NTMCA Newsletter - October 2016

News and Tidbits

October 2016

President's Message:

Greetings to all!

First, let me send a BIG THANK YOU to Mary Supino who served as President for the last TWO years. The number of hours Mary put in to keep our Chapter together was a testament to her dedication and true concern for our members. Please take the time to recognize Mary's efforts!

SEPTEMBER MEETING SUMMARY

Thank you to Lori Payne and the Southlake staff for hosting our September meeting. The food, arrangement, and goodie bags were very much appreciated.

Guest Speaker Randy Pennington's presentation, "Flourish - Succeeding in a World of Uncertainty and Upheaval", was right on the mark given today's local and national events. We, as city secretaries, need to remain calm in the face of chaos. As Randy put it, "to remain relevant, you must learn to flourish in the new normal; faster, better, cheaper, friendlier is the new mandate." We need to manage ourselves, our staff, and our responsibilities to Council and residents with the utmost professionalism and calm. Randy encouraged us to remember "choices drive actions, actions drive habits, and habits driver character."

The Six Choices that Enable You to Flourish are:

1) Tell Yourself the Truth

2) Pursue the Best over the Easiest

3) Focus on the Energy

4) Leverage the Power of Partnerships

5) Continuously Learn, Grow, and Adapt

6) Show the Courage of Accountability.

INTRODUCING THE FY 2016-2017 OFFICERS

Carol Borges, President: Carol has served the Chapter as Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian. She received her TRMC certification in January 2015 and is working on her first recertification. Having held the City Secretary position in Westworth Village for 7 years, Carol recently accepted the Deputy City Secretary position in Southlake. She is thrilled to have found a new home and is looking forward to a productive year.

Sheila Morales, Vice President: Sheila has served the Chapter as Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian. She has also served the NTMCA on the Clerk of the Year Committee. Sheila completed certification program requirements and will 'walk the stage' in January 2017. Sheila has been the Town Secretary for the Town of Copper Canyon for 5 ½ years.

Amy Shelley, Treasurer: Amy has served the Chapter as Secretary and Historian. She has also served the NTMCA on the Professional Seminar and Technology Committees. Amy received her TRMC certification in January 2014 and is working on her first recertification. Amy has been the City Secretary for the City of Colleyville for 3 ½ years.

Laura Bell, Secretary: Laura has served the Chapter as Historian. Additionally, she has served on the Holiday Committee, Professional Seminar Committee, and Nominating Committee. Laura received her TRMC certification in 2009 and is working on her 2nd recertification. Laura has been the City Secretary for the City of Addison for 1 year, previously serving the City of Carrollton for 10 years.

Monica Solko, Historian: Monica is our newest Board member and we all look forward to working with her. She has served the Chapter on the Holiday Committee and Technology/Communications Committee. Monica received her TRMC certification in 2009 and is working on her 2nd recertification. Monica has been the Assistant City Secretary for the City of North Richland Hills for ten years.

We all thank you for your support and look forward to a wonderful year!

OCTOBER 13th MEETING

Your NTMCA Board is working hard to complete open projects and respond to members' needs. We will be conducting a Strategic Planning & Budget Meeting on October 13th. We invite all members to attend and provide feedback on the Chapter's focus and services. The meeting will be held at the North Richland Hills City Hall building.

LOOKING AHEAD

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: We encourage all of you to submit your membership applications and FY16-17 dues as soon as possible. Membership Applications can be found on the website. Checks must be made out to 'NTMCA' and mailed to Amy Shelley as indicated. For more information, please contact Laurie Garber, Membership Committee Chair at 972-466-3005 or here by email.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: As of this writing, I still have a few committee gaps to fill. Please consider serving our membership. It takes ALL of us to accomplish our goals. Give me a call for more information. Committee Applications can be found on the website.

Respectfully Yours, Carol Borges, President

Holiday Luncheon And Charity Information

The Holiday Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, December 14th at the North Richland Hills Centre. Save the date on your calendar and make plans to join us for an afternoon filled of fun, food and comradery.

Please be prepared to bid on our incredible selection of Silent Auction Items benefitting the Alyce Deering Scholarship Fund.

Cash donations will be accepted for our Charity this year- the Haltom, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills and Watauga Shared Crime Victims Unit.

