Utility Billing Account Specialist

The City of Bozeman is seeking a detail-oriented Utility Billing Account Specialist to assist utilities customers with billing, payment processing, and account management. This role involves handling customer inquiries, accepting and processing payments, and performing various technical accounting and administrative duties. The ideal candidate enjoys providing customer service to the public, is detail-focused, and thrives in a fast-paced environment. This position offers a rewarding opportunity to serve the Bozeman community while ensuring accurate and efficient utility billing operations.

Bargaining Unit: Montana Federation of Public Employees

Fair Labor Standards Act Status: Non-Exempt

Work Week: Typically, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm

• Assists utility customers with routine and complex account, billing, and payment needs in person, by telephone, and online;
• Accepts customer payments by check, cash, or credit card, sets up bank drafts and recurring credit card payments as requested by customers;
• Researches, analyzes, and resolves customer questions or issues;
• Provides customers with clarifying information regarding City policies and programs established by the City Commission;
• Manages and troubleshoots multiple database systems for utility functions, including preparing, adjusting, maintaining, and troubleshooting customer accounts in accordance with prescribed guidelines;
• Manage meter readings and billings in complex databases, including both download and upload processes, understanding the process, required settings, and information received;
• Maintains inventory systems for assigned city assets including water meters, garbage totes, recycling bins, and compost bins;
• Generates service orders for Water and Solid Waste division and closes when resolved;
• Evaluate eligibility and processes adjustments to customer accounts due to leaks, misapplied payments, and meter or billing errors, and maintain supporting documentation;
• Processes nightly utility updates;
• Processes delinquent accounts, including notices, hang-tag lists, and establishing payment arrangements;
• Generates and reviews exception reports to ensure accuracy and reasonableness, researches and solves issues that arise, including contacting customers with water consumption issues;
• Processes returned mail and researches to find correct mailing addresses;
• Processes customer deposit refunds and credit balance refunds or transfers;
• Reconcile customer accounts and payments;
• Audits and records various department and customer deposits, reviewing for accuracy and correcting entries as necessary, reconciling and balancing cash register daily;
• Generates financial reports and other related documents at specified time intervals as directed;
• Ensures processes are compliant with internal fiscal policies and City Ordinance and Resolutions;
• Serves as a liaison between key Department personnel and other City departments and/or the general public, and provides fiscal information, explains procedures, and provides technical information regarding related procedures and methods as requested;
• Performs clerical functions as required, including answering phones, preparing correspondence, and retrieving and purging obsolete files;
• Gathers, assembles, tabulates, proofs, balances, and summarizes information for budget input, and prepares reports in proper accounting format for review as required;
• Provides backup support to other Finance personnel as requested;
• Provides needed information and demonstrations concerning how to perform certain work tasks to new employees in the same or similar class of positions;
• Keeps immediate supervisor and designated others accurately informed concerning work progress, including present and potential work problems and suggestions for new or improved ways of addressing such problems;
• Attends meetings, conferences, workshops, and training sessions and reviews publications and audio-visual materials to become and remain current on principles, practices, and new developments in assigned work areas;
• Responds to citizens’ questions and comments in a courteous and timely manner;
• Communicates and coordinates…