When Vicksburg Water and Gas Administration manager Tammye Christmas heard the mayor was coming to visit her department Tuesday, she approached it with a bit of apprehension.

“I was a bit nervous,” she said. “Nobody comes to visit us. I didn’t know what to expect, so I just told everybody it would be business as usual. That’s what we’re doing.”

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. went to the water and gas administration office Tuesday for two reasons. He wanted to observe the department’s nine employees and see how they deal with customers, and talk with customers about the city’s new water and sewer rates that went into effect June 1.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen in April adopted ordinances setting new increased water and sewer rates ranging from 4.9 percent to a maximum of 30 percent for residential and commercial customers based on water use and reducing the city’s garbage rates by 5 percent.

“This is the time that was set where most folks who have complaints about it will be coming in, and I want to listen first-hand to their complaints,” he said earlier. “This is my way of assessing what we’ve done. What better way than to be right there and talk to the customer.”

He said most of the comments he received were favorable. One man, he said, told him he liked the way the city’s bill itemized each charge so he could see what he was paying.

“A lot of people told me how well this office operates, and how well the employees related to the customer and how helpful they were,” he said.

Christmas, he said, “Does a very good job working with people. Her department is a model department for the city.”

Flaggs’ visit was part of his effort to learn how the city’s departments operate. In March, he accepted the challenge of a city sewer department worker and spent the day working with one of the crews. He plans to spend the day with the city’s community development office and spend time with a community service crew.

“We were glad to have him come visit our department,” water and gas cashier Faye Odoms said. “We don’t get many visitors. We’re glad to see him come here and see what we do.”

Flaggs said one thing he liked about Christmas’ department was its structure, which showed levels of accountability leading all the way to her office.

“We have the best employees in the world, but what we don’t have is a structured system,” he said. “I want to put some structure in our system. If every department operated like this one, we could run the city efficiently.”