The Victim Assistance program exists to provide assistance to crime victims and their families.

When helping crime victims, many unexpected needs that most local service providers are unable to support. Examples of services that may be needed include:

New locks and keys
New tires for cars
Assistance with Electric bills
Assistance with moving and deposits
Assistance with renewal of vehicle tags & license
Security system

Please consider making a donation at the Holiday party to help those in our area who deal with these issues on a daily basis.

Erika McComis, Holiday Party Chair

Do You Know.....

The history of the Alyce Deering Scholarship fund?

Alyce Deering was a pioneer in our profession who helped bring the education/certification program to all municipal clerks. Alyce was the City Secretary for the City of Crowley from 1982-1988 and the City of Hurst from 1988-2005. She served on all NTMCA Chapter committees and was the Chapter President from 1991-1992. As a member of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association (TMCA), she received her certification in 1984 (number 100). In 1985, she was active in the process of the passage of House Bill 2092 by the Texas State Legislature which formally recognized the Texas Municipal Clerk Certification Program and provided for certification and recertification. Alyce also served as an instructor for "Election Law" seminar and "City Secretary 101" workshop as well as helped draft the TMCA Articles of Incorporation and Corporation Bylaws. She is the author of Chapter One "The Office Duties of the Municipal Clerk" in The Texas Municipal Clerks Handbook, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth editions. She served as TMCA president in 1998 and in 2000 was awarded the Texas Municipal Clerk of the year. Alyce was also a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) were she served and chaired several committees and was awarded the Presidential Award of Merit for her contributions as Chair of the Election Credential Committee and other significant roles in undertaken in the support of IIMC in 1999. She received her Master Municipal Clerk Certification in 2000. Alyce Deering joined our heavenly father on September 1, 2005 following a courageous battle with leukemia.

During the NTMCA meeting on September 14, 2005, the Alyce Deering scholarship fund was approved as a memorial scholarship fund for continuing education. NTMCA began collecting funds for the scholarship through membership drives, extra contributions and donations. A silent auction was introduced during a holiday meeting and has now become a tradition during the holiday luncheon and professional seminars. Fundraising efforts from the Alyce Deering committee as well as individual members have helped raise funds for fellow members seeking certification/recertification. Over the years, the Alyce Deering Scholarship fund has raised approximately $17,000 through membership, donations, and silent auctions and NTMCA has awarded 25 scholarships.

Please consider donating an item for the Alyce Deering silent auction, applying to serve on a committee or applying for a scholarship to continue the legacy that Alyce Deering set for us. She was a true leader that set the bar for professionalism for all Municipal Clerks with the belief in education and the power of knowledge.

Submitted by Monica Solko, Historian

In This Issue

Holiday Luncheon & Charity Information

FY 16-17 Board Officers

Upcoming Meeting

Mark your calendars for these meetings!!

October 13, 2016- North Richland Hills

November 16, 2016- Richardson

December 14, 2016-Holiday Party @ North Richland Hills Grand Centre

January 12, 2017- TBD

Meeting Reservations

Members we need your help!

In order to be able to provide food for all that attend our monthly meetings, we need to know who will be attending, so please let us know your intentions by the RSVP date. Deadlines are included in the invitation, and on the meeting webpage.

The best way to take care of this is to plan to attend all of the meetings and RSVP when you receive the invite!

Thank you for your cooperation!
Carol Borges, President

Calendar Wheels

These wheels are an excellent tool for counting deadlines with ease and precision. They are great for calendaring events/tasks associated with elections, requests for public information, budget, public hearings, legal notices, etc.

The calendar wheels will be available at the monthly meetings for $5.00 each. Monies raised from the sale of the calendar wheels will benefit the Alyce Deering Scholarship Fund. The calendar wheels come in two colors-purple and green.

If you are not at a monthly meeting, and would like to purchase a calendar wheel, please contact Monica Solko at 817.427.6062 or via e-mail [email protected].

2017 Host Cities

The Boards still needs a Host City for our meetings in January and June 2017.

If you would be interested in hosting, please contact Carol Borges via email.

Future Newsletters

If there is a topic of interest or subject that you would like to see addressed in an upcoming newsletter, please let any of the Board members know.