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Home My WebLink AboutORDINANCE 0641-1981CITY OF KENAI ORDINANCE NO, 641-81 AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, TO AMEND KMC 23.50.010(b) TO PROVIDE FOR CLASSIFICATION OF TECHNICALLY -SKILLED SECRETARIAL EMPLOYERS WITHIN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. WHEREAS, the classification of Department Assistant II now given to the secretary within the Legal Department does not encompass the technical training and skills required in that position, and WHEREAS, there is no other classification in the Kenai Municipal Code to cover the technical education, training, and skills necessary for that position, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, as follows: Section is That KMC 23.50.010(b) is hereby amended as followss "(b 201 Department Assistant I 3 202 Department Assistant iI 7 203 Administrative Assistant 8 204 Accounting Technician I 10 205 Accounting Technician II li" 206 Accountant 16 U2 Legal Secretary I 2 �Q$ Legal Secretary II ],1" PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, this 4th day of February, 1981. t BETTY WICKr VICE MAYOR ATTEST s r c J et Whelan, City Clerk First Readings January 21, 1981 Second Readings February 4, 1981 Effective Dates March 4, 1981 Titles department Assistant II Pay Ranges 7 Class Codes 202 Immediate Supervisor: City Attorney Minimum entry level education, experience, and/or skill requirements: High School Education, competent in use of typewriter, transcription equpment, and other simple office equipment, good vocabulary, good spelling ability, skilled and accustomed to use of dictionary, well educated in English grammar and use of punctuation, ability to deal pleasantly and adequately with the public without being overly withdrawn. Responsibilities, including examples of job tasks, hours in normal work week, number of employees supervised, observance of recognized professional standards, if any, etc. (Note that tasks listed are examples onlyt other duties may be assigned as necessary by the supervisor): Performs a variety of clerical and office duties of a routine and repetitive nature such as typing, filing, and answering telephone, which are usually performed under specific procedures or close direction from a higher classified employee, May be assigned to specific duties of a routine nature where supervision is is infrequent. This is entry level, general clerical work. Title: Legal Secretary I Pay Range: 9 Class Code: Not Classified at this time Immediate Supervisor: City Attorney Minimum entry level education, experience, and/or skill requirements: High School Education, at least 2 years experience in law office, good vocabulary including familiarity with legal terms and phrases, competent in use of basic office equipment (such as typewriter, tape recorder, and transcription equipment), training and experience in use of advanced word processing equipment with capacity to adapt and learn use of more sophisticated equipment and to use it to its greatest advantage, well educated in use of English grammar and punctuation with capacity to proof read and correct, knowledge of legal and court procedures and requirements, and ability and confidence to carry out assigned routine tasks under supervision. Responsibilities, including examples of job tasks, hours in normal work week, number of employees supervised, observance of recognized professional. standards, if any, etc. (Note that tasks listed are examples only; other duties may be assigned as necessary by the supervisor): This position has no supervisory responsibility and the 'normal work week consists of 40 hours. Employee performs a variety of clerical and office duties (some off which are confidential in nature), both of routine and repetitive nature such as typing, filing, and answering telephone and non -routine tasks where employee MUSt use initiative such as keeping track of supplies and preparing purchase orders, preparing files on traffic court cases, calendaring them, giving notice to officers and other witnesses of dates of trial, and getting out reminder notices. Employee is responsible for transcribing legal dictation consiLating of letters, affidavits, orders, briefs, complaints, legal opinions, memoranda, contracts, resolutions, and ordinances prepares all legal documents relative to legal cases; proofreads legal and other materials; insures legal notices and other forms are prepared and processed to meet legal requirements and deadlines; in absence of City Clerksubstitutes at Council meetings and prepares minutes thereof; and maintains and keeps current the Kenai Municipal Code, issuing supplements periodically as ordinances are added, repealed, or amended. a Le) Titles Legal Secretary II Pay Range: 11 Class Cade: Not Classified at this time Immediate Supervisor: City Attorney Minimum entry level education, experience, and/or skill requirements: Same as Legal Secretary I, except that employee must be competent (instead of having "training and experience") in use of sophisticated office equipment and, in particular, of using to its highest efficiency the Ohio Scientific Instrument, Model C2-OEM, computer word processing equipment, must be able to perform routine legal tasks with no supervision and more advanced legal procedures wit'i minimal supervision, must have the capacity to train others in use of sophisticated equipment and to supervise lower level employees and must have initiative and ingenuity. Responsibilities, including