WCMC - Wisconsin Certified Municipal Clerk Program

In order to be eligible to become a WCMC-Wisconsin Certified Municipal Clerk, you must:

Complete the 100-hour (3 year) WMCA-recognized UWGB Municipal Clerks Institute, or have obtained:
1. A Bachelors degree or higher in a related field, and Clerks completion at UW-GB
2. A Bachelors degree or higher in an unrelated field and 2 years of Clerk Institute training, or
3. An Associate of Arts degree in related field and 2 years of Clerk Institute training.
Be a Municipal Clerk, Deputy Clerk or perform the duties thereof.
Be an active member in the WMCA for at least three (3) years.
Reaffirm your beliefs and practice in the WMCA Code of Ethics.
For a person without the title of Clerk that performs duties of the Clerk’s office, provide a letter from your Municipal Clerk verifying your performance of the duties which qualify for WCMC certification.
Submit the required documentation and the $100 fee to the WMCA Certification Committee by March 1 or October 1.

If, you already hold an IIMC CMC designation, you qualify for a WCMC under our grandfathering rules. The WMCA will issue to you a Wisconsin Certified Municipal Clerk (WCMC) Certificate plaque and pin after fulfilling #1 and #2 below.

You must meet the prerequisites listed on Page 1.
You then:
1. Complete pages 1 and 2 of the WCMC application and indicate on page 2 that you are applying for your WCMC under these grandfathering rules.
2. Submit a copy of your CMC certificate, recertification certificate or entry letter into Master Academy.
3. Pay fee of $30 to the WMCA Certification Committee by March 1 or October 1.

WCMC Frequently Asked Questions

Question: The WMCA Certification program requires 3 years of continuous membership in the WMCA. What is the definition of 3 years?: Answer: A 3 year continuous membership is defined as a 36 month period.
Question: The deadlines are listed as October 1 st and March 1 st – What does this mean?: Answer: All applications must be POSTMARKED on or before these dates to be included in that review session.
Question: How long will the Committee allow grandfathering of a CMC or MMC into a WCMC or WCPC?: Answer: The grandfathering procedure will be allowed as long as your CMC or MMC certification is current. Note: Remember that re-certification standards for the WCMC are 60 hours of experience and training, with 20 of those hours to be done in the core clerk areas. This differs from the IIMC requirement.
Question: I served on the UWGB Advisory Board. Why don’t points count for the WCMC?: Answer: In obtaining the WCMC, you are taking training and in the WCPC you are developing training.
Question: I have attended IIMC Region Meetings and in 2007 they began offering educational sessions. Where do these count?: Answer: For the WCMC program, hours count on pg. 6 at 1 pt. per 4 hours (education & meeting combined); for the WCPC program, hours count on pg. 3 #1 at 1 pt. per educational hour attended and for those who also attend the meeting, an additional 2 pts. may be earned on pg. 6 #6 per event.
Question: How do I or WMCA know how many hours I attended a session if no certificate is given?: Answer: It is the clerk’s responsibility to ask the presenter to sign, date and affix the number of session hours so you have the correct documentation.
Question: What if I have special circumstances regarding my application?: Answer: Enclose a letter to the WMCA Certification Committee at time of application explaining those circumstances.
Question: How do I know which classes count or do not count for various election or Board of Review topics?: Answer: All classes taken will count as of 3/12/09 as long as they fall under the written guidelines. This is a change. SVRS Application Training and Municipal Clerk Training (MCT) now count and are included in the updated applications.
Question: In the Career & Lifelong Learning Experience, in the last section-College or University courses: does the 5-year limit apply to college courses?: Answer: Yes, the 5-yr. limit does apply in this section of the WCMC application. You can use a College degree (no date restriction) to supplement or use in lieu of the education portion of the application. The Career and Lifelong Learning Section sets a 5-yr. limit.
Question: What if I have attended the UWGB Institute Treasurer’s Completion or Administrator’s Track – Can these hours be used for certification?: Answer: Yes, these classes can be used for your WCMC under Career and Lifelong Learning and for the WCPC as an approved Master Academy class.
Question: Can I prorate my years of employment and receive partial points?: Answer: No – Points for employment cannot be prorated. Full years of service will be required.
Question: Do I need to send proof of employment?: Answer: Yes. This requirement may be met in a several ways. You may ask your municipality to provide a letter documenting your dates of employment or you may send in a current certificate of election or a copy of the official proceedings confirming your appointment.
Question: Do I need to send proof of CMC or MMC certification to be grandfathered?: Answer: Yes, proof of certification is required. This may be as simple as taking your CMC or MMC plaque off the wall and making a photocopy of it.
Question: What if I leave employment? Can I still use the WCMC or WCPC designation?: Answer: Continuous membership in the WMCA is required to maintain and use the certification. (See the Clerk-in-Transition membership category, if you are not currently working for a municipality.) If there is a change in your employment status, be sure to contact WMCA Coordinator Faith Elford to explain the circumstances. A lapse in your employment may/may not affect the use of your designations.
Question: Will the WMCA keep PEC (Professional Education Committee) education points certificates as records toward the WMCA Certification program?: Answer: NO – All clerks must maintain their own records and documentation of all education.
Question: What if I attend the Institute for 3 years and also have an advanced degree in a related field?: Answer: You may use the Institute hours as your education points for your WCMC and the advanced degree for hours toward your WCPC designation.
Question: What if I have a Masters Degree – How is this used as credit for education points?: Answer: The WCMC requirement is for 3 years of Institute Training, a Bachelors Degree supplemented with 1 year of Institute Training, or an Associate's Degree supplemented with 2 years of Institute training. If you have a Masters Degree, you can use the additional hours of education beyond the Bachelors Degree as education points toward your WCPC designation.
Question: If I teach a class will I earn the same number of points as the individuals taking the class I am teaching?: Answer: Yes – you will earn points for each event using certain criteria and teaching falls into Career & Lifelong Learning on the WCMC app (pg. 6) and Professional and Social #7 on the WCPC app. If you teach a class more than once in a year (multiple sessions of BOR), you may count it once. If you teach the same class in multiple years, you may count it multiple times. If you teach multiple topics in the same year, each topic will count once.