Tax and License Specialist I

The current recruitment is to fill vacancies in both the Tax Audit and Collections Assignment AND the Revenue Collections Assignment in the Licensing area; however, this recruitment will also be used to establish an eligible list to fill potential future vacancies.  The starting salary for this position will be offered at the beginning of the pay range, $50,852.88 annually. 

A Tax and License Specialist I works in either Revenue Collections or Tax Audit and Collections dealing directly with customers in person and over the phone. 

Revenue Collections Assignment:  A Tax and License Specialist I in Revenue Collections provides direct customer service in person, by phone, and through various digital communication channels to support individuals and businesses with City business licensing needs.  Key responsibilities include educating the public on required City licenses; interpreting and clearly explaining related City of Mesa codes, ordinances, and policies; assisting customers with submitting applications in person and online; reviewing applications for completeness, zoning, and jurisdiction; and helping process licenses such as City liquor licenses, regulatory business licenses, and special event licenses.  This position also handles fee collection through the cashier system; explains basic Privilege Use Sales Tax and Transient Occupancy Tax licensing requirements; navigates tax and licensing systems to verify compliance; and supports senior staff with special projects.  The role requires knowledge sufficient to interpret laws, ordinances, codes, and policies related to taxes and business licenses.  Additional duties may include collaboration with other City departments and external government agencies.  Work is supervised by a Revenue Collections Supervisor and is reviewed through meetings, reports, and overall results
 
Tax Audit and Collections Assignment:  A Tax and Licensing Specialist I in Tax Audit and Collections performs work that involves:  educating and assisting the public in obtaining information on taxes required by the City; interpreting City of Mesa codes, ordinances, and policies regarding tax and collections; and assisting the senior level staff with the processing of tax and collection payments.  This position assists the Audit and Collections staff in issuing assessments, filing liens, preparing payments for processing through the cashier system; maintaining the tax, licensing, and accounts receivable system, and ensuring payments are properly posted.  Employees in this class perform a wide variety of responsible tasks involving journey-level clerical procedures to provide tax and collection services to customers.  Individual job assignments may vary.  This class is supervised by a Tax Audit and Collections Coordinator who reviews work through conferences, reports, and results achieved.
 
The public contact component of this classification involves:  explaining and/or interpreting the City's policies and procedures, answering complex questions, and resolving customer and/or citizen problems and complaints.  This includes interacting with citizens who are often angry, confused, and/or hostile.  Employees in this class are expected to perform day-to-day activities independently within established guidelines and procedures under general supervision.  This class is distinguished from the Tax and License Specialist II by the greater degree of independence in handling day-to-day decisions, and in the lower amount of direct supervision received by the latter.  Employees in this classification may progress by noncompetitive promotion to the Tax and License Specialist II class after successful completion of at least one year as a Tax and License Specialist I, meet the specific criteria-based promotion requirements, and meet the minimum qualifications of the Tax and License Specialist II classification.  This class is FLSA nonexempt.

Please refer to the link below for the full job description and additional information regarding assignments, preferred qualifications, and essential functions.  

Employee Values:  All employees of the City of Mesa are expected to uphold and exhibit the City's shared employee values of Knowledge, Respect, and Integrity.

Minimum Qualifications Required.  Any combination of training, education, and experience equivalent to graduation from high school or GED.  A minimum of three years' experience performing administrative support work including public contact.  Good (1 - 3 years) experience with word processing and other computer software applications such as Word, Excel, etc.

Preferred/Desirable Qualifications.  Experience in accounting and/or bookkeeping is highly desirable.

http://apps.mesaaz.gov/jobdescriptions/Documents/JobDescriptions/cs3934.pdf