FeedsBelleville city treasurer terminated
The City of Belleville is again searching for a city treasurer following the employment termination of Mary Williamson last week.
Williamson, whose last day was July 11, was fired for failure to meet expectations of the city and needs for the position during the probationary period, according to Belleville officials.
“It wasn’t working out and it was still the early stage of the probationary period,” said City Manager Steve Walters.
The probation is a 12-month period that applies to all employees, whether appointed from an original entrance list, reemployment list or promotional employment list. The probationary period must be satisfied prior to an employee gaining permanent status, which means their services can be terminated at any time during that period without the right of appeal, according to civil service regulations.
Williamson, a public accountant from the firm of Post, Smythe, Lutz and Ziel in Wayne, was hired as the city treasurer in February. She also worked as an accountant for Northfield Township from 2004-2005 and for Accountemps in Providence, RI for six years.
“The general conclusion was it wasn’t working out,” said Walters. “Now, the Civil Service Commission will meet to discuss the application process to hire a replacement.”
In the meantime, Walters said Sean Bellingham, the deputy treasurer for Van Buren Township, would come back to the city to help keep the accounting records current.
Job requirements for the city treasurer will include technical and administrative accounting work in budgeting, payroll data and employee master files. Desirable qualifications for the position include: a bachelors degree in accounting or closely related field, at least two years of job experience, working principles and practices of knowledge and computers and a municipal finance officer certification.
The current salary is $42,224 plus benefits, but could be one of the reasons it has been difficult to find someone suitable for the position.
“We haven’t been paying enough to be competitive. It’s obviously something we’ll have to talk about,” said Walters.
Officials hope to have a new city treasurer within a few months, he added.
