The Monmouth City Council voted to put a referendum on the November ballot to decide if the city clerk position should change from an elected to an appointed position.
The part-time position is currently held by Susan Trevor, who has been in office since 2001. She plans to retire from public service in May 2025.
“I think it is an opportunity to make the clerk function within the city in a much more efficient and proficient manner. It also allows the city to recruit more qualified candidates for the position being appointed versus elected,” said City Administrator Lew Steinbrecher.
In a memo to the City Council, Steinbrecher said the city clerk does administrative work such as preparing minutes of city council meetings, collecting revenues, and issuing licenses. But unlike other elected positions, the clerk does not consider or establish public policies.
It's not unusual for a city clerk to be appointed rather than elected. The city clerk positions in both Moline and Burlington are currently appointed positions.
If the referendum passes, Monmouth plans to convert the clerk’s office from what is currently an elected part-time position with two other part-time employees to an appointed full-time position without part-time help.
“I think that there is certainly an opportunity to not increase cost, while increasing the efficiency and the administrative effectiveness of the Clerk function here within city government,” Steinbrecher said.
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