DEFINITION:
Under direction of the Assistant Finance Director performs a wide range of highly skilled technical accounting duties including utility billing, payment arrangements, bank deposits and daily reports.
This position is expected to exercise considerable initiative and judgement in planning and organizing own work, as well as assisting the accounting assistants with their daily tasks such as accounts receivable and receiving payments and inquiries from utility billing customers. This position is also responsible for assisting, as needed, with business license applications and questions.
EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The following essential functions are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed functions and/or may be required to perform additional or different functions from those below, to address business/organizational needs and changing business/organizational practices:
- Responsible for the City’s utility billing including customer service, collections, and adjustments.
- Prepares monthly utility billing statements; ensures accuracy of statements. Works with Accounting Assistants in explaining utility bills. Oversees collections and reviews adjustments for utility billing customers. Assists with customer inquiries and complaints both verbally and in writing.
- Provides day-to-day direction, coordination, and support to Accounting Assistants assigned to utility billing, accounts receivable, payment processing, customer service, and related accounting functions; assists in coordinating workflow, prioritizing assignments, ensuring adequate coverage, and reviewing work for accuracy, completeness, and timely processing.
- Processes and audits payments such as but not limited to Franchise Fees, Utility User Taxes, Transient Hotel Taxes, and third-party services provided by the City to others.
- Prepares and reviews computer input data for monthly expenditure and encumbrance reports, establishes control figures, and reconciles monthly computer detail reports with general ledger expenditure and encumbrance control accounts.
- Verifies, reconciles, and prepares varies invoices for payment by the City.
- Reconciles citywide daily cash and prepare deposits.
- Assists with the performance and/or management of internal and external audits to ensure
compliance with all processing procedures as required by Federal/State/Local Financial Assistance and related programs.
- Reviews and recommends improved financial procedures and implements appropriate procedures to minimize vulnerability to fraud, waste, or abuse.
- Serves as a liaison, establishes, and maintains positive working relationships with internal department heads, internal staff, outside agencies, and the public to answer inquiries and ensure understanding of the City’s utility billing transactions.
- Coordinates work activities of the department to ensure proper and timely interface and posting of accounting transactions and adjustments.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Responsible of the annual Business License Renewal process.
Knowledge, Skills, and Ability to:
- Considerable knowledge of the principles, methods, procedures, and practices of municipal accounting, governmental accounting, auditing and financial reporting;
- Perform accurate mathematical calculations.
- Follows methods and techniques for accurate record keeping.
- Utility billing procedures and accounting;
- Proper cash handling practices;
- Data processing procedures relating to accounting. Use and management of Excel spreadsheets
- Research methods and techniques.
- Prepare and submit clear, concise and accurate reports orally or in writing;
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, City officials and the general public;
- Strong customer service skills with the ability to explain policy and procedures to the general public;
- Work with internal and external auditors in the preparation of annual financial reports and statements.
- Regularly and predictably, attend work.
- Follow directions from a supervisor.
- Understand and follow posted work rules and procedures. Observe safety principles and work in a safe manner.
- Accept constructive criticism.
QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Associate’s degree in business or public administration, with concentration in accounting as well as two to four years’ governmental accounting experience at the staff accountant level required. Any combination of experience and/or education which provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform this work will be considered. Strong customer service skills are a must. A minimum of three years of providing excellent customer service is required. Bilingual (Spanish/English) a plus.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS:
Work is performed in an office environment and may require occasional travel to offsite facilities. Job duties involve sitting, standing, and walking for prolonged or intermittent periods of time, and reaching, bending, and twisting at the waist to perform desk work and operate general office equipment, including a personal computer and keyboard, for prolonged or intermittent periods of time. The operation of a personal computer also requires finger and wrist dexterity and the ability to withstand exposure to vibration, pitch and glare from the computer. Will be required to speak and participate in internal and public meetings. Additionally, the position requires near vision in reading correspondence and statistical data. Acute hearing is required when providing phone and personal service. Noise level in the work environment is usually low. Employee must be able to safely lift and carry books, files and reports weighing up to 25 pounds. Must be able to lift files and reports from counter tops or file drawers.
Some of these requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations.
Disaster Service Workers:
Under California Government Code Sections 3100 - 3109, public employees are designated as disaster service workers. The term "public employees" includes all persons employed by the state or any county, city, state agency, or public district. Disaster service workers are required to participate in such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their employer or by law. The employees working for the City of Brawley take this responsibility seriously. Disaster plans are continuously being evaluated, drills are scheduled, and employees engage in training where they practice executing emergency support services.
