Postage stamps

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wrigjef
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Postage stamps

#1

Post by wrigjef »

Most of you should know how much of a pain it is for a clerk to get reimbursed for office supplies, especially a financial clerk who can't sign his own checks. I cheered loudly when the staples contract was set up and I could bill most supplies directly to the ward or stake. There are some supplies that I will go out of my way to purchase that way because of the convienience of the direct billing. Postage stamps are still a problem, it looks like staples does not sell them nor can I order them from the distribution center. It would be nice if the distribution center allowed units to order (forever) postage stamps. Another suggestion might be for the church to sell postage paid envelopes. Like when a clerk orders stationary for a new leader he has the option of paying extra to get either his regulator window envelopes with postage.

I also think that the window envelopes should be an automatic order, especially for stakes. I am ashamed to admit how long I went running envelopes through a printer just so I could mail an expense check out, before I discovered the window envelopes that will show the address correctly. That discovery was made thanks to this forum.
RossEvans
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#2

Post by RossEvans »

wrigjef wrote: I also think that the window envelopes should be an automatic order, especially for stakes. I am ashamed to admit how long I went running envelopes through a printer just so I could mail an expense check out, before I discovered the window envelopes that will show the address correctly. That discovery was made thanks to this forum.

Unfortunately, the address on the printed checks does not align well with the #10 window envelopes the church supplies. There is just too much slack space in the envelope. After several incidents of returned checks that caused problems with landlords, etc., we stopped using the church-supplied window envelopes and bought our own #9 window envelopes commercially. I haven't tried a #8 window envelope, but I think it might even be a better fit. Of course, this costs budget money. But the church stationery supplier only offers the #10.
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wrigjef
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#3

Post by wrigjef »

We got whatever size printed window envelopes the distribution enter sells and they work just fine. I always leave the stub attached and fold it over. It is not the address on the check that shows through the window but the (same) address printed on the stub.
RossEvans
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#4

Post by RossEvans »

wrigjef wrote:We got whatever size printed window envelopes the distribution enter sells and they work just fine. I always leave the stub attached and fold it over. It is not the address on the check that shows through the window but the (same) address printed on the stub.

I know that, having mailed hundreds of checks. The postal processing with the #10 envelopes almost always worked, so long as the printer alignment was perfect and the bottom of the checks sat benignly at the bottom of the envelopes.

But sometimes it didn't work, because there was more than 1/2" of vertical slop inside the #10 envelope above the folded check, and a loose fit horizontally. If the check happened to slide up inside the envelope during the mail handling, the top line(s) of the address got obscured. Then, after a few days, the automated USPS processing returned the mail piece to the bishop's return address. This happened frequently enough -- and caused enough headaches from late fees, etc. -- that we stopped using the church-supplied #10 envelopes and bought the #9 envelopes instead. They are more snug.

If the church stationery distribution service offered #9 window envelopes (or perhaps even #8, which I calculate would fit the folded checks perfectly) that would be cheaper than buying our own. But cheaper or not, we need the reliability.
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Mikerowaved
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#5

Post by Mikerowaved »

wrigjef wrote:Most of you should know how much of a pain it is for a clerk to get reimbursed for office supplies, especially a financial clerk who can't sign his own checks.
I was a finance clerk for quite a few years and never experienced this problem; OK, except when I would forget to bring in my own receipts to process, but that wasn't anyone's fault but my own. Once approved by the bishop, getting a signature from another authorized person was pretty easy on any given Sunday.
So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
RossEvans
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#6

Post by RossEvans »

wrigjef wrote:I cheered loudly when the staples contract was set up and I could bill most supplies directly to the ward or stake. There are some supplies that I will go out of my way to purchase that way because of the convienience of the direct billing.
As far as accounting convenience goes, I find the process of matching the billed invoices to the MLS transactions and budget categories to be rather complex, especially after CUBS. I find it is much less hassle to process a simple reimbursed receipt and cut a check. There are lots of good reasons to use the central purchasing arrangements for most supplies, but personal convenience of the finance clerk is not among them. If I have a choice, such as a local purchase of printer paper at Costco at a good price, I prefer to use that instead. I also buy our stamps there at a tiny discount -- which I intend to do today, in fact.

And like Microwaved, I find that getting a second signature on a check payable to the finance clerk has never been much of a problem.
funaddict
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#7

Post by funaddict »

Is a clerk (or other signer) specifically prohibited from signing a chect made out to themselves? I don't recall reading that. Sure it's good practice, but can it be done? In our stake, the Stake President requires the Bishop to be one of the signers on all checks, so on the occasion that the Bishop needs to be reimbursed for something, he ends up signing his own check.
eblood66
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#8

Post by eblood66 »

funaddict wrote:Is a clerk (or other signer) specifically prohibited from signing a chect made out to themselves? I don't recall reading that. Sure it's good practice, but can it be done? In our stake, the Stake President requires the Bishop to be one of the signers on all checks, so on the occasion that the Bishop needs to be reimbursed for something, he ends up signing his own check.

See Handbook 1 section 14.6.7. At the end of the 3rd paragraph it indicates that check signers should not sign for checks made out to themselves (or if they are the fast offering beneficiary). So in that case, the bishop should not sign the check even if that is the general local policy.
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nbflint
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#9

Post by nbflint »

eblood66 wrote:See Handbook 1 section 14.6.7. At the end of the 3rd paragraph it indicates that check signers should not sign for checks made out to themselves (or if they are the fast offering beneficiary). So in that case, the bishop should not sign the check even if that is the general local policy.

Here's a real life example. We had a check written for someone with signatory authority in the ward. When the check was audited the approval documentation was missing. The check itself had been signed by the bishop and a 3rd party. These signatures, while not satisfactory for the audit, provided evidence that the payee was not embezzling funds by signing his own check.

Whether it is the Bishop or not, having 2 other signatures on the check could save your church membership and prevent legal proceedings against you. We never sign a check for ourselves or our household members.

kisaac
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#10

Post by kisaac »

An assistant clerk buys the stamps for our clerks office, and is re-reimbursed by check signed by the clerk and presidency member.
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