In a Swiss commune, the communal secretary (, ) is, depending on the municipality's size, either a simple office clerk, or he may be the director of all administrative affairs, with dozens of employees working under his direction. The secretary is politically neutral, and handles all administrative affairs that do not require the powers reserved to the elected municipal executive. The communal secretary's duties are similar to the

municipal clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ...

's in the United Kingdom. In small communes, duties typically include handling correspondence, book-keeping, sending and paying bills, processing requests for

identity card An identity document (abbreviated as ID) is a documentation, document proving a person's Identity (social science), identity. If the identity document is a plastic card it is called an ''identity card'' (abbreviated as ''IC'' or ''ID card''). ...

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

s and

building permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to buil ...

s, registering new inhabitants, and recording marriages and deaths. The secretary is present at all meetings of the municipal executive, and keeps their meeting minutes. In close cooperation with the executive, he supports their decision-making. He can issue permits, sign contracts and hire employees. The necessary qualifications vary by canton. While smaller communes require some years of professional experience in public administration, larger towns and cities require a Bachelor's or Master's degree in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

. Some cantons require the completion of the relevant

Certificate of Advanced Study A Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS), also called an Advanced Certificate (AC), Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS), or a Certificate of Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS), is a post-Master's academic certificate designed for profession ...

, which covers topics such as: * typical legal issues encountered by communes: ** communal law ** procedural law ** finances ** laws related to families and protection of children (e.g. child protective services) **

social welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...

* environmental laws,

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

project management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

risk management Risk management is the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks, followed by the minimization, monitoring, and control of the impact or probability of those risks occurring. Risks can come from various sources (i.e, Threat (sec ...

government procurement Government procurement or public procurement is the purchase of goods, works (construction) or services by the state, such as by a government agency or a state-owned enterprise. In 2019, public procurement accounted for approximately 12% of GDP ...

* laws and regulations concerning employees,

personnel management Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the effective and efficient management of people in a company or organization such that they help their business gain a competitive advantage. It is designed to maximize em ...

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

intercultural communication Intercultural communication is a discipline that studies communication across different cultures and social groups, or how culture affects communication. It describes the wide range of communication processes and problems that naturally appear w ...

Sources

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