| I started as a Clerk Typist I in the Delinquent Accounts
section when Taxation was located on the second floor of the State Office Building south
end. I typed all memos, billing letters and notices. Although the Bureau was very small,
about 50 people plus field auditors, it was a fun, friendly and hard working group. We
were only responsible for Sales Tax, and most of the work was done manually. The returns
were printed on keypunch cards, instead of paper. This was a tricky job, because the names
and addresses were punched on a metal plate; cards had to be run every month and then they
were hand stuffed into envelopes. Mail was opened and hand processed. Checks were stamped
and endorsed by hand. Returns were put in order by Sales Tax numbers and grouped into
batches. Each return was hand verified using an old Burroughs machine. Afterwards, returns
went to the bookkeeping room where the figures were entered onto ledger cards. The ledger
cards were filed by account numbers and stored in deep tubs, which were very heavy. We
pulled ledger cards matching the Sales Tax cards, keeping numerical order.
After pulling a whole batch, operators would use the very large bookkeeping machine -
like an oversized typewriter with rows of numbers instead of letters. There were 10-12
rows across with numbers 0-9 down. After the batch was completely done, returns went back
into the batch envelope and ledger cards were put on top of the tubs to be filed later.
Next, batches were keypunched.
In the early 70’s we moved to the south end of the State Office Building (SOB).
Property Tax separated, becoming its own bureau. Income Tax was coming, so we needed
computers and programmers. I worked as a Bookkeeping Machine Operator I, Bookkeeping
Machine Operator II, and finally I was promoted to Supervisor. About 1977, we moved again
from the second floor to the fifth floor, south end of the SOB. Property Tax was back and
Income Tax was going strong. We needed more space and air conditioning for the computers.
Management decided that Sales Tax should be computerized. They hired more programmers and
I started working in Data Entry as a Sales Tax Specialist.
In 1990 I was hired as Data Entry Supervisor. We were still on the fifth floor, but
before long we moved to 161 Capital Street, along with the Mailroom, Property Tax and the
Augusta Field Office. We now had to learn a new system: Falcon. After working on the old
BULL system for so long, Falcon was a wiz and we worked hard to make it a reality.
Two years later management decided to change to Scanning and Imaging. This required
more space, and it would have been too expensive to run the optic wires from the State
Office Building to Capital Street so we moved back to the fifth floor, same place as
before, but with better computers and workstations.
In my 35 years, I have seen many people come and go. A few have left to work elsewhere,
but some of those who went to work in other bureaus, requested to come back. (We must have
something going for us!)
I feel that work, like life, is what you make it. In order to survive, sometimes you
have to roll with the punches, go with the flow, and don’t try to fight the system.
"It's been a great Tripp but it's time to call a Holt." (Tripp
was my maiden name.)
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