Contractual Stenographer (Recording Secretary)

A Contractual Stenographer (Recording Secretary) attends meetings or reviews audio or video recordings of Town of Bel Air local municipal government public board, committee, and commission meetings and prepares meeting minutes as soon as possible. The contractor shall edit all content for grammar, sentence structure and form and ensure that meeting minutes are accurate. Public meetings generally occur in the evenings, starting around 6:00 PM, give or take 90 minutes, and are commonly held at Bel Air Town Hall, 39 N. Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, Maryland. The contractor is paid $20.87 per hour, for actual hours worked, calculated to the nearest quarter (¼) hour, for attending the meetings and transcribing the minutes for each meeting.

ESSENTIAL TASKS

• Performs the following functions as needed for the Town of Bel Air.
• Summarize and transcribe proceedings of boards, committees, commissions, or other meetings, conferences, or assemblies.
• Attend meetings and take notes to document start and end times, attendance, important topics, discussions, motions, comments, votes, or other decision or outcomes.
• Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
• Operate audio recording devices or related equipment as necessary.
• Produce meeting minutes, within six business days, or as otherwise agreed upon.
• Transcribe proceedings in Microsoft Word format.
• Proofread transcripts for correct spelling, proper grammar, sentence structure, and form.
• Verify accuracy of transcripts by checking copies against recordings as necessary.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Word Processing Software - Microsoft Word
• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, typing, managing files and records, stenography, and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Giving full attention, actively listening, to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic form.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to process information.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Communicating by telephone, in written from, e-mail, or in person.
• The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
• The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.