Who should open mail?

Who should open mail?

• A. The person who is receiving payments and issuing receipts.
• B. Any employee can open mail.
• C. The city auditor.
• D. The police department.

Answer: (A)

Handling mail that contains payments should be done by the person who receives payments and issues receipts. This keeps the process tightly linked—when a payment arrives, that same person can immediately identify it, endorse the check if needed, record it in the system, and issue a receipt to the payer. This creates a clear chain of custody and accurate accounting, which are essential for preventing misposting or misappropriation. Letting anyone else open payment mail would weaken controls and blur accountability. Roles like the city auditor or the police department aren’t focused on daily cash receipts, so they aren’t appropriate for this task.

Handling mail that contains payments should be done by the person who receives payments and issues receipts. This keeps the process tightly linked—when a payment arrives, that same person can immediately identify it, endorse the check if needed, record it in the system, and issue a receipt to the payer. This creates a clear chain of custody and accurate accounting, which are essential for preventing misposting or misappropriation. Letting anyone else open payment mail would weaken controls and blur accountability. Roles like the city auditor or the police department aren’t focused on daily cash receipts, so they aren’t appropriate for this task.