E-Help 08/17/2007
INCLUDES:
1. IMTA mourns the loss of Mildred Arends
2.
Illinois Funds new web address
3.
Institute- Nov 11-15
4. Unemployment Taxes & Third Party Administrators (LWFD)
5. Unemployment Comparison
6.
Not for Profit Groups soliciting donations on State Routes (Ziegler)
7.
Federal Travel Regulations Per Diem
8.
UPDATE
Federal Excise Taxes & Municipal Telecommunication Tax on municipal phones
9.
Electric Tax & Natural Gas Tax
10.
Responses
Identity Theft of Employee’s info
11.
Responses
Outsourcing Ambulance Billing (Highland)
12. Disaster Preparedness Guide
13. Job Opportunities
14. Interview Questions for Finance Director (Lockport)
“Thanks again to everyone that has contributed information in the past. If you
have questions, please feel free to send me your request. If you are responding
to a request, please send your response to the requester and include me as a
“cc”. Thanks again!”
Michael Peterson
mpeterson@villageofgrayslake.com
www.imtausa.org
www.aptusc.org
www.publictreasuryinstitute.com/bookshop/catalog.do
1.
IMTA mourns the loss of
Mildred Arends
Mary Ulrich reports that
Millie passed away Saturday,
July 28th., she was 87 years old. She was the first to hold a meeting in Peoria
for the City Treasurers to get the IMTA organization started.
2. New Illinois Funds website.
http://www.illinoisfunds.com/programs/illinois-funds/illinois-funds.aspx
3.
INSTITUTE- Keep these dates open, more info and registration forms to follow.
November 11-15, 2007
Hotel Pere Marquette, Peoria
Room Rates:
$99, block to be released on October 21, 2007
Phone: (309) 637-6555
Jo Ellen Hickenbottom, Program Coordinator
Eastern Illinois University
jhickenbottom@eiu.edu
4.
UNEMPLOYMENT TAXES AND THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATORS
We received some information on a company who acts as a 3rd party administrator
for state unemployment taxes on a reimbursement method. Is anyone on the
reimbursement method with the State of Illinois or do they have any experience
with an outside vendor processing claims, etc.?
Barb Beshears
Finance Director
Lisle-Woodridge Fire District
Barb,
If you have a low turnover rate, you might be able to elect to “Reimburse
benefits in Lieu of Paying Contributions”.
The form can be found at
http://www.ides.state.il.us/forms/enabled/ui5np.pdf
I did this in East Alton and we saved some money. Grayslake chooses to pay the
rate. If you think about it, how often would a fire fighter quit his/her job
and go on unemployment? It doesn’t seem like you would have very many claims
against your “experience” history.
Michael
RESPONSE:
We actually use NSN Employer Services as our third party administrator. In the
nearly 3 years I have been here, we have only had one claim. If I have any
questions at any point, I simply call NSN up and I usually end up talking to the
President of the company, Bonnie Weinstein. Let me know if you have any other
questions or want additional information. I know that it has saved us money
based on our low claim history.
Justin E. VanVooren
Finance Director
Village of Sugar Grove
jvanvooren@sugar-grove.il.us
Hi Barb
We have a very low turnover rate and have been on the reimbursement method for
many years. I've been here almost 25 years and we have paid out very few of
those years. So if you have a low turnover it is definitely a savings.
Sincerely,
Lori Heitman
Treasurer
Village of Lake Villa
5.
Unemployment
Comparison
We have been on the reimbursement basis as long as I’ve worked for the Town, 22
years. We now have 15 full-time and 9 part-time employees, and we have had
claims that we’ve had to pay only 2 or 3 times in all the time I’ve worked
here. It would be interesting to compare the total dollars we’ve paid through
reimbursement with the amount we would have paid at the percentage rate, but I
have not done that.
Susan Dockus,
Treasurer
Town of Cortland
From:
Michael Peterson [mailto:mpeterson@VillageOfGrayslake.com]
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 11:32 AM
Subject: RE: Unemployment Taxes
Thanks for responding.
To compare the percentage rate you can go to this website.
http://www.ides.state.il.us/employer/uitax/default.asp
For the past three years, your contribution using the percentage method (assuming all full time and part time made at least $11,500 each) would have been:
2007 max $943 per employee x 24 = $22,632
Min $115 per emp x 24 = $2,760
2006 max $979 per emp x 24 = $23,496
Min $121 per emp x 24 = $2,904
2005 max $1,029 per emp x 24 = $24,696
Min $126 per emp x 24 = $3,024
Thanks again,
Michael
6.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS SOLICITING DONATIONS
I would like to know how other communities handle organizations that want to
utilize their 4-way stops to collect money.
A few of our 4-way stops
are
located at
on state routes. The Illinois
Vehicle Code stipulates that money
cannot be collected here unless the municipality has an ordinance in place to
allow for this. There are also guidelines that are mandated by the vehicle code
for organizations to collect. Are there any municipalities that have dealt with
this, do you enforce this and if so how? Also could you please send me copy of
your ordinance pertaining to this.
