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The reduction in staff would. not i. of itself eliminate the accounts receivable, purchase orders, and receptionist duties. The City wo td have to change its accounting and purchasing policies to no longer require purchase orders and to no longer- track whether billed accounts were actually paid on an on-going basis. Instead, salaried individuals would have to absorb these functions as part of their year-end closing duties. This would weaken the City's internal controls, and delay the collection of unpaid accounts which would subsequently result in less interest earnings. In addition, the City could no longer house an individual at the reception desk full -time. This would necessitate a change in how the City receives in- -hound phone calls and may require individuals to walk down to the finance area to receive a receipt.. It may also require greater directional signage in the main lobby area. finally, it could have an impact on. those departments that have service counters near the lobby as customers seek assistance in finding various locations within the building or seek answers to general. inquiries. Final Comments While the budget reductions described above are relatively small, the cuts could jeopardize the Department's ability to generate revenues not only to support the Finance Department, but other departments as well. In addition, the City needs to be mindful of the cumulative effects of staffing reductions and reduced slillsets. The Finance Division. has steadily reduced its workforce and downgraded its professional requirements since the late 1980's. At its staffing highpoint, the Division had 1 `T 's, whereas today we have 7. In 2002 the Finance Division had 8 employees, 7 of which were professional level, 4 --year degree required positions. Today, the Division has 7 employees, only 3 of which are at a professional level. Personnel changes since 2002 include: • #.* Eliminated a full. -time Accountant position *:* Downgraded the Accounting Supervisor position to are. Accountant position Downgraded a professional-level. position (Payroll) to a technician level Downgraded a professional -level position (Accounts Payable) to a. technician level Downgraded a professional -level position Utifity Billing) to a t echnician level These staffing changes are unprecedented com are to other City Departments. Arid. while they've produced significant on -going savings, it has left the 11vi.sion with diminished sl lllsets and capabilities. In the past decade, the Finance/Accounting Division has eliminated or reduced a number of tasks and responsibilities to accommodate these staffing changes. Some of those tads include .educed internal audits of City purchases and payroll timekeeping Reduced emphasis on managing the City's investment portfolio *% Elimination of monthly financial reporting to City Departments o:* Elimination of non-payment utility billing reminders Elimination of on-site audits of lawful gambling operations Elimination of quarterly financial reports related to the City's lawful gambling operations Absent staffing increases it is unlikely that these tasks could be reinstituted.