Principal Account Clerk

A $12.50 PROCESSING FEE OR WAIVER OF THIS FEE MUST ACCOMPANY YOUR APPLICATION

FEE: There is a $12.50 non-refundable examination fee. When filing an application by mail, include a cashiers check or money order, payable to the Fulton County Treasurer. Do not send cash or a personal check. When filing in person with cash, the exact amount must be submitted. If the fee or fee waiver documentation proof does not accompany the application, the application will be rejected and returned to the applicant. There will be NO REFUNDS to applicants who fail to appear for the exam or fail to meet the minimum qualifications required for admittance to the exam, therefore, applicants are cautioned to review this announcement carefully.

WAIVER OF EXAMINATION FEE FOR UNEMPLOYED AND FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS: A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household. In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible for Medicaid, or receiving Supplemental Security Income payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency. All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification. If you can verify eligibility for application fee waiver, complete a “Request for Examination Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with your application by the close of business on the Last Filing Date as listed on the Examination Announcement. (The Request for Examination Application Fee Waiver and Certification form can be obtained from the Fulton County Personnel Department, Fort Johnstown Building, 1 E. Montgomery Street, Johnstown, New York 12095, telephone number 518-736-5574.)

APPLICATIONS: Applications are available at the Fulton County Personnel Department or on the Fulton County website www.fultoncountyny.gov. Examination applications must be obtained and filed with the Fulton County Personnel Department. The Department recommends that you do not wait until the last day to file your application. When received in our office after 5:00 PM, on the last filing date, the application will be rejected and returned to the applicant. The correct examination number and title must appear on the application form. EVERY question on the application should be answered and complete in all aspects. Under “Duties” you must describe the nature of the work personally performed by you, with estimated percentages of time spent on each type of work. This department does not acknowledge receipt of applications or take responsibility for non-delivery or postal delay.

Failure to notify this office of a change of address may result in disqualification for examination or certification for appointment following examination.

Any application you may have previously filed will not gain you admittance to this exam and will not be used to obtain additional information. You must refile a separate Application for Examination during the official filing period as set forth in this announcement.

DISQUALIFICATION OF EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS:

When an application for an examination is disapproved by the Director of Personnel, the candidate will be given ten (10) calendar days to appeal this determination. Your appeal must clearly demonstrate that you meet or exceed the minimum qualifications as set forth on the examination announcement. Additional information must be pertinent, detailed and accurate. Your appeal must be in writing, addressed to the Personnel Department, 1 East Montgomery Street, Johnstown NY 12095, and received in this department no later than 5:00pm of the tenth calendar day. If the tenth calendar day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the candidate will have until 5:00pm that following Monday to submit their appeal.

LOCATION OF POSITIONS/VACANCY: This position exists in the Gloversville-Johnstown Joint 

Wastewater Treatment Facility.
 

PLEASE POST CONSPICUOUSLY AT A HEIGHT REACHABLE BY PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS

AND WITH OTHER MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS - REMOVE AFTER LAST FILING DATE

ELIGIBLE LIST: The eligible list will remain in existence for a period of one (1) year, unless extended by the Director of Personnel to a maximum of four (4) years. When a list has existed for more than one year, it may terminate upon the establishment of a new list. This list will be used to fill this vacancy and any other appropriate full-time or part-time competitive vacancy occurring in an agency under the jurisdiction of the Fulton County Director of Personnel, anytime during the life of the eligible list.

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS: May be made if you require a religious accommodation, are a disabled person, or deprived of participation on the scheduled date due to active military service. Specific information must be requested when filing your application.

APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON SAME DATE: If you have applied for any other civil service examinations to be given on the same test date for employment with New York State or any other local government jurisdiction excluding New York City, you must make arrangements to take all the examinations at one test site.

If you have applied for both State and local government examinations, you must notify Fulton County of your intent to take both a State and a local government examination. When taking both a State and a local government examination you will be requirement to take all your examinations at a State examination center. You will be advised by letter when and where to report for your examination.

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date, so they can make arrangements for taking all tests at one site. All examinations for positions in State government will be held at a State examination center. For this examination call (518) 736-5574 or write to the Fulton County Personnel Department, Fort Johnstown Building, 1 E. Montgomery Street, Johnstown, New York 12095.

2024 ANNUAL SALARY: $65,000

RESIDENCY: Candidates must, at the time of examination and at least four (4) months prior thereto, be a resident of Fulton County. 

Preference in appointment from open-competitive lists may be given to candidates who have been residents of the locality in which appointment is to be made for four (4) months prior to the date of the written test. For appointment in some jurisdictions you may be required to become a resident thereof in accordance with law or resolution.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES (Illustrative but not exhaustive):

Plans, assigns and reviews the maintenance and checking of a wide variety of financial records and reports and instructs employees in the specialized details of the work;

Oversees and assists in the classification of a complex variety of receipts and expenditures and the distribution of costs according to prescribed codes;

May supervise the work of clerical staff;

Directs the audit of varied accounts, claims and records and the preparation of reports thereon;

Directs the compilation, preparation and analysis of a variety of complex financial and statistical records and reports;

Assists in the preparation of annual operating budgets and insures the maintenance of necessary financial controls;

Oversees the receiving and accounting for large amounts of money in payment for a variety of bills, taxes and related obligations;

Revises, systematizes and installs account keeping methods and procedures;

Reconciles ledgers of revenue received with bank statements;

Conducts correspondence in connection with financial matters;

May supervise the preparation of purchase orders and the securing of bids from vendors;

Operates calculator, computer terminal and other related office machines.

The above examples of duties are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the last filing date: 

1. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Associate’s Degree in accounting, business or a closely related field and two years of experience maintaining financial accounts and records, one of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity; or

2. Graduation from high school or possession of an equivalency diploma and four years of experience maintaining financial accounts and records, one of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity; or

3. An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B) above.

All experience required to meet the minimum qualification section is PAID. 

Part-time experience will be pro-rated as follows:

16-23 hrs/wk….1/2 time 24-31 hrs/wk….3/4 time 32+ hrs/wk….full-time

If qualifying by A or C (education options), a copy or photocopy of your official academic transcript showing courses taken and degree conferred (if a degree is required) must accompany your application. If submitting a photocopy, this office must be able to verify it is an official transcript. Your transcript does not have to be submitted in a sealed envelope from the Registrar’s Office. If your transcript, as previously described, does not accompany your application, your application will be disqualified and you will be given ten (10) days to submit documentation to substantiate your qualifications. If you fail to provide a copy or photocopy of your official transcript within the ten (10) day period, you will not be allowed to participate in the examination.

Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency from a member company of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES). You can write to the Examination Information Desk of this Department for a list of NACES members who provide this service. You must pay the required evaluation fee.

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: The written, multiple-choice test will be designed to measure knowledges, skills and/or abilities in the following areas:

1. UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETING WRITTEN MATERIAL: These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

2. Arithmetic Computation with Calculator: These questions test for the ability to use a calculator to do basic computations. Questions will involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You may also be asked to calculate averages, to use percents, and to round an answer to the nearest whole number. You should bring with you a hand-held battery – or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

3. UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETING TABULAR MATERIAL: These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

4. SUPERVISION: These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.