As the City Clerk for Beatrice, I’m responsible for keeping all the City’s official records, including minutes, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, agreements, liquor and tobacco licenses, city code, and easements. In addition to those duties, I also serve as the City’s HR Director, which means more record-keeping and paperwork.
The City employs approximately 150 full-time employees, with approximately 30 part-time employees, and an additional 55 seasonal employees. The City has fourteen (14) departments that work together to provide our citizens with electricity, water, the ability to flush a toilet, dispose of waste, drive on streets to get to their favorite place and back home again, a great book to read, and safety and medical services in the case of an emergency. We even have an airport!
Each time a department has an opening, the supervisor provides me with a hiring request which is used to post the opening on our website. The opening is also shared with the Nebraska Department of Labor and shared on the City’s social media accounts. Applications are received and forwarded to the department head for review. I then sit in on all interviews for potential full-time employees.
After interviews have been conducted and we have selected the candidate to best fit the City’s needs, I send out letters to those who were not selected. I also send out all required hiring documents to the selected candidate by their starting date. Each new hire is required to complete an I-9 form, certifying they are legal to work within the United States. They also complete a direct deposit form so they can be paid, and W4 and W4N forms, to withhold federal and state taxes.
Once an employee has been hired, I am responsible for enrolling them in any benefits they have elected. I’m also in charge of making any changes that come up throughout their employment, such as address changes, adding coverage for a new spouse or child, retirement benefits, and whatever else may occur. The City has an annual open enrollment, giving them the opportunity to make changes to their benefits. I am also responsible for all FMLA leave, as well as reporting workers' compensation claims and working with their claim representative to get them back to work. All employee information is kept confidential in their own personnel file, and updated as their information changes.
All of this can be challenging, as City employees are represented by 3 different unions, each with varied benefits laid out in their contracts. These 3 unions represent the Police Department, Fire Department, and IBEW, which consists of our utility employees, as well as some clerical staff. We also have non-union employees, consisting of department heads, and library and sanitation employees.
It is a lot of information to collect and keep current, and I am so thankful for calendar reminders!
Erin Saathoff
City Clerk