Thursday, May 2, 2024
The City of Gatesville plans to implement a new convenience or processing fee to transactions made with a debit or credit card in mid-April.
Gatesville Finance Director Mike Halsema said the fee will be 3.5% for all card types, which would equal $3.50 for every $100 transaction. The fees will mainly include payments on utility bills and court fines.
Gatesville City Council approved adding the convenience fees at a regular meeting on Feb. 27.
Halsema said there is no fee for paying utility bills or court fines by cash or check in person, by mail, or by the drop box located at the drive-thru located on 803 E Main Street.
If customers pay by phone or online, they will be charged an additional $1.25 per transaction in addition to the credit card fees. This charge is from the software system the city uses for their phone and website. This charge was already included for payments on court fines.
The public can also sign up for auto draft payments on utilities with their bank account information in person, which does not incur any additional charges.
Halsema said activities related to Gatesville Parks & Recreation and the fitness center will not include added fees for payments by credit card at this time.
Due to an increase in areas that now accept credit and debit card transactions, Halsema said the city was absorbing the processing fees. According to the Feb. 27 city council agenda, the city has been one of the few businesses in Gatesville that does not pass along additional costs associated with using credit cards to the public.
As of the first quarter, the city has paid over $26,000 in fees mostly associated with large payments by credit cards for utility fees and hotel occupancy taxes.
For more information, please visit the City of Gatesville website for public notices on credit card convenience fees: https://www.gatesvilletx.com/
