Clearwater Certified Records Officer
The professional standard for municipal recordkeeping in Clearwater since 1988.
What it takes
60 education points, distributed across four domains, with a minimum in each so nobody certifies on conference attendance alone.
| Domain | Minimum | What it covers | |—|—|—| | Records law | 15 points | Chapters 42, 38 and 44. Exemptions, severance, denial. | | Retention and disposition | 15 points | The General Retention Schedule, series analysis, disposition logging, electronic records. | | Meetings and minutes | 10 points | Notice, agendas, motions, executive session, the approved record. | | Public service and administration | 10 points | Requester relations, fee estimation, elections administration, licensing. | | Free choice | 10 points | Any of the above, or approved courses elsewhere. |
Plus two years of service as an appointed records officer, deputy clerk or clerk of a Clearwater municipality, which may be concurrent with earning points.
Most members finish in three years. The Institute week in July is worth 12 points and is how serious candidates make progress.
What it is worth
Honestly: it is not a licence, and no municipality is required to hire a CCRO. What has changed since about 2019 is that job postings increasingly say CCRO preferred, and salary survey data shows a spread — though the survey cannot separate the credential from the experience that comes with it, and CAMRO does not claim it can.
The argument members actually make is different and better: the syllabus is the only structured account of the job that exists in this state, and working through it is how you find out what you have been doing wrong.
CCRO-M — Master
A further 40 points beyond the CCRO, plus a capstone implemented in your own municipality and presented at the annual conference. Recent capstones: a disposition backlog cleared in Sable Point, a records request tracking system in Ashgrove, an electronic minutes workflow adopted by three towns in District 2.
Twenty-nine Clearwater officers hold the CCRO-M.
Applying
Applications open twice a year, 1 February and 1 August, in the member area. The Education Committee reviews within six weeks. Certificates are presented at the annual conference banquet.