Century Council Spends Over an Hour Debating Resident Over Water Bill

July 15, 2026

The Century Town Council limits public forum speakers to three minutes, but spent well over an hour on Tuesday night in a back and forth with a local resident about her water bill.

Senecca Bright, a resident of Alger Road, approached the council about rising utility bills, which she attributed to multiple faulty water meters, including a one-month bill for $644.13.

The $644 bill was easily explained, according to Town Clerk Carrie Moore. She said it was a simple billing error that added an extra zero to the gallons used. She said the bill had already been adjusted down to actual usage of under $100. That bill, like all Century utility bills, included not only water usage, but also sewage and garbage collection. And those rates were increased across the board earlier this year..

Moore (pictured left) held up a 41-page report showing hour-by-hour water usage at Bright’s residence that, she said, showed an ongoing leak or water usage. She said Bright’s total bills have been around $200 for the past several months, with only about $50 of that for water.

After Bright received a new meter during a town-wide replacement project, the town replaced her meter with new meters twice after her complaints, the clerk said.

Moore characterized Bright as having been “nasty and despicable” in wanting her money back, not a bill credit for any incorrect amounts. Meanwhile, Bright attacked Moore’s character numerous times, saying that she was a liar, that she was extremely rude, and that she threatened to call the police. Moore said she finally stopped dealing with Bright, referring her to another staff member when she started calling six to seven times a day “screaming”. Bright also said Town Manager Dave Murzin was rude and did not follow through on promises to correct her bill.

Bright claimed that she never had a leak and had recently had someone “professional” make that determination.

“I can tell you with certainty that water went through that meter,” Moore said. “State law requires you (referring to the town) to pay for the water you pump.”

As the conversation passed the one hour mark, council member John Bass said, “We have no proof of the amount you were overcharged; there is no way the town can know this is what happened.”

“I don’t see where the town actually made a mistake,” he added.

NorthEscmbia.com photos, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES