Electronic checks or credit or debit cards can be used for a small fee to pay bills in Jay
Jay and area residents will have the convenience of paying their water, sewer and gas bills with an electronic check or by credit card online for a small fee, following discussion at Monday night's council meeting.
City officials are considering installing a service to allow its customers to pay online with a credit card or to write an electronic check for a small fee.
The electronic check will cost $2 to process and the credit card payment has a 2.95 percent fee of the bill total, according to Operations Manager Eric Seib.
The council initially discussed the possibility of having the town pay the .95 percent, leaving customers to pay the 2 percent. Councilwoman Nina Hendricks inquired about how much the percentage would cost the average customer.
“Any bill over $65 is about $2,” said Seib. “I'd say most bills have been in the $58, $60, $70 range now with the new rates, so it will be $2 to $2.10 with the 2.95 percent fee to utilize the service.”
Councilman Josh Holloway asked how much it would cost the town to pay that .95 percent of average users in the town and Seib said he figured it would cost about $20 to $30.
After further discussion, the council decided not to pay any of the fee, mainly because there are transaction fees and an annual company fee the town is already responsible to pay in place in order to offer the service to their customers.
Seib said that once the contract is signed and sent in, the service will be available most likely before the next billing cycle.
“We will give the service try and see how it goes,” said Seib.
In other business, the council also:
- approved town employees to receive a $250 Christmas bonus this year;
- passed a resolution to set lower water and wastewater rates for commercial accounts and non-profits that average 1,000 gallons a month retroactively starting Oct. 15, 2018;
- discussed a technical assistance grant the town was awarded that will help establish an interactive a map showing all of the hydrants, valves and water lines, as well as water and gas meters, so the town can do a better job tracking problems or leaks online.
The next council meeting will be Monday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. at Jay City Hall.
