City of MorenoValleyFiscal

Policy #3.23

Page 1

CASH HANDLING AND CONTROL POLICY

PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish the practice by which all cash receipts, or cash equivalents, tendered to the City will be accepted, documented, recorded, safeguarded and deposited. This policy is also intended to provide staff with acceptable practices in the handling and safekeeping of cash or cash equivalents.

DEFINITIONS:

Cashier: Anyone who accepts payments on behalf of the City.

Cash Receipts: Includes coin, currency, checks, money orders, credit cards or other cash equivalents that may be processed by a financial institution.

Cash Receipt Location (CRL): A physical location, other than the Cashiers desk at City Hall, which has been designated as a location to collect and receipt cash for the City of Moreno Valley.

Main Cashier: The Cashier Desk in City Hall.

Point of Sale System (POS): A software program that can be run either on a stand-alone computer or on a network and allows for the recording of cash collection and receipting related to payments for goods or services.

Returned Items: Transactions that have been presented to the bank for deposit and returned to the City due to account balance or status issues. Such transactions could include but are not limited to Non Sufficient Funds (NSF) or Closed Accounts.

Starter Checks: Checks that are issued to a bank depositor upon the opening of a new checking account. These checks typically do not contain any address or telephone information related to the depositor.

  1. RESPONSIBILITY
  1. The City Treasurer has oversight, fiduciary, and administrative responsibility for all cash collections performed by City staff or on behalf of the City by contractors.
  1. The City Treasurer has the responsibility and authority to ensure that all cash handling is performed according to this policy.
  1. This responsibility shall include:
  1. To act as an advisor for cash handling activities performed by City staff.
  1. To oversee the cash handling activities on behalf of the City.
  1. To verify that all deposits are handled and prepared in accordance with City policy.
  1. To review and implement internal controls as needed to ensure the safety of City cash and cash equivalents.

II.SCOPE

  1. This policy shall apply to all locations that collect cash or cash equivalents on behalf of the City.
  1. In some cases due to the nature of the collection activity, procedures may be developed which are different than those outlined within this policy. In these cases these procedures must be approved by the City Treasurer prior to their implementation
  1. Entities that collect funds on behalf of the City, through a contractual relationship, may adopt policies and procedures that differ from those outlined herein. In such cases thesedocuments must be reviewed and approved by the City Treasurer.

III.INTERNAL CONTROLS

  1. Standard accounting internal control procedures will be established and followed.
  1. Standard accounting internal controls include but are not limited to:
  1. Separation of duties. (For example, the person preparing the deposit should be different from the person who accepted the payment and receipted the transaction.)
  1. Periodic reconciliation of accounts by someone independent of the cash handling or recording functions.

3.Document Control (for example, unused manual receipt books should be maintained in a locked, secured location with limited access by public or staff.)

  1. COLLECTION LOCATIONS
  1. The Cashier desk in City Hall is designated as the primary location for the collection and deposit of cash receipts.
  1. It is preferable that all checks that are received through the mail be received directly by Treasury staff. In cases where checks, money orders or traveler’s checks are received through the mail at locations other than the Treasury Division they should be forwarded to the Treasury Division for immediate deposit. When the appropriate account coding is not immediately available, it will be deposited and coded to a suspense account until such time that the coding is identified and communicated to Treasury staff. Items placed in suspense need to be identified and reclassified to their correct account within ten working days or by the calendar month-end.Payments received through the mail for the Electric Utility should be immediately forwarded to the Customer Service center for processing. (The exception would be checks received by Parks and Community Services and Utility Customer Service since these areas are responsible for posting and depositing their receipts.)
  1. Any request for the collection of cash receipts at a location other than the main cashier must be authorized by the City Treasurer and should include the following information:
  2. How customer service will be improved.
  3. The cash custodian(s).
  4. How cash activities will be accounted for(for example, cash register, hand receipts, etc.).
  5. How cash receipts will be safeguarded(for example, safe or lockbox)
  6. How deposits will be managed.
  1. A list of approved collection locations will be maintained by the City Treasurer
  1. All cash receipts will be maintained in a secured area with limited access.
  1. The establishment of change funds to support collection operations will follow the guidelines set forth in Administrative Policy 3.1 section V - Petty Cash Funds and Change Boxes.
  1. All City employees who handle cash will be included under the City’s insurance coverage.
  1. METHODS OF PAYMENT
  1. The following methods of payment will be accepted:
  2. Cash
  3. Checks
  4. Money Orders
  5. Traveler’s Checks
  6. Payment Cards (Credit/Debit/ChargeCards issued by Mastercard, Visa or Discover)
  7. Wires / Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
  8. Other forms of tender as approved by the City Treasurer and the City’s bank.
  1. Checks
  2. Checks, Money Orders and Traveler’s Checks are to be made payable to “The Treasurer, City of Moreno Valley” (“City of Moreno Valley” is acceptable).
  1. Change will not be made for checks written in excess of the invoice amount. In cases where the amount of the check is in excess of the invoice amount the difference will be refunded by means of a Direct Pay.
  1. Personal Checks
  1. Personal checks presented in person must include the following information:
  1. Customer name and address should be preprinted on the face

