JAY — Selectpersons have requested more information on the costs to the town if credit cards were accepted to pay for taxes and other services.
A lot of people have been asking if the town accepts credit cards, board Chairman Steve McCourt said Jan. 13.
Those using credit cards would be assessed a service fee of 2.9 percent from the credit card company on top of the amount charged to the card to use the service, he said.
Selectpersons have discussed accepting credit cards several times but have not acted on it.
Financial Director Lisa Bryant said she did some research and Trio, the accounting software company the town uses, would charge $1 minimum for anything charged under $40.
The town doesn’t see the $1 or any of the service fee amounts the credit card companies charge to the customer, she said.
Under the Trio program, customers would see an additional 2.5 percent charged to their credit card for the service. Trio software would accept Discover, MasterCard, American Express and Visa, she said.
It would cost the town $700 to $1,000 to set up the program and $100 per year for maintenance, Bryant said.
The town would not need a card swipe machine through Trio because the information could be entered manually, she said.
There would be a little more work for office clerks and some tracking to do, she said.
Deputy Town Clerk Lori “Lou” Simpson said customers constantly ask if the town accepts credit cards.
“We get a lot of complaints because the town doesn’t accept credit cards,” she said.
Customers usually come to the office on their way to some place to pay for town services and then have to go to a bank and use the ATM to get money, she said. They are charged a $3 fee per transaction.
“I think a little bit of tracking is worth it if it makes customers happy,” Bryant said.
The board asked for more information to determine if the service would work for the town and customers.
People can renew vehicle registrations and get hunting and fishing licenses online through the state.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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