Principal Account Clerk
Listed on 2026-07-02
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Administrative/Clerical
Bookkeeper/ Accounting Clerk, Office Administrator/ Coordinator -
Accounting
Bookkeeper/ Accounting Clerk, Office Administrator/ Coordinator, Accounting Assistant, Accounts Receivable/ Collections
Overview
DEFINITION
Under general supervision, to perform difficult and specialized work in the preparation of financial and statistical records; to establish and maintain complex accounts; and to perform related work as required.
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
The Principal Account Clerk is the advanced level in the Account Clerk series. Incumbents, under general supervision, perform clerical accounting duties of above‑average difficulty requiring advanced training, knowledge, and experience. Instructions given by supervisors generally do not provide all of the information needed to complete the assignment. Incumbents are expected to resolve most problems confronted through the application of judgment and precedent, referring to the supervisor only those items which involve the establishment of new procedures or policies.
Examples of Duties:
- Performs more difficult clerical financial and statistical record‑keeping work.
- May train and serve as a resource to both new and lower‑level personnel.
- Reconciles cash and accounts; receives applications for business licenses.
- Determines fees from established schedules; receives payments; issues licenses.
- Enters business license data to computer terminal; prepares business license bills on computer, checks for accuracy and mails.
- Serves as liaison with other departments concerned with business license and permit application.
- Computes penalties and interest due; issues and maintains records of a variety of permits.
- Establishes and maintains account receivable ledgers; prepares invoices and maintains records of receipts and delinquencies.
- Sends follow‑up notices on overdue fees and accounts receivable.
- Matches invoices to purchase orders, checks extensions, computes discounts, verifies and resolves account payable problems, and otherwise prepares invoices for payment.
- Inputs data to computer and balances with control figures; verifies warrants, stuffs envelopes and mails accounts payable.
- Invoicing for utility services; prepares turn‑on and turn‑off authorization for utility services; provides applications and receives deposits for utility services; provides information to the public regarding utility services and charges.
- Codes and maintains records of utility services and meters; prepares periodic reports and statistical summaries of utility services, meters and related data.
- Sells dog licenses and transit passes; operates cash register to receive payments; prepares new accounts for data entry; issues receipts for miscellaneous collections; prepares funds for deposit to bank.
- Types forms, schedules, reports, lists and general correspondence; files materials into established filing systems; compiles information for a variety of statistical reports, locating sources of information, devising forms and determining proper format for finished report.
- Answers questions requiring a thorough understanding of policies, procedures and laws governing work; proofreads materials for clerical accuracy; operates a variety of office equipment such as a calculator and computer; operates computer to enter and edit standard information utilizing a variety of programs and formats, including third‑party software where a downloaded or uploaded interface to the financial software is used.
- Operates printer to print documents stored in computer; copies, collates, staples and otherwise binds a variety of materials; and performs related work as required.
- Strength:
Light work‑lifting, carrying and/or pushing 25 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to 25 pounds. - Work is primarily sedentary.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.
Education:
Typical education would be education equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade.
Experience:
Typical experience would be three (3) years of increasingly responsible record‑keeping experience, preferably including experience in a municipality.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
- Computer operating methods and office software.
- Applicable state laws, City ordinances, procedures, and…
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