WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE: Trudy O’Donnell loves her job as city clerk

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Deciphering numbers and budgets can be a daunting task, but crunching them comes easy to Charles City Clerk Trudy O’Donnell.

“I love it when the numbers balance. I’m kind of a numbers nerd,” she said.

O’Donnell took over as city clerk in “America’s Hometown” in July 2007. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa in 1985, O’Donnell knew right away she wanted to be helping communities and somehow be involved with numbers.

“I knew I wanted to do bookwork. I always loved accounting. I knew I wanted to do something in that field,” said O’Donnell.

O’Donnell worked for a CPA firm in Nashua and then in the office of a grain elevator in Elma for six years. Then she took a position as city clerk in Riceville, a job she held for almost nine years.

Then it was off to Charles City.

As city clerk, each day is different and brings with it many responsibilities, she said.

“You need to kind of know what everybody is doing and make sure, No. 1, everything is getting done and something isn’t being missed,” said O’Donnell.

She works closely with City Administrator Steve Diers and oversees a three-person staff of Deputy Clerk Virginia Titus, Payroll/Billing Clerk Jane Michels and Payable Clerk/receptionist Chris Guthart.

“This job here is a lot different than the one in Riceville, because I was the only one in the office,” said O’Donnell. “In Riceville, I did it all. I did the billing. I did payroll. It was quite a change when I came here. Those girls out there take care of the billing and payroll.”

O’Donnell said if the staff has any issues she’s more than willing to help solve the problem or offer her expertise.

“I’m here if they need help,” said O’Donnell. “We have such a great, great group down here. We work so well together. We’re very fortunate.”

O’Donnell’s main duties as city clerk include recording and publishing the minutes of all City Council proceedings. She is also the secretary for the Planning and Zoning Board and the Board of Adjustment in Charles City. She also works on the budget for the city, makes sure all bills are paid and verified and maintains all records of the city and issues licenses and permits.

It sounds like a lot, but O’Donnell wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s very rewarding. It’s a great, great feeling,” she said.

Whether it’s working with projects such as the Broadband Commission — Charles City’s effort to create a fiber-optic internet network for homes and businesses — or any other undertakings that can make Charles City a better place to live, O’Donnell said she is more than happy to be a part of that process.

“Helping to move the city forward — I love being a part of that progress,” she said.

When she’s not working, O’Donnell keeps busy. She and her husband, Mike, have just finished a home remodeling project.

Then there are her Missouri fox trotters — horses that she has really taken a liking to over the past decade. She loves to go out trail riding with them and let them lead the way.

“Fox trotters are known for their smooth ride. They’re a gaited horse,” said O’Donnell. “When you trot, you don’t bounce up and down. They just kind of glide.”

O’Donnell also takes trips to South Dakota to attend the Mustang Rally over Labor Day in Sturgis.

“That is my favorite place in the world to visit,” said O’Donnell.

O’Donnell also enjoys going to flea markets with her husband and checking out all the unique and interesting stuff that those shows have to offer.

O’Donnell has three grown children who she said she loves dearly: Robert, 31, Chelsea, 29, and Jenna, 21.

“I love my three redheads,” she laughed. “I tell everybody it’s like I ordered them out of a JC Penney catalog.”