City to accept plastic
By David Harry
Staff Writer
The plastic age will soon reach South Portland City Hall: Councilors on Aug. 16 approved a plan to accept residents’ credit and debit cards to pay tax their tax bills.
The agreement with Portland-based Government Pay Processing allows residents paying tax bills in person to use cards and be charged flat or percentage-based transaction fees.
City Finance Director Greg L’Heureux said he anticipates it will be mid-September before training and setup are completed and the program is implemented.
A memo from City Finance Department Office Manager Sue Borelli said there is no cost to the city to establish the program. Government Pay Processing provides the equipment and residents will be charged 2.4 percent of the total tax bill when they use VISA, Mastercard, Discover or American Express credit cards.
As an example, Borelli said a resident paying an $800 tax bill would be assessed a $19.20 “convenience fee.”
The same percentages apply to debit cards except for VISA debit cards, which are assessed a $3.95 fee per transaction, Borelli said.
Customers will see the bill and fees listed separately before the transaction is processed.
Signatures approving the balance and fee will be required before a credit or debit card is used, Borelli said.
Customer and card information will not be stored in city computer servers.
Residents who use the online Rapid Renewal program through the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles will not be charged convenience fees.
Borelli said credit and debit card payments will initially be accepted only for tax bills and then possibly expanded to the Parks and Recreation Department.
City Manager James Gailey said state law revision that allows cities and towns to pass transaction fees on to residents prompted South Portland to pursue use of credit and debit cards for over-the-counter transactions.
Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219
Staff Writer
The plastic age will soon reach South Portland City Hall: Councilors on Aug. 16 approved a plan to accept residents’ credit and debit cards to pay tax their tax bills.
The agreement with Portland-based Government Pay Processing allows residents paying tax bills in person to use cards and be charged flat or percentage-based transaction fees.
City Finance Director Greg L’Heureux said he anticipates it will be mid-September before training and setup are completed and the program is implemented.
A memo from City Finance Department Office Manager Sue Borelli said there is no cost to the city to establish the program. Government Pay Processing provides the equipment and residents will be charged 2.4 percent of the total tax bill when they use VISA, Mastercard, Discover or American Express credit cards.
As an example, Borelli said a resident paying an $800 tax bill would be assessed a $19.20 “convenience fee.”
The same percentages apply to debit cards except for VISA debit cards, which are assessed a $3.95 fee per transaction, Borelli said.
Customers will see the bill and fees listed separately before the transaction is processed.
Signatures approving the balance and fee will be required before a credit or debit card is used, Borelli said.
Customer and card information will not be stored in city computer servers.
Residents who use the online Rapid Renewal program through the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles will not be charged convenience fees.
Borelli said credit and debit card payments will initially be accepted only for tax bills and then possibly expanded to the Parks and Recreation Department.
City Manager James Gailey said state law revision that allows cities and towns to pass transaction fees on to residents prompted South Portland to pursue use of credit and debit cards for over-the-counter transactions.
Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219
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