of the check.

  1. Telephone number
  1. Starter/Blank checks are not to be accepted without the approval of a supervisor. Proper identification must be provided and the name, address and phone number will be placed on the face of the check.
  1. Returned Items
  2. Returned Items will be subject to a returned check fee.
  1. The amount of the Returned Check Fee will be determined

annually and published in the Fee Schedule.

  1. Payors may not replace the returned item(s) in the same

manner as the original presentment. (For example if the

customer provided an NSF personal check they cannot

replace this with another personal check.)

  1. Upon the occurrence of a returned item Treasury staff will

notify the accepting department so that the related goods or

services can be held until the item is replaced.

  1. The Treasury Division will maintain a list of customers who

havepresented payments that have been returned. The City may require other forms of payment from customers who have recurring issues with returned payments.

  1. Checks will not be accepted for the following reasons:
  2. Out of State (Payor Address)
  3. Post-Dated Checks (Checks written on a future date)
  4. Stale Dated Checks (Checks written 30 days prior)
  5. Checks drawn on foreign currency
  1. The following personal check transactions will not be performed:
  2. No cash may be given as change for a personal check

transaction. If a check is accepted for an amount greater than

the cost of the service a Direct Pay must be prepared and

processed as a refund once the check has cleared.

NoExceptions. (This constitutes an illegal loan of City

funds.)

  1. City employee personal checks will not be redeemed

(cashed) for cash.

  1. No two-party checks will be accepted. (A two-party check is

made payable to one party and endorsed to the City)

  1. The City Treasurer or his/her designee must approve personal checks in excess of $5,000.
  1. When checks are received through the mail the following requirements will be met:
  1. Checks will be restrictively endorsed. The first employee at

a cash receipt location tocome in contact with a check is

responsible tohave the check restrictively endorsed.

Endorsement stamps will be obtained from the Treasurer or

his/her designee.

  1. If the check is payable to the City but lacks sufficient

information to identify the appropriate general ledger

account number, write “SUSPENSE” on the deposit

form and present to the main cashier or Treasury Division

staff. The check will then be deposited into the bank. When

the appropriate general ledger account number is identified,

provide the coding to Treasury so that the funds can be

properly applied to the account. The appropriate account

should be identified prior to the month-end closing.

