Job Description

Summary:

Supervision Received and Exercised:

Receives general supervision from the Public Works Manager. No direct supervision of staff is exercised. May exercise technical and functional direction over and provide training to less experienced staff, as needed.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

This is a journey-level class that performs a variety of sewer permit processing, public counter duties, and other routine technical duties in support of the Public Works Department. Incumbents in this class perform technical duties within established procedures and guidelines that require independent thinking and judgment. The work requires the interpretation and application of policies, procedures, and regulations and involves frequent contact with the public. This class is distinguished from other administrative and secretarial classes in that it requires specialized technical knowledge and skills pertaining to permit issuance, basic building plan review, and fee calculation, in addition to standard office support duties.

Essential Functions:

Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following representative duties, knowledge, and skills. This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by incumbents of this class. Employees are required to be in attendance and prepared to begin work at their assigned work location on the specified days and hours. Factors such as regular attendance at the job are not routinely listed in job descriptions but are an essential function. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job. Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following representative duties, knowledge, and skills. This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by incumbents of this class. Employees are required to be in attendance and prepared to begin work at their assigned work location on the specified days and hours. Factors such as regular attendance at the job are not routinely listed in job descriptions but are an essential function. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job. Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Processes and issues sewer permits; records, logs, routes, and tracks all permits in the appropriate tracking system; locates sewer lateral lines, sewer pipe depth, sewer information, and locates the correct water company; obtains approvals from planning and/or building and safety where necessary.
• Receives and reviews applications and verifies their completeness regarding information, insurance, and authorized signatures; provides permit issuance information by telephone and over the counter.
• Calculates sewer connection and permit fee estimates based on what type of construction and use, takes in cash or other forms of payment, makes change, issues receipts, and enters new permits into sewer database after funds have been forwarded to Finance.
• Reviews small, medium, and large utility construction plans for sewer permit purposes; verifies the accuracy and completeness of the information, including single-family residences, multi-family residences, tenant improvements, condominiums, commercial, industrial, and stock plans; researches permits and/or old plans to verify existing permitted plumbing.
• Coordinates with appropriate local wastewater agencies regarding permit approval for certain larger developments.
• Researches Certificates of Occupancy forwarded by Building and Safety, signs and dates certificates.
• Reviews, updates, and maintains relevant lists, databases, maps, records, logs, and files.
• Prepares routine correspondence to obtain periodic updates on data utilized for sewer billing.
• On a monthly basis, compiles sewer permit statistics, provides copies to the appropriate management personnel, and files the information appropriately; processes month-end reports on funds collected for the month, tallies the funds, and forwards the information to Finance; runs month-end reports for all new sewer accounts.
• Prepares weekly counter reports of issued and pending permits; receives requests for reports from the public and issues as appropriate; receives and processes requests for archived records and maintains a history of requests; writes and/or runs quarterly reports, as required.
• Produces annual reports to verify and ensure accurate sewer billing.
• Receives and screens visitors and telephone calls; takes messages, directs visitors and callers to the appropriate office or person; assists the public at the Public Services front counter; provides information to Town staff, other organizations, and the public regarding Town and departmental activities and functions, requiring the use of judgment and the interpretation of policies, rules, procedures, and codes; receives and responds to complaints and requests for service.
• Attends to a variety of office administrative details such as opening and distributing mail, preparing outgoing mail, transmitting information, arranging for equipment maintenance, maintaining supplies and tickler files, maintaining appropriate records and files, and making copies.
• Dispatches all calls for potholes, traffic and safety signs, graffiti, road hazards to the Public Works crews and logs calls into the Town’s work order tracking system; calls Police Dispatch regarding traffic accidents or other emergency situations reported to the Town.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

An equivalent combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.  A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Education, Training, and Experience Guidelines
An equivalent combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities may be considered. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
Equivalent to completion of twelfth (12th) grade and four (4) years of administrative or general clerical experience in a public agency issuing permits and reviewing and interpreting building plans, including dealing with the public.

License and Certification Requirements:

• Valid California class C driver’s license with satisfactory driving record and automobile insurance.

Knowledge of:

• Codes, regulations, policies, and technical processes and procedures related to sewer permit applications and issuance sufficient to answer questions and provide information to the public.
• Basic utility construction plan checking principles, practices, and techniques related to sewer permit issuance, following established procedures and requirements.
• Modern office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures, including the use of standard office equipment.
• Business letter writing and the standard format for reports and correspondence.
• Principles and practices of data collection and report preparation.
• Business arithmetic and basic statistical techniques.
• Records management principles and practices.
• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment.
• Computer applications related to the work.
• English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation.
• Techniques for dealing effectively with the public, vendors, contractors, and Town staff, in person and over the telephone.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service the public, vendors, contractors, and Town staff, in person and over the telephone.

Ability to:

• Learn Town ordinances, codes, and regulations pertaining to assigned area of responsibility, including those pertaining to sewer permit approval and issuance.
• Review small, medium, and large utility construction plans to determine the amount of sewer connections planned, determine the appropriate sewer permit, and calculate appropriate fees.
• Perform detailed, technical, and specialized sewer permit support work.
• Respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls, walk-up traffic, and other requests and interruptions.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Establish, maintain, and research files.
• Interpret, apply, and explain policies and procedures.
• Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
• Make accurate arithmetic, financial, and statistical computations.
• Operate modern office equipment, including computer equipment and software programs.
• Organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, independent judgment within general policy, procedural and legal guidelines.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and those contacted in the course of the work.

Physical Demands and Working Environment:

Fair Labor Standards Act labels cannot be given to a group of employees. Each employee must meet every requirement for the claimed exemption. The designation mentioned above is for general manager guidelines.