license is issued by the State, the City Council
does issue a recommendation on every license. The City Clerk’s Office
assists the state in posting liquor license notices and applications on the
premises where a liquor license will be used. These notices must be posted for
20 days before the City Council can issue a recommendation to the State.
Once an application is sent to the City from the Department of Liquor
Licenses and Control, it takes approximately 45 days for the City Council to
issue a recommendation. Laura
Matthews is your contact person.
If you are interested in obtaining a special event liquor license,
this is a link to the application on
the State’s website.
The City Council meets once a week on every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The
first and third Tuesdays of the month are devoted to formal Council meetings
where official action is taken. The second, fourth, and fifth (if any)
Tuesdays of the month are devoted to agenda review for the following week’s
Council meeting and to make informational presentations to the City Council.
To view agendas for upcoming meetings and previous meetings, just go to the
City’s archive center on this website. Any member of
the Clerk’s Office can help you
with additional information.
Off-track betting license applications and bingo license applications
are available in the Clerk’s Office. The fee for an initial application for
off-track betting is $480. Thereafter, the renewal fee is $380. Licenses
are good for one year and either must be renewed or are discontinued. The City Clerk processes all off-track betting
and bingo licenses.
The City Clerk’s Office is responsible for handling formal public
records requests. While the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to
non-federal public agencies like the City of Flagstaff, the Arizona Public
Records Law does. A.R.S. § 39-121.03 states that any person may request to
examine or be furnished copies and that the custodian of such records shall
promptly furnish such copies. As such, requests for records are treated with
priority. Requests for public records must be submitted in writing or via
e-mail and contain your contact information. In most cases, payment in
advance is required before copies will be made. You can get in touch the
City’s Record Technician, Susan
Alden to learn how you can obtain the records you need.
