DEFINITION

Following guidelines and procedures, receives and disburses funds for various City services, facilities, licenses, fees and fines; assists customers, compiles, reconciles and verifies accounting information; processes requests for payment and issues checks and sets up and maintains a variety of accounts, files and fiscal records in the City's finance department; performs other duties as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Accounting Specialist II is an experienced clerical accounting staff member who is expected to independently handle the daily business of one or more areas of finance department activity. With minimal supervision, the incumbent processes payments and receipts, deals with customers and keeps fiscal records relating to utility billing, business and animal licenses, parking citations, accounts payable or credit and collections. Although an Accounting Specialist II has a specific area of assigned responsibility, he/she is expected to back up Accounting Specialists II in other areas, when needed, and to rotate to another assignment upon request. The incumbent must organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines and operational needs and must use judgment, discretion, diplomacy and resourcefulness in solving problems with vendors, contractors, the general public and City staff, especially those problems relating to monetary discrepancies or delinquencies. Accounting Specialists II are trusted to handle and reconcile cash.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED/EXERCISED

Direct supervision is provided by an Finance Services Manager. The incumbent may also receive direction regarding assigned tasks from the Finance Director and other supervisory staff of the Finance Department.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Each employee in this classification may not perform all of the duties listed below. Depending upon assignment, duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

Greets public at the counter; receives and processes applications and payments to the City for services, licenses, permits and fees; enrolls new customers; explains policies and regulations; counts cash and prepares deposits; calculates and balances cash drawers, cash receipt records, spreadsheets and other records; takes cash to bank; opens and closes accounts; sets up and maintains various files, records and registers; posts payments and expenditures to the proper account; initiates accounting transfers; calculates balances andreconciles accounts against source documents; identifies, investigates and clears up discrepancies; calculates and processes adjustments; processes returned checks and refunds; completes a variety of forms and prepares account summaries and reports; prepares billings and related correspondence for accounts receivable such as users of water service, City facilities or violators of certain ordinances; receives and processes claims and requests for payment from the City from insurance providers, vendors and contractors; audits refund requests and invoices for completeness, correct classification and accuracy of calculations; assembles, compares and matches supporting documents and prepares for check writing; contacts City staff, customers and vendors to trace missing documents and reconcile discrepancies; secures necessary documentation and approvals and pays bills; hand types checks for certain payments and refunds; opens, date-stamps and processes incoming mail; answers telephones; answers questions regarding City collection and finance policies and status of various accounts and attends to complaints from customers in person, on the telephone or by written correspondence; researches and resolves problems; identifies and investigates past due accounts; contacts customers to discuss unpaid bills; may negotiate payment plans; follows up to ensure that payment is received; consults supervisor for further action on difficult situations; may institute water shut-offs or other penalties for outstanding debts; sets up and monitors collection agency accounts; assists in preparing cases for small claims court; does follow-up paperwork to enforce small claims judgments; releases towed cars upon payment of fines; sends out notices; files forms and records; makes photocopies and operates a variety of standard office machines; prepares correspondence and performs various other clerical and administrative duties for the finance department; identifies and suggests methods by which City can collect additional revenue and improve efficiency of processing operations.

OTHER DUTIES

Backs up other positions in Finance Department and does special projects as assigned by the Finance Services Manager.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience/Education/Training

Sufficient experience, education and training to do advanced fiscal clerical work in a City finance department. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications is to have the equivalent of a high school diploma including some training in bookkeeping and office procedures and two years of increasingly responsible fiscal, clerical and bookkeeping experience including public contact. Public sector experience is desirable.

Knowledge/Skill/Ability

Good knowledge of bookkeeping and financial record-keeping including complex manual systems and making credits or debits to proper accounts; good knowledge of specific IRS regulations, procedures and forms, of state vehicle code and regulations regarding privacy, credit and collections and of relevant municipal codes such as animal and business license codes or regulations governing the operation of the City water system; general knowledge of the procedures of a City government. Ability to deal diplomatically with vendors, members of the public, co-workers and managers, especially in difficult situations; organize and prioritize a high volume of work in order to meet recurring deadlines; perform detailed numerical work with speed and accuracy and to use spreadsheets and other computer applications related to financial operations; prepare correspondence and reports; understand and apply instructions, policies and procedures related to processing and recording City business transactions; gather and analyze information, to make independent decisions and to solve practical operational problems.

Working Conditions

Position requires prolonged sitting in the performance of daily duties and frequent repetitive keyboarding motion for inputting data and preparing reports and other documents. The position also requires walking, standing, stooping, some pushing, dragging, light and heavy lifting while handling bound records or printouts or boxes of paper and documents. The incumbent often juggles multiple tasks, works under pressure of deadlines and with frequent interruptions. Risk is involved in handling money and transporting it to the bank.