IMFOA Certification Application Process FAQ s

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1 IMFOA Certification Application Process FAQ s 1. What is required to become certified? a. Must determine if you qualify as a Benefitted member, Active member, or Associated member b. Must be currently a member of IMFOA and have been a member for 3 years c. Must attend at least one IMFOA conference (for a minimum of 5 hours) in the past four years. d. Must have a letter of verification of employee duties from a representative of the city who has oversight of your position. e. Must submit proof of completion of the required curriculum 2. When can I start counting my education hours? Certification hours began accumulating as of the October 05 IMFOA conference. Any continuing education attended before the program was approved by the full membership will not count. If you attended the entire fall conference, you received 8 contact hours of education. The contact hours are listed on your attendance certificate. 3. What courses will count towards certification? A course catalog is being prepared by the curriculum committee. Approved courses for certification will be listed in this catalog. Any courses not listed in the catalog must be pre-approved by the curriculum committee before they will be counted. Please present your agenda, workshop description or course syllabus to Kay Cmelik at cityclerk@grinnelliowa.gov or send it to th Avenue, Grinnell, IA for approval. 4. What happens if my application does not include the correct documentation education hours? If your application does not meet the requirements for certification, your application and fee will be returned to you and we will advise what additional documentation is needed. You will be able to resubmit the application when you have met those requirements. Proof of attendance (either dashboard or certificate of attendance, you don t need both) must be submitted with the application for each educational event attended. A $15 resubmission fee will be assessed on insufficient applications that are returned to you. 5. What do I get for my $125 application fee? Your application fee includes a framed certificate and lapel pin. In addition, the application fee covers administrative costs related to maintaining the database for certification and renewal, as well as tracking attendance at educational events.

2 6. Can I use classes or workshops for two different certifications? No, you can only use a class for one certification or recertification. You are required to accumulate hours or hours for each certification separately. 7. What if I have one certification and didn t use a workshop or class for the previous certification, can I still use it. Yes, you can use it for a new certification but not a recertification. Your recertification classes are required to be after the date of your signed certification application. If you signed your certification application for your clerk s certification on 3/24/08, you can only use classes, workshops or agendas from March 25 forward for your clerk s recertification. 8. How do I apply for a second certification? You will need to obtain 25 specialized curriculum hours in your desired field. You should submit an application form, completing the Specialized Curriculum section of the application. You do not need additional basic or flex hours for a second certification. 9. The certification expires in four years how do I recertify? Recertification requires 15 contact hours of continuing education per year. Any courses, conference, or workshops listed in the course catalog are eligible for recertification hours. You must submit the renewal application found on the IMFOA website, along with the appropriate documentation & fee. Applicants with two certifications will need 30 contact hours of continuing education per year. You must also have attended at least one IMFOA conference (minimum of 5 hours of attendance) during your renewal period. You can only count the hours from your last certification date not prior to the certification date. 10. How early can I send in my renewal for certification before it expires? Submit your application for renewal and your documentation no earlier than 60 days prior to renewal certificate expiration date. 11. I m new at my job. How long do I have to wait to apply for certification? You must be an IMFOA member for 3 years and have at least three years of city clerk, deputy clerk, finance officer, treasurer, administrator experience to be eligible for your Municipal Clerk Certification. To obtain the Municipal Finance Officer certification, you

