City Secretary

The City Secretary serves as the Compliance Officer for federal, state, and local statutes and recorder of local government history.

The City Secretary is responsible for preparing and coordinating agenda items for City Council Members and she works with staff to include information Council needs to make informed decisions. An important function of the City Secretary is to notify the public of open meetings including the City Council meetings, Council-appointed Boards and Commissions Meetings, and other public notifications such as elections. The City Secretary is responsible for ensuring compliance with the State Open Meetings Act. To see upcoming public meetings for the City, please go to Open Meetings.

City Council meetings require a complete, permanent record of the discussion and actions taken and the City Secretary is responsible for drafting minutes for the governing body of the City of Terrell. These minutes provide a chronological history of specific topics that are invaluable to the flow of policy and historical understanding of the community. To review City Council agendas and minutes, please go to Agendas.

After the City Council passes legislation, the City Secretary oversees the codification of ordinances with the Municipal Code Corporation. To visit the Code of Ordinances online, visit Code of Ordinances.

Responsibilities

Elections

Managing City elections is a vital responsibility of the City Secretary. Included in the preparation of an election is:

  • Coordination with the City Attorney on documentation required to order an election
  • Preparation of information for prospective City Council candidates.
  • Post and publish the Notice of Election in English and Spanish
  • Oversee the conduction of the election by the Kaufman County Elections Administrator.
  • Coordinate the Canvass of Election Results.
  • Arrange the swearing-in of newly elected council members and board members.
  • Maintain the results in the City Election Register.

For more information about City elections, please visit Elections.

Records Management

The City Secretary is the City's Records Custodian and is responsible for maintaining the City's compliance with state records laws. From housing the historical archive of City Council minutes, ordinances, and resolutions to maintaining a record of contracts and agreements, the City Secretary's office coordinates records for the City. Specifically, the City Secretary's office is responsible for preserving the City Record file of the minutes of City Council Meetings, ordinances and resolutions, contracts and agreements, City election register, oaths, statements of appointed and elected officials, and ethics affidavits.

Open Records Requests

The City Secretary works closely with City staff to ensure all open records requests are fulfilled promptly. The City Secretary refers all requests to the proper department and refers all requests that need a ruling from the Attorney General Office to the City Attorney. If you would like more information on submitting an open records request, please visit the City's online Public Information Center. To learn more about your rights and the responsibilities of the City under the Public Information Act (PIA) please visit the Attorney General's Open Government webpage.