The Heart of City Hall: A Tribute to Clerks
Shellie Schaben - Always one Step Ahead
Imagine starting your day by preparing council meeting packets, then quickly shifting gears to issue checks for approval. Just as you hit your stride, a resident comes in with a question. The life of a clerk is unpredictable, hectic, and varies; no two days are the same. Some might believe working in a beautiful, tree-lined town with approximately two thousand people might be easy, but as Shellie Schaben a municipal clerk from Dallas Center IA explained it comes with its own unique challenges.
“Nothing prepares you to be a clerk,” Shellie said, and she is filling the big shoes left behind by her predecessor. “She was here 17 years, so the biggest challenge I face is trying to carry on what she's done because she really built a great foundation. The previous clerk liked to do things manually, but adopting technology makes the job easier.”
“gWorks understands what a clerk does and what they need to do it”, says Shellie, she’s also excited to complete the transition to the cloud. “Organization is my thing”, she added; and technology has helped streamline the entire process. Clerk work may be unpredictable, but helping people and making the city better through “small wins” such as the new public pool, makes the job worth it, says Shellie and the software improves the day-to-day duties of a municipal clerk.
Through her adaptability, organization, and dedication to making her city better, Shellie Schaben proves that clerks are more than recordkeepers, they’re the steady voices of reason at the heart of City Hall. Whether she’s fielding tough questions, organizing critical information, or finding smarter ways to get things done, Shellie shows up every day with a calm, can-do attitude that keeps her city moving forward.