3 must have five years of experience in governmental finance, of which three years you must be as an IMFOA member. In addition to meeting all educational and service requirements, you must have attended at least one IMFOA conference (minimum of 5 hours) during the period in which you are working toward certification. Must complete Iowa Municipal Professional Institute. Completion of IMPI is defined as completing the 50 Core Hours. 12. How do I handle a break in service from city government? If you are applying for your initial certification, you must have been employed for three years within the last five years, with the last year being actively engaged as a clerk, finance officer, or deputy clerk. If you had a lapse in service during your renewal period, you must complete 25 hours of specialized coursework plus 15 hours of continuing education per certification for each year you missed. 13. Will my college degree count for any hours? You may use your college degree as flex hours. AA Degree is counted as 15 flex hours and BA Degree is counted as 25 flex hours. Must submit a copy of degree to qualify for the flex hours, the degree must be in any of these fields: public administration, urban affairs municipal management, political science, records management, municipal finance, governmental accounting, urban planning, and personnel administration. 14. My certification has expired one or two years ago, can I still renew my certification? You have 90 days after your certification expiration date to submit a renewal. After 90 days, you will have to include proof of an additional 15 hours for each year missed. a. 91 days to 365 days past expiration will need 75 hours to renew (60 hours plus 15 additional hours) b. 1 to 2 years or 366 days to 730 days past expiration will need 90 hours to renew (60 hours plus 30 additional hours) 15. My certification has expired two or three years ago, can I still renew my certification? a. 2 to 3 years or 731 days to 1095 days past expiration b. Your application will be considered as a new application c. A fee of $125 is required d. A new certificate renewal date will be given e. Requirements will be the same as FAQ#15

4 16. My certification has expired past three years or more, can I still renew my certification? The following must be included in your application along with proof of completion of the Institute: 75 flex hours, with 25 of these hours being accrued within the last 2 years 25 specialized hours accrued within the last 3 years You also must have these requirements: a. Currently a Municipal Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Finance Officer, Administrator, or Treasurer. b. For Iowa Certified Municipal Clerk certification, you need 3 years of active clerk experience. c. For Iowa Certified Municipal Finance Officer certification, you need 5 years of active experience. d. You must be a current member of IMFOA for last 3 years. e. You must have attended at least one IMFOA conference with the past 4 years. (Minimum of 5 hours) 17. I finished Clerk School before 2005 but have not submitted an application for my first certification. Can I still submit an application for certification? The following must be included in your application along with proof of completion of the Institute: 75 flex hours, with 25 of these hours being accrued within the last 2 years 25 specialized hours accrued within the last 3 years You also must have these requirements: a. Currently a Municipal Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Finance Officer, Administrator, or Treasurer. b. For Iowa Certified Municipal Clerk certification, you need 3 years of active clerk experience. c. For Iowa Certified Municipal Finance Officer certification, you need 5 years of active experience. d. You must be a current member of IMFOA for last 3 years. e. You must have attended at least one IMFOA conference with the past 4 years. (Minimum of 5 hours) 18. What if my clerk certification expires and my finance certification has not or vice versa? If you let one of your certifications expire, that does not affect your other certification as they operate independently of each certification.

5 19. What is the difference between the Associate Clerk or Associate Finance Certification and Clerk and Finance Certification? Associate Clerk or Associate Finance Certification does not require the title of City Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Finance Officer, or City Administrator. See associate application for detail of requirement. 20. What if I become a City Clerk or Finance Officer and have Associate Certification and want Clerk Certification or Finance Certification? You would complete an application for a new certification for City Clerk or Finance Officer or both. You would have to be city clerk for 3 years or finance officer for 5 years before submitting an application. 21. How do my hours transfer from associate certificate to the Clerk or Finance Certification? You would need to earn 15 hours each year for each certification, just like a renewal, to transfer to the Clerk or Finance Certification. 22. How do I renew my certification of Clerk or Finance, if my position changes? If you are currently working with city and your certification renewal is due and you have changed positions your renewal will reflect your current position. EX: The renewal for a certified clerk that is now a manager s assistant would renew as an associate clerk and not clerk. 23. How long do I have to apply for certification after I complete the Institute? You have 5 years from the date of completing the Institute. If it is more than 5 years follow requirements set out in o FAQ # If renewal has expired 3 plus years? Refer to FAQ #15 to learn how to become re-certified. NOTE: THESE FAQS APPLY TO CLERK CERTIFICATION, FINANCE CERTIFICATION, ASSOCIATE CLERK CERTIFICATION, ASSOCIATE FINANCE CERTIFICATION.

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