MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Code No. 0722
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND Grade 17

CLASS SPECIFICATION

LEGISLATIVE SERVICES COORDINATOR

DEFINITION OF CLASS:
This is advanced administrative support work providing office support to County Council staff and the legislative process. Personal contacts include County Council members and their staff, County Council staff (including Legislative Analysts and Attorneys), the County Executive's staff, County Attorneys, County Government department heads, managers and staff, officials from other County agencies, elected officials at all levels of government, representatives of the business community and civic organizations, constituents and others to maintain databases, gather or provide information, schedule and coordinate meetings, facilitate resolution of problems and complaints, and provide related services to the persons supported, the public and other parties. Employees in this class provide direct public service and assistance by responding to a large number of public inquiries relating to legislative activity, legislative processes, and County Government programs and services.
An employee in this class performs varied and extensive administrative duties. The work requires knowledge of an extensive body of the County Legislative Branch rules, operations and procedures as well as knowledge of the organization structure, key operations and key contacts of the County Executive Branch, and to a lesser degree, Federal and State Governments, municipalities and other counties. The employee plans and carries out tasks independently; determining the sequence of work, obtaining necessary data or information, and selecting appropriate methods and procedures to accomplish work. Guidelines applicable to the work include a variety of source documents used to locate and reference information and/or to assemble and process documentation (such as, the County Charter and Code, zoning, the Capital Improvement Program operating budgets, and Council Rules of Procedure) as well as standard office policies and procedures. The employee must use judgment, tact, and resourcefulness to adapt, modify, or depart from existing practices in order to respond to constituent requests, handle complaints, and research/resolve problems. The work consists of a variety of processes and methods including the use of office automation systems and software applications to produce correspondence, reports, and legislative documents. The work is complicated by the presence of changing priorities and schedules, varied subject matter represented in the legislative or political issues addressed by the Council Office, time-sensitive procedures to be adhered to, and intense public interest in certain issues. The work products support and affect the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of office operations and staff support functions. The work environment is characterized by the demands associated with providing office support for several legislative staff professionals. The work is primarily sedentary, but there is precise use of the hands or fingers in keyboarding and, in a few positions, some production-oriented work on a cyclical basis.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (Illustrative Only)
Serves as an aide providing office and administrative support to Council staff (including Legislative Analysts and Attorneys) involved in the legislative process.
Provides administrative support to the Council staff in the preparation and processing of Council packets, agendas, minutes, permanent records, legislative bills, resolutions/ordinances, etc.; assures that amendments have been incorporated; inserts numbers and adoption dates; prints in final form; transmits to County Executive and/or makes other distribution, as appropriate.
Assures adherence to format, completeness, and timeliness of correspondence and documentation processed; proofreads as required to assure syntax, grammar, spelling, punctuation and adherence to processing procedures and requirements.
Responds to inquiries from constituents, general public, citizens groups, County Government officials and business organizations by obtaining and providing information or facilitating problem resolution by phone, drafting correspondence or making a referral.
Maintains official records of the County Council; handles requests for information which requires extensive knowledge of these records (e.g., locate and relay history of enacted bills and adopted zoning ordinances).
Contributes to the provision of administrative support to designated committees and task forces, including preparation and distribution of minutes or summaries.
Uses a computer and other office automation equipment and appropriate software applications to develop, use and maintain databases and prepare reports and correspondence in final form.
Maintains complex (paper or electronic) office filing system(s).
Makes and oversee assurance of meeting arrangements by scheduling and reserving facilities, ordering refreshments, and performing other logistical tasks.
Maintains and uses mailing and distribution lists.
May serve as a personal administrative aide to a County Councilmember and his/her Chief of Staff; maintains Councilmember's or Chief of Staff's calendar to provide daily and weekly schedules; assembles background material such as directions, maps and copies of file information; and other office support duties.
May plan, develop, organize and implement innovative methods and procedures for day-to-day office operations (e.g., filing, recordkeeping systems).
May oversee the work of volunteers and interns.
Performs related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience: Four (4) or more years of administrative/office support experience.
Education: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland.
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of experience and education may be substituted.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of County Legislative Branch functions, organization structure, key operations and core processes to provide general administrative support to County Council staff (including Legislative Analysts and Attorneys), to respond to inquiries from various parties, to develop or maintain official records (such as Council meeting minutes), process paperwork forward and to perform related tasks
Knowledge of County Executive Branch functions, organization structure, key operations and key contacts to obtain data, provide referrals or answers, and perform related tasks.
Knowledge of and skill in standard office procedures and practices (including formats and time lines) as well as syntax, grammar, spelling, punctuation and other aspects of business English to perform a full range of general clerical tasks including typing, filing, communicating by phone, email and correspondence in support of general operations as well as legislation, resolutions, appointments and the like.
Skill in using a computer and modern office software, particularly for scheduling, communicating, word processing, and database and spreadsheet applications.
Skill in problem solving to attend to various assignments in multiple areas. This includes but is not limited to establishing facts and circumstances they affect the issue(s) involved.
Skill in oral communication to exchange routine and non-routine information orally with personal contacts.
Skill in written communication to understand written rules and procedures, draft memos and letters, complete forms and perform related tasks.
Skill in working with numbers (numerical computation) to record and tally numbers, compile, calculate and use such descriptive statistics as percentiles and means.
Good interpersonal skills to interact effectively with the full range of personal contacts in a customer-service oriented, businesslike manner.
Ability and willingness to keep abreast of County legislative initiatives to respond to or support County Council staff, to respond to inquiries of citizens, civic associations, public interest groups and other governmental offices, to identify the exact nature of the inquiry, to provide necessary administrative support, to recognize the criticality and priority of an issue or assignment from the perspective of a Councilmember or staff, and the like.
Ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of specific subject matter, terminology and processes relating to the position of assignment to perform the specific duties assigned.
Discretion and tact to work with sensitive information/issues.
Attention to detail to track correspondence/suspense items, to ensure that records maintained are complete and research results (such as legislative histories) are accurate, to ensure that correspondence and Council packets are complete and properly routed, etc.
Ability to multitask (attend to more than one input at a time, as with a telephone caller and a visitor both seeking assistance at the same time).
Ability and willingness to work outside the office and after hours at task force meetings, public hearings, etc.
Ability to work effectively amid changing work schedules, priorities and deadlines. This includes ability to switch seamlessly between tasks.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
Individuals appointed to a position in this class will be required to serve a probationary period of twelve months and, if promoted to a position in this class, will be required to serve a probationary period of six months. Performance will be carefully evaluated during the probationary period. Continuation in this class will be contingent upon successful completion of the probationary period.

MEDICAL PROTOCOL: Medical History Review

Class Established: June, 1996
Revised: April, 2007(M)
April, 2010