Zoning/Land Conservation Administrative Assistant

This position performs a variety of pertinent tasks relating to the administration and enforcement of county zoning, subdivision and sanitary ordinances in order to maintain environmental health for the residents and visitors or Washburn County; provides administrative and practical support to the Washburn County Land Conservation/Land Information Department (LCLI). The position involves contact with the general public in providing advice about zoning laws, regulations and conservation practices. Work is performed under the direction of the Zoning Administrator. Performs other related work as required.

• Serves as office reception; answers telephone calls and routes calls to appropriate staff; greets public; performs customer service work such as assisting customers at the counter.  
• Responsible for the smooth operation of department offices. Performs administrative duties such as typing, filing, indexing, making photocopies, processing incoming and outgoing mail, ordering office supplies, and preparing vouchers/deposits as necessary.
• Coordinates and staffs meetings as directed, including: schedules, arranges, and prepares legal notices for publication and mailing of meetings for both the Zoning Committee, Board of Adjustments, and other meetings as necessary, determining property adjacencies, publication and posting, post-meeting resolutions and minutes.
• Provides information about ordinances and codes to property owners, prospective buyers, contractors, plumbers, and certified soil testers.
• Issues zoning and conditional use permits as appropriate, inputs data into the system and maintains all files; prepares and files monthly zoning permit report to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Issues sanitary permits, inputs data into the system, scans and files all issued permits, and maintains all office files.
• Assists with preparation and drafting of suggested changes in existing zoning ordinances.
• Prepares and maintains a variety of reports as directed, such as compiling information and assisting with the preparation of the annual reports.
• Maintains office files, such as separate files for soil evaluation forms, and assists in preparing files for certification for the court system.
• Responsible for administering accounts payable/receivable.
• Assists the Land Conservation Department with the County Tree Program and is responsible for receipting and tracking orders. 
• Performs a variety of related duties as required by the Zoning Administrator.
• Demonstrates professional, courteous customer service to clients and other staff, consistent with County Core Values.
• Responsible for updates to the Zoning web pages.

• Supports County Core Customer Service values throughout all levels of department decision-making.  Develops customer service as an integral part of department operations.
• Coordinates and staffs monthly Land Conservation Land Information meetings and prepares and distributes agendas and minutes.
• Assists LC with the promotion and operation of educational, scholastic and inter-county programs (e.g., poster contest, conservation field day, soil judging, speaking contest, etc.)

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Some knowledge of zoning codes, laws, ordinances and regulations.
• Ability to analyze and compile information on zoning matters.
• Ability to type at a speed of 45 wpm.
• Ability to operate a computer for data entry, retrieval, and word processing purposes, using Excel and Word programs. 
• Ability to read and interpret maps (i.e., zoning maps, wetland maps, FEMA maps).
• Ability to read and interpret legal descriptions to locate parcels accordingly 
• Ability to maintain accurate and complete files and records.
• Ability to prepare concise and detailed reports.
• Ability to deal effectively with staff and the general public and exercise good judgment accordingly.

EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING REQUIRED:
Graduation from a standard high school course followed by an Associate degree in Land Management, Surveying, or a related field, and/or an Associate degree in a clerical field and/or two years of increasingly responsible land management office experience; experience which deals with zoning enforcement desirable; or an equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the essential knowledge, skills and abilities. Training and/or experience with MS Office Suite applications.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must possess a valid State of Wisconsin driver’s license or have the ability to obtain one. Ability to pass an administrative assistant clerical skills test and typing test.PHYSICAL DEMANDS;
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work is performed normally in an office setting and occasionally in the field. Hand-eye coordination is necessary to operate instruments, equipment, computers, and various other pieces of office equipment.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may frequently be required to stand; walk; handle, feel, or operate objects, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee may regularly be required to sit; stoop; kneel; talk or hear.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds or more. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED;
Personal computers, including word processing, spreadsheet, database, and computer-assisted design software; standard equipment of a data processing office, including photocopiers, calculator; motor vehicle, telephone, voice mail, digital voice recorder, and scanner.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: 
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work is performed normally in an office setting; the employee may frequently travel between buildings to work site locations. The employee must be able to negotiate slippery, uneven terrain, and be able to access precarious places.
The employee occasionally works near risk of electrical shock, vibration, and areas of reduced traction.
The noise level in the office work environment is usually quiet to moderate and occasionally loud on work sites.
Occasionally, the position may travel to other offices in the county or stay overnight out of town to attend training.
CLOSING STATEMENT:
This position description has been prepared to assist in defining job responsibilities, physical demands, working conditions, and skills needed. It is not intended as a complete list of job duties, responsibilities and/or essential functions. This description is not intended to limit or modify the right of the supervisor to assign, direct and control the work of employees under supervision. The County retains and reserves any and all rights to change, modify, amend, add to, or delete from any section of this document as it deems, in its judgement, to be proper.
The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. The duties are subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.