The RMC program was established to recognize educational and professional accomplishments in preparation for a Municipal Clerk career. The program serves to promote the continued education of Municipal Clerks to enable clerks to better serve their Boards and Community. (Mission Statement)
Applicants must attain points for work in the categories of experience and education, endorse the Code of Ethics for Clerks and fulfill other requirements for Certification.
Since 1980, 16 States have developed Certification programs for Municipal Clerks in an evolving trend toward "the professional state." Certification has been viewed by many as a necessary stage in the Municipal Clerks maturation into a recognized profession, It has progressed in some of public managements subfields, such as for Justices, Building Inspectors, Assessors, Code Enforcement Officers, Finance Officers, Planners, Record Managers and Historians. Nationwide initiatives since the 1970s to promote Certification Programs were usually spurred by the involvement of reform-oriented governors whose agenda included the improvement of public service through enhanced employee performance.
Professionalism in municipal government is regarded as an important asset that sets our government apart from those in less advanced societies. It is credited with advancing such goals as rationality, respect for facts over "influence," greater efficiency through improved work methods, and reducing antipathy that the public holds for bureaucrats that has been earned through mismanagement and notable incompetence. Scholars despair that much of the public's business has been turned over to "rank amateurs" who possess inferior skills and low organizational commitment.
Within this milieu, professional certification is seen as an expedient means to two symbiotic ends: to elevate the skill levels of public officials and to counter the image problem that plaques the Clerk's profession. Credentialing also serves to enhance the performance and the statures of career municipal clerks.
Traditionally, government consistently under invests in training and employee development. Certification is viewed as one means of encouraging decision makers to take the training function more seriously. Provided that increased knowledge is translated into better job performance, certification ensures that public managers possess a minimal level of competence. It may also give certificate holders a "calling card" that makes their skills more marketable. By interacting with other professionals in a carefully crafted educational setting, municipal clerks should gain valuable insights, understanding and empathy. This promotes the formation of a professional identity, and fosters agreement on basic values and norms of conduct.
In considering why you should become a Registered Municipal Clerk you should consider the following: Technology and rapid social change continually impact local government operations; They require informed and professional performance from public managers; The RMC program helps you as a municipal clerk understand change; learn skills required in the new information age; and perform as competent professionals.
According to the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, "(certification) has become a prerequisite for employment as a municipal Clerk in a number of jurisdictions, influencing salaries and opportunities for growth in the field. It has also come to symbolize membership in a very special public service profession."
The RMC program has been designed to be consistent with similar State certification programs and its standards have been developed to strike a balance that allows all clerks to attain certification while meeting standards that support the integrity and credibility of a statewide professional accreditation program. The program has been generically developed, so that Town, Village, City, and County clerks can participate.
Some of the benefits of the RMC program are as follows:
•Ø elevate skill levels of clerks;
•Ø promote image of clerks profession;
•Ø enhance performance and status of clerks;
•Ø enable clerks to make their skills more marketable;
•Ø promote the formation of a professional identity;
•Ø foster agreement on basic values, ethics and norms of conduct;
•Ø ensure the public that RMC's are required to possess at least a minimal level of competence.
