A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian[1] English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world.
In New South Wales, for over a century, the chief administrative officer of a city or borough was also legally designated the town clerk.
In Ontario, the clerk issues marriage licences and burial permits, and registers deaths on behalf of the provincial government.
In British Columbia, the clerk is often referred to as the corporate officer of the municipal government, as established in that province's community charter legislation.
In New Zealand, for over a century, the chief administrative officer of a city or borough was also legally designated the town clerk.
The town clerks of the larger county boroughs frequently received knighthoods, and the chief executives of large authorities sometimes still do.
On ceremonial occasions, some town clerks will wear a gown of black silk ottoman/grosgrain of the lay pattern with panel sleeves and a flap collar.
In the United States, the clerk often serves as the official keeper of the municipal records, and as such, is sometimes described as the "historian" of the community.
Clerks may also be responsible for issuing licenses,[9] overseeing local elections,[10] maintaining financial records,[2] serving as registrar of vital statistics,[11] and increasingly, for assuring the transparency of the municipality's conduct of business.
[15] New York state law provides for elected town and county clerks who have separately defined responsibilities.
The West Virginia Code provides for an elected recorder in Class IV towns (those with fewer than 2,000 people) and in some larger municipalities.
The recorder or clerk may even have authority by ordinance to issue warrants for arrest, although this power normally resides in a municipal judge.
[19] In Switzerland, the communal secretary, either alone or with subordinate clerks, performs all administrative work that does not require the powers of the elected municipal council.