Finance Assistant I/II

About the role

Under immediate supervision (Finance Assistant I), or general supervision (Finance Assistant II), performs a variety of clerical, fiscal, and customer service duties in the preparation, maintenance, and processing of accounting records and financial transactions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, cashiering, utility billing, and business licensing.

Responsibilities

• Verifies, posts and records a variety of financial transactions; prepares and maintains databases, records and files; generates reports by computer and balances them appropriately.
• Processes payments in batches and logs batch reports; prepares documentation for payment; confers with vendors; enters and verifies data into the automated accounts payable system to produce payment; prepares payments for mailing and files copies with backup.
• Accepts and processes payments at the front counter, over the phone, and by mail, in cash, by check, or by credit card; makes change and maintains cash drawer; processes automatic customer account debits through electronic bank transfers; balances payments and posts transactions in the accounting system daily; processes bank deposits and change requests; runs bank reports and verifies those records and transactions.
• Sets up new accounts or closes out terminated accounts; notifies Public Works Utilities & Operations Department of excessive water usage, potential leaks, or broken utility meters; calculates and processes billing adjustments due to leaks, penalty adjustments, or overestimating; processes escrow and changes in ownership transactions.
• Sends out late and final notices, collection notices, and performs necessary collections and delinquency processing; prepares monthly renewal, second, late, final, and delinquent notices.
• Maintains accurate billing information through data entry, calculations, and verifications.
• Maintains credit card accounts; processes receipts and reconciles to credit card statements.
• Processes City-wide returned checks and contacts customers as appropriate; prepares delinquent item reports, initiates and monitors delinquent processing for collection; prepares and processes year-end write-offs for un-collectable accounts.
• Creates new vendor accounts; obtains necessary information and paperwork from vendors; prepares vendor invoice tracking; inputs vendor invoices and prints checks; totals and balances accounts.
• Calculates business license fees; accepts and processes payments at the front counter, over the phone, and by mail, in cash, by check, or by credit card; makes change as necessary and maintains cash drawer as appropriate; balances payments and posts transactions in the accounting system daily.
• Calculates, processes and reconciles cannabis gross receipts; schedules appointments for monthly payments; collects supporting documentation for tax calculation and verification; maintains cannabis businesses database.
• Ensures compliance with City cannabis ordinance and regulations.
• Processes invoices for payment; classifies, records, and balances revenues and expenditures to proper accounts; enters account numbers, vendor numbers, amounts of payables, and related data into financial system using computer terminal; assembles accounts payable documents for approval; audits and reconciles errors; prepares accounts payable checks for mailing.
• Receives and responds to vendor inquiries; resolves any issues, problems, or requests using established procedures.
• Responds to a variety of customers, departments, and employees’ questions regarding specific account information, discrepancies, general accounting procedures, and/or department specific issues and problems; researches issues regarding specific transactions; and updates related files and departments on action items.
• Maintains the business license database; researches new businesses and notifies them of licensing requirements; mails application materials; processes closing accounts; reviews and reconciles payment ledger against database of notices; verifies bankruptcy information and performs other research about business and property information.
• Balances month end work and researches, compiles, enters, and classifies data for new business input.
• Affords assistance to other accounting and finance personnel in performing a variety of customer service and accounting support duties in the preparation, maintenance, and processing of accounting records and financial transactions, including utility billing, business licensing, accounts payable, and/or accounts receivable.
• Maintain confidentiality of records and information as required.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Knowledge Of Terminology and practices of financial and account document processing and record-keeping, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, utility billing, and business licensing.

Cash handling procedures.

City policies with respect to receiving and processing monetary transactions.

Methods and techniques of researching and resolving transactional discrepancies.

Business arithmetic and basic financial techniques.

Record-keeping principles and procedures.

City and mandated safety rules, regulations, and protocols.

Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively interacting with the public, vendors, contractors, and City staff.

The structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Modern equipment and communication tools used for business functions and program, project, and task coordination, including computers and software programs relevant to work performed.

Ability To Perform detailed account and financial office support work accurately and in a timely manner.

Respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls and other requests for service.

Interpret, apply, and explain policies and procedures.

Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.

Perform cashiering duties.

Make thorough and accurate arithmetic and financial computations.

Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.

Establish and maintain a variety of filing, record-keeping, and tracking systems.

Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.

Effectively use computer systems, software applications relevant to work performed, and modern business equipment to perform a variety of work tasks.

Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, using appropriate English grammar and syntax.

Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.