Small Agency Services Bulletin - February 2025

Feb. 2025

Important Dates Important Messages Small Agency Financial Services News Travel Tips Contact Us

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Please send your feedback about the Department of Enterprise Services' (DES) Small Agency Financial Services (SAFS). Your feedback helps us improve and better meet your needs. Finance welcomes your feedback at any time.

Important Dates

Mar. 6

  • To reflect in your agency’s February monthly financial statements, all invoices and travel reimbursement requests are due to Accounts Payable.

Apr. 27

  • Wrap up of the 2025 "long" Legislative Session. The Legislature will work through the state holidays (Martin Luther King Jr. Day & President's Day) as well.

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Important Messages

Correctional Industries (CI) - end of year cut-off dates

CI has identified the following cutoff dates for FY25 furniture orders requiring delivery by June 30, 2025:

  • Standard gross product orders exceeding $100,000 – Feb. 28, 2025
  • Standard gross product orders less than $100,000 – March 31, 2025
  • Sit-To-Stand riser orders – April 30, 2025
  • Fast Fulfillment orders* – June 2, 2025

* Applies to in-stock items only. Orders must be placed via CI’s website.

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Small Agency Financial Services News

Process changes

With the upcoming transition to Workday, DES will be working diligently to support our small agencies with shifting to the US Bank online portal to reconcile transactions. This change is intended to increase processing efficiency and improve transparency over purchasing and signature authority. This will be a slow-rolling process improvement initiated by our SAFS AP team in multiple phases across all our small agencies. We will be contacting agencies individually throughout the phases.

Please stay tuned for further agency-specific communication from our team in the forthcoming months this Spring. In the meantime, if you have any general questions or concerns, email us at APQuestions.safs@des.wa.gov.

Five quick tips for handling receipts

  1. Incoming cash and checks must be deposited as soon as possible.
  • Per RCW 43.01.050, deposits must be within 24 hours of the receipt of cash or checks.
  • DES has been granted a waiver allowing Small Agency Financial Services (SAFS) agencies, to whom they provide accounts receivable services, to deposit either weekly or when cash on hand reaches $500, whichever comes first.
  1. Two people should open the mail whenever cash or checks are expected. One person should create a list of cash and checks received and another should review it. Both persons should initial the list after the amounts have been verified by both.
  2. A balance and summary of all cash receipts should be prepared daily. Any shortages or overages are to be investigated and to the extent possible, corrected.
  3. Receipts need to be safeguarded until they are sent to SAFS for deposit. Cash and checks received should be kept in a secure location that is restricted to authorized personnel.
  4. Agencies should maintain written procedures on all cash handling and cash control procedures. These should include the procedures used by the agency and the roles and responsibilities of staff handling and reviewing cash receipting activity.

For more information about safe handling cash and check receipts, please contact us at 360-407-2238 or desaccountsreceivable@des.wa.gov.

SAFS (Small Agency Financial Services) Team Updates

Did you know? Your DES financial support team consists of ALL of our SAFS team members. Even though you may work with specific SAFS members regularly, other SAFS members often step in to assist and provide continuity of services. We would like you to know about our whole SAFS team. Below is a list of each work group within SAFS, the members you may hear from, and recent news or a message from each team.

Accounts Payable

Team Members:

  • Diana Huynh - Supervisor
  • Rachel Neuman - Sr. Lead
  • Riley Hyland - Sr. Lead
  • Bryn Parker - Lead
  • Kaler Zoucha - Lead
  • Diana Dikhamindzhiya - Accounting Analyst
  • Kyler Oblad - Accounting Analyst
  • Forest Pope - Accounting Analyst

Team Message: If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.

Accounts Receivable

Team Members:

  • Betti Bartoldo - Supervisor
  • Stacey Millsap - Sr. Lead
  • Jenifer Mobley - Accounting Analyst
  • Brandy Leitgeb - Accounting Analyst
  • Sarah Palazzo - Cash Receipts Specialist
  • Sean Garcia - Cash Receipts Specialist

Team Message: Inspiration starts with one person and spreads to the whole team.

Budget

Team Members:

  • Diann Lewallen
  • Seth Flory
  • Ian Shelley
  • Christina Shearer
  • Annis Jones

Team Message: The best you can do to predict the future is to create it together.

Payroll

Team Members:

  • Rachel Rodgers – Manager
  • Molly Guinan – Supervisor
  • Kayla Preble – Lead
  • Nichole Dahlin – Processor
  • Amber Roberts – Processor
  • Vanno Non - Garnishments
  • Adam Oskvig – Out of State Taxes
  • Treyson Ramos – Retirement Specialist
  • Brandy Butterfield – Benefits Specialist
  • Malachi Riedl - Time and Attendance Processor

Team Message: Together, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results.

Administrative Assistance

Team Members:

  • Danelle Guerin
  • Makaila Barbella

Team Message: Together we are stronger, our voices louder, and the synergy of our actions more powerful.

DES Accounts Payable statistics for Jan. 2025 (34 agencies served)

Invoices received from agency 2,154 76.60% $17,063,180
Invoices paid on delegated authority 566 20.13% $1,714,722
Travel requests paid through TEMS 88 3.13% $34,103
Payments reissued (SOL, Lost Warrant) 4 0.14% $3,769
Total payments processed 2,812 100% $18,815,774
Turnaround days 3.76    

DES Payroll statistics for Jan. 2025 (42 agencies served)

Total employees paid 1,392 per pay period
New hires/rehires 28 per pay period
Separations 16 per pay period
Transfers 9 per pay period
Supplemental payments/walk throughs 0 per pay period
Overpayments 7 per pay period

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Travel Tips

Per diem taxation reminder

If the 11-hour rule for meals applies to a traveler submitting for reimbursement, the per diem requested will also be taxable and will be included on the employee's W-2. When utilizing the Travel and Expense Management Systems (TEMS), the meals must be marked as taxable when applicable.

For more information on the 11 hour rule, please refer to SAAM Chapter 10.40.50.

As always, if you have any questions regarding travel: call SAFS AP at 360-407-8183 or email travel.safs@des.wa.gov.

Helpful Hints for Good to Go! Transponder Accounts

A Good To Go! account is the cheapest and easiest way to pay tolls in Washington. With an account, your tolls will be paid automatically without having to stop at a toll booth or worry about bills in the mail. Check out helpful hints on setting up and using a Good To Go! account.

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Contact Us

If you would like to know what budget analyst, payroll analyst and HR business partner is assigned to your agency, see our Agency Assignments webpage.

If you would like to get contact information for DES SAFS and HR staff, see our Contacts webpage.

If you have suggestions or feedback about the Small Agency Services Bulletin, please send your comments to SmallAgencyBulletin@des.wa.gov.

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