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MONTANA
STATE UNIVERSITY
Local Government
Center
P.O, Box 1'/2240
Bozeman, MT 59717-2240
www.montana.edu/wwwlg¢
Tel (406) 994-6694
Fax (406) 994-1905
E-mail j anejellnski@montar~a.edu
October 22, 2007
Dear Mayors and City Council Members,
We at the Local Government Center would like to make you aware of pending
changes for the Certification Program for Montana's Municipal Clerks, Treasurers
and Finance Officers. First of all, we want to commend you for your support of the
annual Montana Municipal Institute. It continues to grow every year, both in
numbers and in quality. Last May, 106 municipal clerks, treasurers, and finance
officers attended the Institute.
As you know, the Municipal Institute is a valuable education and networking tool for
Montana'sMunicipal Clerks. By attending, they can acquire professional
certification through several avenues: the International Institute of Municipal Clerks
(IIMC), the Association of Public Treasurers of the US & Canada (APT US&C), the
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), and the Montana Certification
Program. The Montana Certification Program is a combination of all three
international association requirements, since most municipalities have
clerk/treasurers. It was established by the Montana Municipal Clerks, Treasurers,
and Finance Officers Association (MMCTFOA) and the Local Government Center
as an alternative to the intematioual certifications in 2003. The requirements for
Montana certification are exactly the same as with IIMC, APT, and GFOA; this
option simply allows clerks more flexibility in choosing classes to best meet their
professional needs when multiple tracks are offered concurrently. The IIMC
program requires them to follow a single track. The Montana Certification allows
them to choose the courses that most appropriately meet their needs.
The Local Government Center has worked hard with the MMCTFOA to critique
every class, and improve the curriculum annually to ensure the highest quality of
education for all certification options.
Recently, IIMC has added a new requirement for an additional 20 hours of
instruction for clerks to receive IIMC Certification. This new requirement applies to
any clerks who have not completed their certification prior to January 2007; those
who have been certified before this date are grandfathered in. Our existing Institute
operates on a 3-year cycle - clerks attend 5 days of classes each year and receive a
total of 108 hours of instruction over 3 years. The options to incorporate these extra
20 hours over the 3-year cycle are:
1. To provide an additional day of Institute in the spring or in conjunction with
the Annual Montana League of Cities and Towns Conference in the fall.
2. Individual clerks may purchase courses on CDs from IIMC. Each CD costs
$75 and is worth 1 hour of credit.
3. The Local Government Center :staff is also exploring the possibility of
developing courses that can be taken on-line, but these will not be available
immediately.
Any of these alternatives will obviously increase the cost of certification for your Municipal
Clerks.
The .Local Governmem Center and the MMCTFOA plan to keep the Montana Certification
reqmrements at the current 108 hours of instruction. We invite you to discuss this option with
your city clerk and suggest that if you require them to be certified within three years after being
hired, that you will recognize the Montana Municipal Clerk Certification as well as the IIMC
Certification. We promise to continue to deliver a rigorous course of instruction and to maintain
the high quality Institute that we have conducted for the past 27 years.
Please give us a call if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely,
Jane Jelinski, Director
MSU Local Government Center
Mary K. Embleton, President
Montana Municipal Clerks,
Treasurers, & Finance Officers