SENIOR TAX ASSISTANT - 40000043

Durham County Government employs approximately 1,900 employees that work towards providing needed services throughout the community. With a wide array of services, Durham County Government is at the heart of a rapidly growing and diverse area offering residents, employees and visitors exciting opportunities to live, work, grow and play. For more information about Durham County Government, visit www.dconc.gov.

***THIS POSITON IS SUBJECT TO CLOSE AT ANYTIME***

JOB SUMMARY
The work performed includes responsible technical work involving the listing and recording of taxed properties or with the receipt of taxes and fees; preparing and/or maintaining fiscal or related records; and providing customer service.
Work is performed under the regular supervision of a Tax Division Supervisor.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
• Provides assistance via in person, telephone or electronic methods to internal and external customers with listing real, personal and business properties for the purposes of paying taxes, assessments and fees;
• Receives and answers inquiries, complaints, and service requests within boundaries of taxation regulations;
• Researches possible refunds for correctness;
• Performs on-line reversal of payments to an unpaid status;
• Compiles data and completes various reports on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis;
• Researches on a daily basis various errors due to keying inaccuracies, inaccurate information being provided to tax office and micro processing mistakes; and
• Reads and interprets deeds, wills, estates, and court orders for the purpose of determining real property ownership.
• Researches real property ownership chain of title.
• Transfers real property ownership by deed, will, estate or court order.
• Receives applications for tax relief from property owners;
• Determines qualification and processes of tax relief applications based on North Carolina General Statutes:
• Processes real property splits and combinations
• Receives and processes building permits on new construction, remodeling, and alteration;
• Reviews building permits in sufficient detail to determine such elements as amounts of square footage, stated values, number and type of plumbing fixtures and other characteristics of structure necessary for decisions;
• Researches, checks and confirms physical locations, legal descriptions of property and such of property to facilitate permit module record activation and creation;
• Prepares and processes bankruptcy claims, which are governed by the United States Federal Bankruptcy Courts;
• Protects the debtor (taxpayer) from any collection actions performed by the Tax Office once a bankruptcy case is filed;
• Responds to all notifications such as restraining orders, orders of automatic stay and removal of blocks;
• Performs quality assurance reviews of data entry;
• Performs data entry duties as it relates to all appraisal data entry, account maintenance, review of individual personal property listings
• Performs other duties as assigned.

OTHER DUTIES MAY INCLUDE
• Assist with customer service in peak periods;
• Review plats recorded as a Plat Review Officer;
• Assist in processing appraisal field packets;
• Participate in meetings, workshops that assist citizens with programs for taxation;
• Assist with Departmental Document Scanning processes;
• Assist Listing Division with researching unlisted assets;
• Assist County with Damage Assessment or Emergency Management Call Center if necessary

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of state law and departmental policies, rules and procedures for collecting taxes, other revenues, listing, and assessing
• Knowledge of the accounting and record keeping systems of the office
• Knowledge of modern office machinery required by the particular position
• Knowledge of North Carolina General Statutes pertaining to real property ownership and taxation
• Knowledge of North Carolina General Statues pertaining to tax relief programs
• Ability to analyze and record information and to balance figures
• Ability to handle large sums of money and account for them accurately
• Ability to keep accurate records and prepare reports
• Ability to detect errors; be resourceful in locating problems and making corrections
• Ability to communicate with others tactfully and courteously over the telephone and in person
• Ability to interpret deeds, wills and other legal documents
• Ability to read a map, or plat recorded

REQUIREMENTS:

Requires a High School Diploma/GED and two (2) years of customer and/or public service oriented experience performing accounting, bookkeeping, paralegal or office/clerical work or an equivalent combination of education and experience.  

CERTIFICATION, LICENSE AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Must possess a valid North Carolina driver’s license with a three-year acceptable driving record. Requires certification as an Assistant Tax Collector with the North Carolina Tax Collectors’ Association if duties are specific to collections within two years of employment. Requires successful completion of Listing and Assessing, Department of Revenue Personal Property Appraisal, Plat Review Officer Workshop, Land Use Workshop, Exemption Workshop if duties are specific to Land Record.

Durham County Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer