Accountant III

Position Summary

This position reports directly to the Director of Finance and Administrative Services or designee. Under general direction, the Accountant III performs

advanced professional-level municipal accounting work, preparing complex financial reports, and ensuring compliance with government regulations. This advanced journey-level role requires independent judgment and may involve leading lower-level staff or managing major specialized accounting systems.

• Performs complex and technical accounting duties in the maintenance of records of revenues, expenditures, and special funds; prepares analysis, spreadsheets, schedules, journal entries, and reconciliations to produce accurate financial reports and footnotes.

• Reviews, supports, and participates in day-to-day accounting operations, balancing and posting all expenditures and revenues, and adjusting journal entries to the general ledger; reconciles bank statements, investment, fiscal agent, and other accounts to the general ledger; reviews and prepares a variety of journal entries for entity and component units and other specialized funds/accounts.
• Generates and assists in preparation of monthly financial reports for City management and departments; conducts expenditure analysis, researches variances and discrepancies, and prepares correcting entries.
• Assists the work of the Accounting, Accounts Payable, Purchasing or Payroll Divisions of the Department as determined by the Director.
• Prepares, creates, and drafts fixed asset schedules based on general ledger and purchasing activity; enters data on fixed assets and depreciation schedules in the fixed asset system; generates schedules and reports for use by the City's outside auditors.
• Collects, analyzes, graphs, and prepares data, working papers, and reports for use by City management and auditors; researches entries to the general ledger to evaluate their accuracy, necessity, and adherence to accounting standards and legal or regulatory requirements; develops cost accounting summaries of construction accounts for reimbursable capital projects for submission to state agencies.
• Audits accounting records and conducts specialized studies and analysis.
• Assists, supports, and may lead in preparing the annual ACFR or Single Audit; generates reports, schedules, working papers, and other accounting records for the City's outside independent auditors.
• Reviews, develops, and recommends accounting control methods to improve existing procedures; ensures conformity with City policies and procedures and professional accounting standards.
• Performs other duties assigned including performing any duties in the lower accountant series positions.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or closely related field.
  • Two to four years of professional accounting experience.
  • One year of governmental accounting and/or budgeting.
  • Experience in complex financial reporting and analysis
  • Or any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the above minimum requirements
  • Required to pass a pre-placement drug screen, physical and background investigation.

• Principles and practices of general, fund and governmental accounting.
  • Principles and practices of cost and fixed asset accounting.
  • Ability to train others in work procedures.
  • Internal control and audit principles and practices.
  • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Governmental Accounting Standards Board and Government Finance Officers Association accounting standards and requirements.
  • Principles and practices of public agency budgeting.
  • Federal, state and local laws, regulations and court decisions applicable to assigned areas of…