- Home
- Departments
- Legislative Services
Legislative Services/City Secretary's Office
City Secretary/Chief Elections Officer/Records Management Officer
The City Secretary is one of the four Charter Officers (along with the City Manager, City Attorney, and Municipal Judge) in Horseshoe Bay. Functioning much like the Secretary of State, the City Secretary/Municipal Clerk is the local official who maintains the integrity of the election process, ensures transparency and access to city records, facilitates the city’s legislative process, acts as the compliance officer for federal, state, and local statutes, and is the recorder and preserver of local government history. The City Secretary is a statutory position each city in Texas is required to have by law. The City Secretary is also a department head of the City who is appointed by, and reports to, the City Council.
Kerri Craig was appointed City Secretary by the Horseshoe Bay City Council in October 2016. Prior to that she served as the City Secretary for the City of Dripping Springs. She graduated with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree in 2007 and earned the Certified Public Manager (CPM) designation in 2020. She completed the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program and earned the distinguished Texas Registered Municipal Clerk (TRMC) designation from the University of North Texas in October 2016. Kerri is also a 2017 graduate of the Leading, Educating, and Developing (LEAD) Program of the Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. Kerri has been voted as the Municipal Clerk of the Year by her peers in the Hill Country Texas Municipal Clerks Association three times. Kerri earned the highly prestigious Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in November 2019, and the Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) designation in 2021.
Kerri is a native Texan and was raised in San Antonio. She lived and worked in Corpus Christi for 10 years while earning her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management Information Systems and Master of Public Administration (MPA). She has over 20 years of experience in public service in the areas of strategic planning and data analysis, information systems, administrative and departmental management, legislative and legal research, records management, and budgeting. She is a member of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Hill Country City Secretaries Association, National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).
Janet Stehling joined the city staff in late November of 2020 as the Records and Information Manager. Janet is a native Texan, was raised in Gillespie County, and spent 30 years in the Waco area and in 2013, became a Horseshoe Bay resident. Prior to joining the city, Janet served in various health information management leadership roles in the Waco, Hill Country and Austin areas of Texas. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree from Incarnate Word in San Antonio, she received the Registered Record Administrator credential and later with the computerization of health records, received the Registered Health Information Administrator credential. With over 25 years of public service experience working with records and information systems, Janet is a new member of the Texas Municipal Clerk Association and National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators. Janet is currently enrolled in the Texas Municipal Clerks Program. Janet earned the prestigious Gold Certification in Laserfiche, the premier enterprise records management software, in 2021.
Mission
The mission of the City Secretary’s office is to promote open and responsive government through proper recording, maintenance, and preservation of the City’s legislative history and official documents; provide responsive customer service to our citizens and neighbors; conduct fair and impartial City elections; enhance public participation in the municipal government process; and improve public access to municipal records.
Duties
- Records Management Officer
- Chief Elections Officer
- Public Information Requests
- Oversees publication and posting of legal notices
- City Council Meetings - Agendas, Packets, Minutes
- Swearing in Public Officials
- Codification of Ordinances
- Certification of Documents
- Preparation of ordinances, resolutions, proclamations, contracts/agreements, and other documents
- Legislative Activities
- Notary Public (official City documents only)
Training
The Texas Local Government Code §22.074 states that a person shall be certified to serve as City Secretary. Such training and certification is vital given the importance and complexities of the position of City Secretary. The Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program requires the City Secretary to complete an extensive and rigorous certification program consisting of: completing 200 hours of university-level coursework, successfully passing four examinations, and attending eight seminars over a 3-year period. Re-certification requires an additional 80 hours of professional development course work and attendance of six seminars every 5 years.
-
Kerri Craig
Legislative Services Director (City Secretary)Phone: 830-598-9943
-
-
Janet Stehling
Records & Information Manager (Deputy City Secretary)Phone: 830-216-6067
What is a City Secretary?
The City Secretary, or Municipal Clerk, is the oldest public servant role in recorded history. The earliest Clerks appeared around 5,000 B.C. with the invention of writing. Biblical reference to the Town Clerk is found in the Book of Acts chapter 19 verse 35. In ancient Greece, the Town Clerk read official documents publicly at the opening of each meeting, and pronounced a curse upon anyone who sought to deceive the people.
Although City Secretaries no longer pronounce curses at meetings (well, most of us don't), we are still the Keepers of the Archives as we record, maintain and safeguard the history of our City government.
Every city in Texas is required to have a City Secretary as soon as it is formed. Although the duties are different for every city, there are core duties that all City Secretaries perform, some of which are required by the Texas Local Government Code. These duties include administering elections, managing records, coordinating public information requests, preparing agendas, recording minutes and facilitating City Council meetings, swearing in municipal officers, and codifying ordinances approved by City Council.