examples of job tasks, hours in normal work week, number of employers supervised, observance of , recognized professional standards, if any, etc. (Note that tasks listed are examples only] other dut`r•s r,:ay be assigned as necessary by the supervisor): This position would require the ability to supervise one or more employees in the event of department expansion and the ability to train a replacement employee, and the normal work week consists of 40 i hours. Employee would perform the same duties as a Legal Secretary I except at a higher level of performance - that is, the employee should perform routine legal tasks with IQ supervision and more sophisticated legal tasks under the direction of, and with minimal supervision by, the attorney, thus reducing the work that would otherwise be required of the attorney. r CITY OF KENAI 'Od Cap" 4 4i644d„ F. O. SOX UO KENAI, ALAEKA 99611 TILIPNONE 212 • 1535 MEZ10 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, & CITY MANAGER FROM s BEN T. DELAHAY, CITY ATTORNEY �'v''/�✓ REs NEED FOR A14ENDI4ENT OF PERSONNEL ORDINANCE TO INCLUDE CLASSIFICATIONS FOR LEGAL SECRETARIES DATES JANUARY 6, 1981 The request of the City Itanager, at direction of the City Council, for a job description for the position held by the secretary to the attorney has caused me a great deal of difficulty. The difficulty stems from the fact that there is no classification in the City Code for a legal secretary. The legal secretary at present is classified as a "Department Assistant II" which does not reflect the complexity of the duties required nor the education, training, experience, and skill necessary to perform those duties. If I were to describe the duties and responsibilities fulfilled by my secretary, and placed it under the title of "Department Assistant II," it would be a misnomer which would be misleading in the attempt of the City to try to evaluate its personnel classifications. In the survey made by the Alaska Municipal League, the Kenai classification of "Department Assistant II" is placed in accordance: with its job description under the job title "General Clerical -• Entry Level." This requires no knowledge of legal vocabulary, no knowledge of sophisticated office machinery, no knowledge of court procedures, and no knowledge of forms of pleadings, contracts, memoranda, and other legal documents, and an employee with only the qualifications for that job descriptions could not efficiently handle the duties necessary for fulfilling the responsibilities of this office. In starting a law practice, where gross income is not sufficient to hire a fully trained legal secretary and where the lawyer is not too bui to stand behind the secretary's shoulder much of the time to direct her activities, a person thus qualified can adequately perform; however, if the City hired a person with only those qualifications in this position, it should be prepared to hire an assistant to the require detailed supervision. City Attorney because that employee would step-by-step instruction and constant On the other hand, if I described the duties and responsibilities now being carried out in the position of secretary to the City Attorney, there is no classification in the Personnel Code which would meet the criteria. I would note that the study made by the Alaska Municipal League places the Legal Secretary position in the same bracket with an Executive Secretary and with a Department Assistant III, I would like to point out that in our initial contract with Book Publishing Company to maintain the City Code, we agreed to pay them $12 per paq�e for modifications and updating of the Code (if the pages were photo -ready" when forwarded to them - otherwise it would be $13 per page), Book Publishing Company agreed to make such modifications quarterly, and after the amending ordinances were forwarded at the end of the quarter it took them another 2 or 3 months to get back the supplements so that our Code was anywhere from 4 months to 6 months behind in getting new ordinances or amended ordinances included. I believed this was unsatisfactory, and because of the capabilities of the present secretary to the Attorney, started last spring doing our ordinance maintenance "in-house." In approximately 6 months, she secretary has gotten out 3 supplements totalling 183 pages - under our contract with Book Publishing Company, this would have cost the City $2,196. Our goal is that this service, other work load allowing, will be performed monthly and by the loth or 15th of any month the supplement incorporating all changes effective the previous month will be ready to go into the Code. The secretary has been able to accomplish this work with very little or no supervision because of her legal training and experience in the position. I have in the past expressed to the Council my belief that the Personnel Ordinance is deficient in that it has no classification for legal secretarial service. To remedy this, I am proposing that the Code be amended to provide classification for a Legal Secretary I and a Legal Secretary II as set out in the proposed attached ordinance. Job descriptions for the proposed additional classifications as well as one which I believe would be in general compliance with I—.. r the "Department Assistant II" classification are attached hereto. If any member of Council is willing to introduce the proposed ordinance and will notify me, I will give it a number and put it into the packet for the following Council meeting. BTD/md Enclosures � 1, 3 1 r-�11=