  1. Business Checks
  1. Company checks will be inspected to ensure that multiple signatures are in place if required or if a“not valid over $” statement is included.
  1. Traveler’s Checks
  1. Traveler’s checks are treated as cash but will require the following actions:
  2. Cashier must witness the customer write in the payee.
  3. Cashier must witness the customer countersign the check.
  4. Signature and countersignature should be compared
  1. Identification will be required.
  1. Validity of Traveler’s checks will be verified by calling the financial institution identified on the body of the check.
  1. No traveler’s checks drawn on foreign funds will be accepted.
  1. Cashier’s Checks / Personal Money Orders
  1. Cashier’s Checks and Personal Money Orders will be accepted.
  1. Identification will be required.
  1. Currency
  1. All authorized cash handling units are responsible for exercising reasonable care in screening cash transactions for counterfeit currency.
  1. Mutilated currency is still legal tender. Staff may ask customers to substitute another bill for the mutilated bill. If they cannot substitute the bill staff must accept the mutilated bill.
  1. Currency is considered mutilated if it is torn, written on,

missing a portion, or otherwise damaged.

  1. Mutilated currency will be exchanged at full value if ¾ of

the bill (or the two serial numbers) are present. Currency that is less than ¾ intact will not be accepted due to its diminished redemptive value.

  1. Mutilated currency should be removed from the deposit and

returned separately to the bank for collection.

  1. Credit/Debit/Charge Cards
  1. The City of Moreno Valley accepts the following credit cards:
  1. Mastercard
  2. Visa
  3. Discover
  1. Information on a Credit/Debit/Charge card must be verified againsta form of picture identification (for example, Driver’s License or State or Military ID). Some cards include pictures as security feature and would not need a second form of validation.
  1. Staff will accept payment for the amount of the invoice only.
  1. Under no circumstances are staff to maintain cardholder data in any form written or electronic.
  1. The City’s payment card program operates in a face-to-face environment. As such no transactions will be processed on a card-not-present basis except in situations approved by the City Treasurer. Exceptions that typically would be allowed would include on-line processing through an approved processor.
  1. Payment card data will be managed and maintained in a secure manner. See Policy XXX 3.27 Payment Card Security.
  1. Wires / Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT)
  1. All wires or EFTs are to be coordinated through the City Treasurer or his/her designee.
  1. Documentation supporting the wire/EFT and identifying the correct revenue coding will be provided to Treasury staff prior to the anticipated date of receipt. This will assist Treasury staff in their daily cash management planning.

V.DOCUMENTATION OF TRANSACTIONS

  1. All transactions will be recorded by means of an acceptable method of documentation.
  1. Acceptable methods of documentation include:
  2. Cash Register
  3. Point of Sale System (POS)
  4. Manual Receipt-Manual Receipt books can be obtained from the main cashier.
  1. Customers will always be provided a receipt which provides the following information:
  2. Amount Paid
  3. Date of Transaction
  4. Service or Product provided
  5. Name or initials of staff accepting payment
  6. Manner of payment
  1. Receipts
  2. Receipts provided to customers will be pre-numbered and issued in numerical sequence.
  1. Manual Receipting will be performed by utilizing City of Moreno Valley receipt books. These receipt books are maintained and issued by the main cashier.
  1. Receipts generated by POS systems or cash registers should have a system generated receipt number that should be unique and should be issued in sequence.
  1. When City of Moreno Valley manual receipts are issued, copies will be distributed in the following manner:
  2. White copy is provided to the customer
  3. Yellow copy is maintained in cash drawer to support the deposit
  4. Pink copy is maintained in the receipt book and returned to the main cashier when the book is consumed.

