Clerk asks council to recognize Office of the Clerk to Council as a formal division; members voice support

Nicole, the clerk to council, presented a five-year strategic modernization plan to the Chattanooga City Council on July 21, 2026, and asked the council to formally recognize the Office of the Clerk to Council as a division. Nicole said the formal recognition would settle an “identity crisis” that has left the office perceived as merely administrative rather than a statutory legislative support function.

“I am asking this council to recognize it officially that we become a division of the city council,” Nicole said, describing a decade of work to codify operations, create workstation and legislative operations manuals, and complete Title VI and ADA compliance. She traced the office’s role from early 20th-century references to the clerk through a 2002 charter clarification (section 8.13) and the office’s reactivation and HR classification in 2013–14.

Why it matters: Nicole told council members that formal recognition would clarify the office’s authority, back up statutory duties, and make succession and onboarding easier when new council members arrive. She also flagged succession planning: she expects to retire within five years and is training staff and pursuing municipal clerk certifications to ensure continuity.

Council members responded with praise and practical questions. Councilman Henderson offered to sponsor Nicole’s resolution and asked the chair to place it on an upcoming agenda. “I can certainly support this. Be happy to sponsor it,” Henderson said. Several members, including Councilman Clark and Councilwoman Dodley, voiced wholehearted support and urged attention to legal and HR details.

Members asked staff to confirm two technical points before the resolution is finalized: how language that calls the clerk office a “division” would align with the city charter’s branch and department terminology, and whether converting positions to appointed status would change pay or civil-service protections. City attorney staff cited charter provisions (including section 8.13) that establish clerk responsibilities and noted that any charter amendment would require a formal charter process; the attorney also said a resolution certifying an office would not itself amend charter text.

Nicole and council members noted operational improvements the office has completed: workstation manuals and standard operating procedures created after a 2019 audit, a 2024 follow-up audit, Title VI liaison duties, and digital preservation steps undertaken during the pandemic. Nicole also recalled the June 9, 2020 virtual budget hearing that lasted about 7.5 hours and drew significant public participation as an example of the office’s surge responsibilities.

Next steps: Council members directed staff to circulate draft resolution language and requested the city attorney and HR (Mandy) to review charter and pay-classification implications. Henderson said he would sponsor the resolution and asked the chair to add it to an upcoming agenda; council members agreed to provide edits electronically over the following week. The meeting then approved the minutes and proceeded to adjournment.

The council did not vote on the resolution at this meeting; members asked staff for additional legal and HR analysis before a formal action is scheduled.