Building and Zoning Clerk

Modified: March 10, 2016 3:40pm

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Building and Zoning Clerk

#67-749 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

Salary: $35,533.00 - $48,205.00 Annually
Opening Date: March 10, 2016
Closing Date: April 6, 2016
Application fee: $20.00

Residence Requirements:

At present there is one vacancy in the Town of Amherst.  The annual salary is $35,533 - $48,205.annually.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill this vacancy and other appropriate vacancies which may occur in municipalities or districts under the jurisdiction of Erie County Civil Service while this list is active.
RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:  CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY  AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT.  Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment.  Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states.

Examples of Duties:

A Building and Zoning Clerk performs responsible and complex clerical assistance work in a municipal building and zoning office; deals with the public in person and by telephone, answering questions on fire prevention, building, plumbing, electrical, health, energy, environmental codes and laws; reviews plans and drawings for new building additions and alterations and after conferring with Building Inspector, makes decision regarding compliance with the zoning law and forwards applications to municipality or Planning Boards when necessary; processes all building permits and certificates of occupancy; prepares forms and reports for various municipality, County, State and Federal agencies in building and zoning areas; researches and answers various questions regarding building and zoning codes and regulations; checks survey of property, County maps, zoning maps and municipal code for zoning conformance;  in event of conflict in zoning, informs applicants of options to ask variance from Zoning Board of Appeals; logs complaints regarding zoning violation--if violation is found, refers matter to zoning officer; composes and prepares all clerical work involved in building and zoning area.
A medical examination may be required before appointment. 

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:
Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three years of clerical or public contact *experience, one year of which required knowledge of zoning regulations and New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code.

Notes:

NOTES:  1.  *Public contact experience is defined as that which involved substantial face-to-face communications with adults involving persuasion, negotiation, explaining, counseling and similar activities.   2.  Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.

Examination date:

May 14, 2016

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

April 6, 2016

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Clerical operations with letters and numbers

These questions test for skills and abilities in clerical operations involving alphabetizing, comparing, checking and counting. The questions require you to follow the specific directions given for each question which may involve alphabetizing, comparing, checking and counting given groups of letters and/or numbers.

2. Name and number checking

These questions test for the ability to distinguish between sets of words, letters, and/or numbers that are almost exactly alike. Material is usually presented in two or three columns, and you will have to determine how the entry in the first column compares with the entry in the second column and possibly the third. You will be instructed to mark your answers according to a designated code provided in the directions.

3. Office record keeping

These questions test your ability to perform common office record keeping tasks. The test consists of two or more "sets" of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of data from several sources; scheduling; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

4. Public contact principles and practices

These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact with other people, to gather and present information, and to provide assistance, advice, and effective customer service in a courteous and professional manner. Questions will cover such topics as understanding and responding to people with diverse needs, perspectives, personalities, and levels of familiarity with agency operations, as well as acting in a way that both serves the public and reflects well on your agency.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.


**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.