Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable Clerk

The Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable Clerk (AR/AP) plays a critical role in maintaining the financial integrity and efficiency of the City. This position is responsible for ensuring accurate processing of incoming and outgoing financial transactions, maintaining proper documentation, and supporting the finance department in daily operations. The AR/AP Clerk ensures that the City meets its financial obligations on time and maintains steady cash flow by managing both payments due to the City and the payments the City owes.

Major Duties:

• Post incoming payments received via mail, online, ACH, or in person and apply them to the appropriate accounts using accounting software
• Electronically scan all checks using scanner for direct upload to the bank
• Prepare and verify daily deposits; ensure all payments are recorded accurately and accounted for
• Notify the Police Department that the deposit is ready for pickup
• Maintain accurate and organized files for all AR/AP transactions, and correspondence
• Monitor aging reports and follow up on past due balances (Property and Excise Taxes)
• Assist with preparing financial reports and audit documentation
• Communicate with internal departments regarding invoice status or payment questions
• Match invoices with purchase orders and receiving documentation
• Compiles reports, prepare check runs, ACH transactions, and maintain accurate payment records
• Oversees preparation of various accounting schedules and reconciliations (Excise taxes)
• Verifies and allocates payable transactions; answers account payable vendor inquires; and posts transactions to accounts in journals or computer files from documents such as purchase orders, invoices, receipts, check stubs, and computer printouts.
• Ensure payments are made in a timely manner to avoid penalties and maintain vendor relationships
• Reconcile vendor statements and address any discrepancies
• Maintain organized accounts payable files and records
• Respond to vendor inquiries and resolve payment issues
• Compiles data for daily, monthly, annual, and other departmental reports
• Reviews budgets to determine appropriate account codes for invoices
• Processes and maintains a variety of daily, monthly, and yearly organizational forms, records, reports, and accounts including budget, expenditure records, and equipment and supply requisition forms.
• Develops, implements, modifies, and documents recordkeeping and accounting systems; makes use of current computer technology.
• Prepare journal entries as needed
• Performs related work as assigned.
• Generates computerized 1099-MISC forms and prepares data for transmission to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• Maintains a comprehensive, current knowledge of applicable laws/regulations and accounting standards; maintains an awareness of new trends and advances in the profession; reads professional literature; maintains professional affiliations; attends workshops and training sessions as appropriate.

Knowledge:

• Basic Accounting Principles-Understanding of fundamental accounting concepts and how they apply to receivables and payables.
• Familiarity with invoicing, billing cycles, collections, vendor payments, and payment terms
• Knowledge of job-related software programs (Tyler Technologies)
• Knowledge of electronic payment processes, check scanning systems, ACH transfers and bank reconciliation

• Knowledge of modern office practices, methods, equipment, and procedures 

• Knowledge of Palmetto policies and procedures

Skills:

• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality with respect to sensitive departmental information, internal processes, and operational matters

• Excellent verbal and written communication

• Good organizational skills

• Positive attitude when working through challenges

• Ability to efficiently identify and resolve discrepancies, and payment issues

• High degree of accuracy

• Great attention to detail

• Proficiency in mathematics

Abilities:

• Ability to function both independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively with the finance team

• Ability to adhere to company and financial procedures while ensuring compliance with finance regulations

• Ability to compile, organize, prepare, and maintain an assortment of records, reports, and related information

• Ability to file and manage files in a logical and orderly manner

• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with City employees, City officials and vendors

• Ability to communicate professionally with vendors, customers, and internal departments-both verbally and in writing

Physical Ability: Tasks require the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation.

Supervisory Controls: Work is performed under the general supervision of the Finance Director.

Supervisory and Management Responsibilities: There are no supervisory or management responsibilities. 

Hours: Most work hours will be between 8am and 5pm, but occasionally for training or city events, there may be a requirement to work a weeknight and/or a Saturday. 

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Requires High School Diploma or GED equivalent.
• Requires two (2) years of related accounting or bookkeeping experience or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)