Category Archives: City Clerk Cafe

Making a Flexible, Alternative, or Compressed Schedule “Work”

By Black Mountain Software | Published June 17, 2013

Flextime, compressed work schedules, telecommuting, and working from home have always been championed by workers, and scrutinized by management.  But after Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer took only two weeks maternity leave, then abolished working from home for Yahoo! employees, it seems work/life balance practices are being probed even more, despite the uprising of technologies and systems that make flexible and alternative work situations easier than ever to employ.

So how does an employee or manager successfully implement an alternative work schedule or flexible hours so both employee and employer benefit?  First, an approach must be defined, then the benefits and disadvantages weighed, and finally, a policy must be implemented. Read more >

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Small Town Stories: Lake Panorama Association, Iowa

By Black Mountain Software | Published May 27, 2013

lake panoramaBlack Mountain Software is excited to feature the Lake Panorama Association in Iowa as our “Small Town” feature this month.  Anyone who enjoys lakeside leisure would understand why Lake Panorama is an obvious choice; but this place is also home to Black Mountain’s 500th client in our 24th state, which makes it particularly special to us!

As the largest private lake in Iowa, Lake Panorama has 1,400 acres of water surface, and over 30 miles of casting shoreline. The lake is managed by the Lake Panorama Association, which was established 83 years ago and has 1,750 members who represent the 1,000 residents that occupy the land surrounding the lake. Read more >

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Parliamentary Motions that are Debatable, Amendable, and the Required Vote

By Black Mountain Software | Published May 20, 2013

Gavel & Stryker

Robert’s Rules of Order is the most widely adopted parliamentary authority in the United States, containing rules of order for deliberative assembly and parliamentary procedure.

In this publication, you can find reliable reference tables and explanations of procedures for legally binding assembly and general parliamentary law.  This reference helps for traditional, formal, and law-abiding procedure for law adoption.

It is the duty of the presiding officer to enforce the council’s rules and procedures, whether those procedures be that of the Robert’s Rules of Order, or something similar.   But in the interest of time and simplicity, it is great when an officer can use tools such as this “Chart of Parliamentary Procedure Motions” as a cross-reference during council meetings.  Read more >

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10 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Office

By Black Mountain Software | Published May 6, 2013

A few of us at Black Mountain Software recently packed up our desks and cabinets and moved to new office spaces in our building.  Among the dust and stacks of old papers and files, we found that we were long overdue for a little document scanning, paper recycling, and uncluttering.  What better time than spring, to…well, spring clean the office!  So that’s exactly what we did.

Spring cleaning your office doesn’t just mean clearing off a suitable workspace.  Check out our ten ideas for adding a spring cleaning touch to your office, as inspired by our own spring cleaning efforts!

10 Ideas for Spring Cleaning Your Office:

1. Read more >

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When Two Worlds to Collide: Education and Government

By Black Mountain Software | Published April 29, 2013

How can city government play a greater role in improving local education…and should they?

Of course, education is a concern for everyone in the community.  Education ensures the future of our children and communities.  More and more, government officials are being urged to play a greater role in the education system, and they are making education initiatives the platform for their campaigns.

But how easy is to bridge the gap between government and the education system?  Here are eight tips for aligning education and government to help both groups unify and form better school initiatives.

1. Talk about the good.  Though budget cuts, larger class sizes, and school official salaries make for easy target practice, it is important to focus on what schools have been able to accomplish—often with so much less: less funding, fewer teachers, and a smaller amount of resources.  Read more >

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Small Town Stories: Donalsonville, Georgia

By Black Mountain Software | Published April 22, 2013

“Our neighbors are friends, and strangers soon become neighbors, as our friendly people are our number one asset” — Donalsonville Chamber of Commerce website.

This month’s small town story is none other than Donalsonville, Georgia, a town rich in education, health care, relationships, and history.  Donalsonville, a long-time client of Black Mountain Software, came to the top of our list of small cities to write about following publicity celebrating their downtown revitalization program.  Donalsonville appears to be a town full of charm and forward-thinking enthusiasm.  In fact, “making life better here” seems to be a theme for Donalsonville residents, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Donalsonville “BetterWay” Committee, who are teaming up to restore the downtown area.   Read more >

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How to Survive in a Good Old Boy’s Club: Women in Government

By Black Mountain Software | Published April 15, 2013

Global business leaders are predominantly male. Males make up the majority of politicians, too. And of the 500 Fortune 500 companies, only 17 percent of those board seats are held by women.

The number of college-educated women in America far surpasses the number of men with degrees, but it seems the world of business and politics are still dominated by the good old boys’ club. It seems like women, who are often underrepresented in council meetings, board meetings, and meetings of elected officials, maybe don’t have as much say as you’d think regarding decisions about the cities they live in, schools they send their children to, and policies that affect women. Read more >

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Getting Out of Your Own Way to Get Ahead: Advice for Women in Govt

By Black Mountain Software | Published April 1, 2013

One of the top stories published on LinkedIn this year pondered this idea: Is there really a glass ceiling for women in business, or do women just get in their own way?  The article suggests, maybe a little of both.

Are women as smart as men?  Yes!  Do we work as hard as men? Yes! Have we also historically hidden some of our most valuable assets as women behind a cloak of masculinity?  Yes! (Maybe…)

In a previous Clerk Cafe blog post, we discussed two traits that get women noticed–and hired in government: being a “people person” and having a personality that gets noticed.  Read more >

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FAQ’s about Smart Meters and Why They are Leaving Some Concerned

By Black Mountain Software | Published March 25, 2013

Elster A3 ALPHA type A30 single-phase kWh smar...While many joke that utilities and government adapt to new technologies slower than most publicly-owned companies, one area where government and utilities seem to be advancing their technology quickly is by introducing smart meters and automated meter reading to their service territories.

The reason larger utilities have quickly adopted this technology is the perceived cost benefits, accuracy, and access to real-time information.  But smaller governments and utilities have sometimes hesitated to install these meters because of public perception.

What are smart meters?  Smart meters are electrical meters that record consumption of water, gas or energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicate that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes. Read more >

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Benefits of Smart Meters for Small Districts

By Black Mountain Software | Published March 18, 2013

Smart Meter, Boring topic

Smart meters may seem like a big move for small districts.  The average smart meter costs a customer $2 – $4 per per month during implementation and deployment, which can seem (initially) like a costly venture, requiring a lot of public persuasion. But more and more small and mid-size utilities are finding that upgrading their infrastructure to smart meters is ultimately cost-effective and beneficial to their district, because smart meters enhance efficiency, reliability, and security of electrical, gas, and water operations.

Though many customers may initially believe that smart meters only benefit the district or utility, they often come to realize that smart meters are advantageous to the customer as well.   Read more >

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