Thanks,
Jennifer Menz
Zeigler IL
7.
CONUS (Continental United States)
Federal Travel
Regulations
Per Diem 2008
Per Diem bulletin can be found at:
http://www.gsa.gov/gsa/cm_attachments/GSA_DOCUMENT/PerDiemBulletin%2008-01_R2-uQ1-d_0Z5RDZ-i34K-pR.doc
8.
TELECOMMUNICATION TAXES UPDATED
As a reminder, your municipality should not be paying Federal Excise Tax on your
municipal phone bills.
AT&T customers can call
217.782.6045
to request
the exemption form entitled “Certificate of Exemption From Federal Excise Tax on
Communication Services or Facilities Furnished By AT&T Services or Its
Affiliates”
Wood River
I'm working on our AT&T bill. I spoke with Gerry, she claimed
the City of Wood River is not exempt from Federal Excise or Municipal tax.
After speaking with
Ted Knapp, IRS Agent I learned we are exempt from the
federal excise tax.
However we must pay the
state excise tax and we are also responsible for paying the municipal tax as
well. You gotta love taxes.
Thanks for the help.
Chandra
City of Wood River
Billing Clerk
credden@cityofwoodriver.com
FEDERAL EXCISE TAX
Ted Knapp (618.244.3453), IRS Representative reported that we should NOT pay the
Federal Excise Tax on phones. If it was paid in error, you will need to file
form 843 for a refund.
State of Illinois Dept of Revenue reports that local entities are no longer exempt from paying state taxes on phones since the passage of the Enhancement of Simplified Telecommunication Tax Act.
9. ELECTRIC & NATURAL GAS TAX
Electric
Previously, ComEd’s
instructed
municipalities
to
fax
a list of the service locations with account information to ComEd’s taxation
department to have these taxes removed.
ComEd’s taxation department is now requesting the municipality to incorporate an amendment to their tax ordinance. If the municipality exempted its accounts from the municipal electric utility tax, they would in effect eliminate the 3% handling fee from ComEd. The municipality should amend its electric utility tax ordinance to exempt all municipally operated facilities or appliances from the municipality electric utility tax being assessed and collected on them by Commonwealth Edison.
Natural Gas Tax
While I was talking with the gentleman at the state about
Grayslake’s natural
gas ordinance he told me to make sure that language was in there regarding the
exemption.
Brian Gosnell
BGosnell@cityhpil.com
10. IDENTITY THEFT SURVEY
Does your municipality
reimburse the employee for the costs involved in resolving an identity theft
matter? Specifically in situations where the employee’s information was stolen
as the result of their job with the Village. Example, Treasurer’s personal
information is on Village Bank account. Notary person’s personal information is
kept at the IL Dept of Financial and Professional Regulation..
Send responses to: mpeterson@villageofgrayslake.com
RESPONSES:
Mike –
A few years ago we had a potential breach of security over personnel information
when a life insurance payment was stolen. This was before the more recent laws
regulating and requiring disclosure of a breach.
I think our situation is similar to what most will likely encounter…information
“got loose” that had the potential for use in identity theft, and not an actual
ID theft.
If the breach was caused by the municipality, and there is a case of ID theft (not just the potential risk) where more than notification of the credit agencies (which is free) is required, I think that there would be some obligation to pay for at least some costs. But just because someone over reacts and incurs charges, no.
I think this is an area that requires some more research and refresh the ID Theft issues including the recommended and required actions and practices.
Brad L. Bettenhausen
Treasurer/Finance Director
11. OUTSOURCE AMBULANCE BILLING
We are looking to outsource our ambulance billing.
Can anyone share their experience with any of these third party vendors for
Ambulance Billing?
Medi-Claims
Efficient Billing Systems
ARS (Ambulance Reimbursement Systems)
Andres
Thanks.
Sharon Rusteberg,
Director of Finance
City of Highland Illinois
www.highlandil.gov
RESPONSES:
The
City of South Beloit
currently uses Andres Medical Billing. We are currently looking for other third
party billing vendors, as nearly 70% of our billings our in collections.
However, when the City had run it years ago the collection rate was not much
better (Have not reached a determination as to why yet). I hope this helps. Let
me know which third party billing Highland chooses and why, thanks.
Michael J. Salmons
Director of Finance
City of South Beloit
M.Salmons@SouthBeloit.org
Job Opportunities:
Just a reminder to our members, IMTA will
email your job openings and/or
post a copy on our website for free at:
http://www.imtausa.org/job.htm
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Tim
Schloneger,
Assistant
VM in Lemont
has
accepted the Lockport Village Manager position. First order of business will be
to hire a Finance Director. Tim is seeking interview questions for the Finance
Director position. If you have
interview
questions, please forward to Tim
at
tschloneger@lemont.il.us