John Coffelt, Editor

Manchester Water Department monthly bills will soon come to residents not as a printed card but in an envelope with monthly usage info and cutoff dates.

The Water and Sewer Commission recommended a proposal at the April, 6 meeting, that will outsource the printing to Divco Data at a cost of about $0.625 per customer per printing.  

The switchover will save the city just over $33,000 annually, according to the water department.  

The catch is that the city’s EnCode software will require an $8,000 module to transfer billing data to the company that will print the bills. There will be a $1,625 maintenance fee for the software. 

The move will free up a water department clerk who. One employee spends several eight-hour shifts each month printing water bill cards. 

The bill will include more information which could include prior usage, how to pay online and might include a paperless billing option.

The matter will go before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at the May meeting.  

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.