VI.BALANCING AND RECONCILING

  1. It is the responsibility of each cashier to balance and reconcile their cash drawer(s) daily. Cash drawer(s) should be equal to the change fund plus the balance of cash receipt activity for the day or shift.
  1. Cash drawer(s) should be reconciled against the daily cash receipts report, cash register tape or calculator tape depending on whether the site uses a POS system, a cash register, or manual receipts.
  1. Overage / Shortage
  1. When the amount in the cash drawer does not balance with the daily report, staff will report an Overage or a Shortage (Over/Short) as appropriate.
  1. When an Over/Short is identified, staff will complete the City of Moreno Valley Overage/Shortage Form and submit with their deposit. (Attachment B)
  1. The Over/Short form will require the following information:
  2. Date of Deposit
  3. Amount of overage/shortage
  4. Reason for overage/shortage
  5. Signature of staff responsible for drawer
  6. Signature of supervisor
  7. The Over/Short Form must accompany deposit to the main cashier.
  1. Overages or Shortages in excess of $10 must be immediately brought to the attention of the City Treasurer or his/her designee upon identification.
  1. Under no circumstances are City staff allowed to balance overages by keeping the overage out of the deposit or balance shortages by taking money from other sources, such as out of pocket or money held back from a previous overage. Such activities could warrant disciplinary action.
  1. REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPOSIT
  1. All cash receipts will be deposited into the City’s bank account in a timely manner to ensure the proper posting of accounts and to ensure the safety of staff and City funds.
  1. Deposits can be made at the main cashier Monday – Thursday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
  1. Deposits outside of these hours can be placed in the drop safe located at the Main Cashier’s desk.
  1. All cash receipt locations will prepare deposits daily.
  1. All cash receipt locations that are not located at City Hall and do not deposit directly to armored car service will submit deposits to the main cashierbased on the minimum frequencies listed in Table # 1.

Cumulative Receipts / Minimum Frequency of Deposit to Cashier
Up to $99.00 / Within 3 Business Days
$100.00 to $500.00 / Within 1 Business Day
$500.00 or More / Same Day
Any single item $10,000.00 or more / Same Day/Immediately (Treasury staff will prepare for immediate bank deposit)

(Table # 1)

  1. Under no circumstances should deposits be held for more than 3 days before being submitted to the main cashier for deposit or deposited in the bank.
  1. All deposits from cash receipt locations are to be submitted to the main cashier for inclusion into the consolidated deposit with the exception of locations that have been approved for direct pick-up by armored car service.
  1. All deposits submitted to the main cashierwill include the City of Moreno Valley Deposit Form. (see Attachment B) The submitting department should keep one copy of the form to match back to what the Cashier has entered into the Cash Receipts system.
  1. Upon verification of the deposit, the main cashier will send a copy of the Moreno Valley Deposit Recap Form back to the department as a confirmation of the amount posted by the main cashier.
  1. Deposits are to be presented to the main cashier intact. Cashing checks from City deposits, borrowing cash for personal use, lapping receipts to cover shortages in cash receipts, withholding checks for deposit in order to float checks, commingling of personal and City funds and modification of cash records are all serious offenses and may result in immediate discharge from employment.
  1. Funds received by staff who are not designated as a cash receipt location will be forwarded to the Treasury Program Supervisor or other appropriate Treasury Division staff by the morning of the next working day.
  1. Cash receipts are not to be sent through the City’s interoffice mail system.
  1. Treasury staff will prepare a consolidated deposit of City funds and have it transported to the depository by armored transport on a daily scheduled basis.
  1. The Handling and Management of Scanned Checks

In order to expedite the deposit and clearing of funds paid by means of a check all checks that meet the criteria established by the Check 21 Act (The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act) or any amending legislation will be converted to an electronic image and deposited with the City’s depository institution.

  1. Any check that has been scanned and accepted by the City’s depository institution will be managed in a manner that it cannot be reintroduced into the banking depository system and that the check and it’s pertinent data cannot be utilized to perpetrate fraudulent activities.
  1. Checks scanned at sites other than the Main Cashier will be transported to the Main Cashier for storage and safekeeping. Checks are not to be sent through the City’s interoffice mail system.
  1. Checks that have been deposited by means of a scanned image will be maintained in the safe located within the Treasury Operations Division.
  1. Due to the risks related to the storage of checks that have been deposited by means of a scanned image these checks will be maintained for the shortest time possible while still allowing for the identification resolution of image quality issues identified by the City’s depository institution.
  1. At the present time that time period is defined as the current month of activity plus the previous completed month (Two complete months at the most).
  1. Scanned checks that are being stored but are beyond this timeframe will be destroyed in the most thorough and safe manner available.
  1. A record of the destruction of these documents will be maintained as part of the Financial & Administrative Services Departments Records Disposal log.
  1. Only authorized staff will be allowed to have access to and to destroy these documents.