PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 

Dear SBBA Members:

I am looking forward to serving as president this year and getting to know each of you. 

I am very grateful for all that I have accomplished, friends I have made and all that I have learned through the Association. 

I would like to personally thank the newest members to the board; Karen Mora and Paula Mauro for committing their time and expertise.  I would also like to thank the newsletter committee for their commitment to all of you.  That position is always the hardest to fill. 

Finally, I would like to thank the board members for raising me up to this level and for continuing to educate me in all that I will encounter this year. 

Sincerely,
      Jennifer Loren

SECRETARY'S MINUTES 
Submitted by Holly Adamscheck, SBBA Secretary

The SBBA met September 16, 2003 at Mulligan’s Café  for the general meeting, chaired by President Maureen Turk. 

Guests who attended were O.B. Mora, Lynn Elliott, Linda Abel, and Eva Kirsch and new members who attended were Paula Herscheck and Nancy Ladow.  There was a total of thirty three (33) members in attendance at the September meeting.

The agenda included Newsletter distribution and the election of new officers as follows:  

President - Jennifer Loren
Vice President - Karen Mora (Ziegler)
Secretary - Paula Mauro
Treasurer - Ken Jurgensen

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

In your business, you  may encounter situations that require your expertise in more areas than just numbers!  Our next program, on October 21, 2003 , will cover sexual harassment from the perspective of an outside bookkeeper.  

Hopefully none of us will encounter this issue.  We all handle situations better when we know the law.  As an outside bookkeeper/consultant we may be responsible for reporting incidents that take place in a workplace even if we are not actual employees.

Jacqueline Willson of Anticouni and Associates will discuss what steps an outside bookkeeper/consultant should take when information regarding sexual harassment is relayed in confidence.

Jacqueline Willson is an associate attorney for Anticouni and Associates specializing in employment issues including employment discrimination and sexual harassment. She has been an attorney since 1978 graduating with honors from The University of San Francisco School of Law. She is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, the California Bar Association and Santa Barbara County Bar Association.  

During the presentation, Ms. Willson will discuss the responsibilities of an outside bookkeeper/consultant in the area of sexual harassment by explaining the responsibilities a bookkeeper has while at work for a company/client.  She will explain information regarding sexual harassment reporting and the liabilities of not reporting.

If you have specific questions for Ms. Willson, please email them in advance to pallman.cpa@earthlink.net.  Ms. Willson will address your specific questions during her talk.  

Submitted by Pamela Allman

From: the SSA/IRS Reporter, Fall 2003 Edition - “A Newsletter for Employers”
Submitted by: Sandra O’Meara

Early autumn is the perfect time to begin preparing your year-end process, according to the American Payroll Association (APA), which offers the following time-proven first steps from its class, Preparing for Year-End:

* Develop a committee,  including representatives from any departments in your organization that play a role in year-end, such as payroll, tax, accounting, accounts payable, human resources, benefits, information systems, and the mail room.

* Create a calendar of payroll runs, adjustment runs, and tax deposits, considering holidays observed by your company, your bank, and your service providers.

* Establish a checklist of year-end tasks, including due dates and responsible parties.

* Determine how you will provide your Forms W-2 this year to your employees and to the Social Security Administration----on paper or electronically?  Now is the time to discuss this with your software vendors and/or service providers.

 * Ask your employees to review their pay stubs for the accuracy of the name, address, and social security number.  

* Consider using SSA’s Employee Verification Service (www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/ssnv.htm) to verify your employees’ names and social security numbers and to avoid error  notices.

 * Reconcile the following three items:

----the total of the amounts from the first three  Forms 941 for 2003,

 ----the third quarter year-to-date figures on your  payroll journal,  and

 ----a W-2 audit report as of September 30 (if your System allows it).

It’s Never Too Early to Plan  for Year-End

  The Not So Fine Print