Water department clerks log 37 years service

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

McMinnville Water Department billing clerks Brenda Russell, left, and Twana Smith consult about a bill. Combined, the clerks have almost 40 years experience working for the city. (Amy Satterwhite photo)

Just because you can’t see Twana Smith and Brenda Russell doesn’t mean they don’t interact with citizens.

Although they keep a low profile as utility billing clerks in McMinnville’s water billing and customer service office at city hall, the pair have been dealing with residents and their water bills for almost 20 years. Chances are, if you’ve had a billing problem or service issues while living in McMinnville during the past two decades, you’ve talked to either Smith or Russell.

Russell began her career with the city almost 17 years ago and was a property tax clerk and water cashier before moving into her present position as a billing clerk. Smith, a 20-year veteran, has spent all but six months of her career as a billing clerk.

The pair spend their days behind a partition in the water office and are responsible for entering meter readings and printing the water, sewer and garbage bills for 6,500 city customers.

They enter readings provided by meter readers, print bills for four different billing cycles, update orders, post receipts and answer questions from clients. In unfortunate circumstances, they are also responsible for giving disconnection notices for unpaid bills, which is a pitfall of the job that can sometimes lead to irate customers, with whom they must also handle.

“We send out one bill and then if they don’t pay by the due date, we send them one notice,” Smith said of the steps leading up to disconnection. If that happens and a non-paying customer wants to restore service, a reconnection fee is charged.

Russell said it is easy to tell who struggles by simply noticing paying habits.

“We have lots of people who wait on the notice and just pay from the notice,” she said.

The pair said while disconnection is the least favorite part of their jobs, they have seen a brighter side of humanity when people in the community come together to try to help those who are struggling with paying their bills. Individually, they have also personally helped some of those struggling.

In their business, the bills have to be right, and the pair try to work together to ensure that is the case.

“She checks everything I do and we double check everything,” Russell added.

Sometimes, however, human error can’t be overcome. A simple error, either in manual readings at the meter or a clerical error in the office can make for an odd bill.

Smith said most times, they catch it through their system.

“We’ve had one or two is about all I can remember,” she said of an incorrect, exorbitant bill, noting that bill might never reach the mail. “And if we catch it, we just adjust it.”