City Manager Tom Hatch presented the March City Manager Leadership Award to the Finance Department’s Treasury Specialist Mathew Schmelzel at the monthly Meet and Greet event on Thursday March 22.

“Matt is a great contributor to the Finance Department team,” City Manager Hatch said. “He is respected by his peers and has a can-do attitude. I truly appreciate his dedication to his work and the city.”

Schmelzel was promoted to treasury specialist in December of 2016 and that alone is a big job. Some of his primary job functions are to review financial records and related revenue collections for compliance with the City’s Municipal Code including: Transient Occupancy Tax, various rent payments and business licensing. He also issues nonprofit solicitation permits, and bingo permits. In the absence of the revenue supervisor he is responsible for daily banking and cash management functions as well as training and supporting staff.

But soon after assuming that role the revenue supervisor and the accounting specialist left the City leaving a huge vacancy in the Treasury Division. Schmelzel stepped up to take on some of the Revenue Supervisor’s job responsibilities such as daily cash management, special event permits, and fireworks permits.

In addition to learning his new role as the treasury specialist, Schmelzel was training a new employee on issuing business and animal license permits and managing Treasury staff. Plus, Schmelzel was on a committee for the selection of a new online animal licensing system.

Schmelzel has continued to coordinate the City’s special event permitting process, which requires collaboration with City departments and outside parties to ensure compliance with the City’s Special Events Permit Ordinance. In addition to issuing over 50 permits in 2017, some of the larger special event projects he has worked on include the OC Marathon and the Chargers Training Camp.

Schmelzel joined the city in March of 2014 as a part time permit processing specialist. He has  Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Cal State Fullerton with a concentration in finance.

In addition to Schmelzel, City Manager Hatch welcomed several new and newly promoted employees. The new hires included:

Flor Paniagua, Jade Sims and Andre “A.J” Wallace, all recreation leader IIs in the Parks & Community Services Deparment, and Police Officers James C. Hagan and Tyler Salem. In the Public Services Department, Hatch welcomed Azita Fakoorbayat a new principal civil engineer, Bobby Fouladi, a new associate engineer and Nazila Mokarram a senior engineer.

The newly promoted employees include Code Enforcement Officer Andy Godinez, Rene Jimenez and Elena Martinez to recreation leader IV and Jessica Martinez to recreation specialist.