May 2025

Quick Facts

• A  Symphony cash report will be emailed to library location email lists each Tuesday morning. If you don't get a report and there are no payments in the cash register, you do not have to fill out a Cash Form.
• Each library must count the cash register drawer every Tuesday. If needed, get change.
• Resources
  • Keep a copy of the Cash register and credit/debit machine quick guide near the cash register.
  • Use the Cash Reconciliation Quick Guide built into the cash form, to process cash and make a bank deposit each week on Tuesdays.
  • There is a Cash FAQ Questions? Contact Jen Steward at jennifes@multco.us to add to it.
  • There are cash-related tutorials on the MCL Staff Academy:
    • Using the Cash Register
    • Refunds

Procedure

Before you fill out a Cash Form

1. Cash reconciliation is done weekly on Tuesdays for the previous week (Tuesday-Monday).
2. Each library must count the cash register drawer every Tuesday. If needed, get change.
3. Put the opening till amount back in the register. Use the remaining money to fill out the form and create the deposit as described in the procedure below.
4. A Symphony cash report will be emailed to library location email lists every Tuesday around 7 am.
   • If you receive a weekly Symphony cash report or have any payments in the cash register, you need to fill out a Cash Form.
   • If you do not receive a report or there are no payments, process any donations, and you are done.
   • To access the report and make it easier to read: click on the attachment and open it in Google Sheets. Make it larger, by changing the zoom to 150% or using the zoom in shortcut, Ctrl + =.

Filling out the Cash Form

• Each location will fill out their Cash Form, if they have transactions or payments to reconcile.
• You will need:
  • Cash, coins, checks, and credit card receipts from the cash register till, after the opening drawer has been subtracted. If you do not have enough cash for the opening drawer, contact your supervisor and Business Services.
  • The weekly Symphony cash report from your email
  • The cash register tape summary for the past week
  • The credit card machine batch report and receipts for the past week
  • Any donations in an envelope under the cash register till
  • A red envelope for reconciliation paperwork Procedure change: Do not staple paperwork.

  • This week's cash form for your location:
     

    
    • You will see a new, blank form each week. Use this form. Do not make a copy.
    • Cash forms are automatically archived each week and retained for three months. Business Services will keep their copies according to County retention rules.
• The Cash Form has two tabs
  • The Cash Form tab where staff enter information from Symphony and the cash register.
  • The Cash Reconciliation Quick Guide tab has step-by-step instructions.
  • These two tabs are color-coded to help you find the information you need.
• Enter information on the Cash Form tab, see Cash Reconciliation Quick Guide tab for details:
  • Your name, activity dates, location, today's date, and deposit bag number
  • Symphony Cash report Bill reasons and Payment types
  • Register tape Departments and Transactions
  • Cash drawer currency and coin
  • Check and credit/debit receipt totals
  • Use the Notes section for Cash register correction slips, if you are over/short, or if there is anything unusual.
• If you are over/short, review the Over/Short section on the Cash Reconciliation Quick Guide to troubleshoot. If you are still over/short:
  • Fill out the over/short form and give it to your supervisor at the end of the month.
  • To correct an error on the register tape, draw a line through it, initial it, the document the correction on a Cash register correction slip. You can fill out an Cash register correction slip if it wasn't done earlier.
  • Do not balance the amounts by changing Symphony or cash register information or keeping over/short money aside to add or subtract into a deposit.
  • Document everything in the Notes section on the Cash Form.

Preparing the deposit

• Complete the Bank deposit procedures.
• Drivers will pick up deposits on Wednesday mornings.
• Send the over/short form and the drivers' deposit pick-up sheet to Business Services in a red plastic envelope at the end of each month.

Check payments by mail

All mailed checks go to the Troutdale Library for processing.

• Checks are rung through the cash register.
• You do not need to mail receipts to patrons for these payments.
• If you receive a check by mail that is $5.00 or less over the charges owed:
  1. Ring in the remainder in the cash register as (06) Other.
  2. Process the payment amount.
• If you receive a check by mail that is $5.01 or more over the amount due, mail the check back to the patron with a letter explaining that the check is more than the amount owed.

Donations of cash or checks

• Place cash and check donations in any paper envelope under the cash register till.
• When you add a donation to the donation envelope, write the date, amount, and your initials on the envelope.
• When doing weekly cash reconciliation, send donations to Business Services/LAL in the red plastic envelope. Include a note that these are donations. These donations will be given to the Library Foundation.
• Patrons who wish to make donations with a credit or debit card, can make them online to the Library Foundation or the Friends of the Library.

Policy

Most monetary transactions must be rung into the cash register.

• If you collect money in Symphony, ring the amount into the cash register under 01 Symphony.
• Summer Reading T-shirts are not in Symphony. Ring the amount into the cash register under 04 T-shirts or 06 Other.
• Refunds by mailed check are not rung through the cash register because they do not involve any money from the cash register.
• Donations are not rung through the cash register because they are sent to Business Services each week. Business Services forwards these donations to the Library Foundation.

Symphony cash reports, cash forms, and deposits are processed to keep an accurate record of transactions from Symphony, the cash register record, and actual cash revenues.  Staff will record information accurately and note any discrepancies.

Send processed cash and deposit documents to Business Services each week. 

Cash record retention

• Keep the following records for one month. All other copies for previous months can be shredded; do not recycle as documents may contain confidential county or patron information. Do not send documents to County Archives. Library Business Services sends originals to County Archives on a schedule.
  • Photocopy of credit card machine daily transaction batch report
  • The 2nd part of the deposit ticket
  • Adding machine tape, if any
  • At the end of each month, give the completed Over/Short Form to your supervisor. They will sign it and send it to Business Services.
• Completed cash forms are archived and kept for 3 months in Google Drive.

Rationale

The library is responsible for monetary transactions and revenues. Symphony cash reports, cash forms, and deposits are processed to keep an accurate record of transactions from Symphony, the cash register, and actual cash revenues.