By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Paying your tax bill in Montgomery will soon be as simple as getting out your laptop and a credit card.
The Township Committee awarded a contract Thursday night to a company that will help it set up a secure online payment system for tax bills, recreation fees and other bills.
Similar systems are currently in place in Princeton Township, West Windsor and other area municipalities, where residents can have payments drawn directly from their checking accounts or pay with a credit card through a secure Web site.
The contract, not to exceed $7,500, was awarded to bidder CIT-e-NET, the same company used by Princeton Township and Hillsborough.
There will be no surcharge to use the system for direct withdrawals from a checking account, township CFO Walter Sheppard said.
However, if residents choose to use a credit card, a small percentage service fee will be assessed in order to cover charges from the credit card companies, Mr. Sheppard said. The system will not accept debit cards, he said.
The committee discussed the topic in June at the suggestion of residents, and at that time Mr. Sheppard explained the pros and cons of online payment systems.
In addition to convenience to the resident, who do not have to drive to the municipal building or pay postage, the system also has several advantages for the township, he said.
The system saves internal processing costs, time for employees, and the township receives the payment faster, he said. It also speeds up notification of bad checks and limits residents’ ability to make partial payments or deny penalties, he said.
The next step in the process is setting up the financial system with a bank, a process that will take six to eight weeks, Mr. Sheppard said.
ksnodgrass
@centraljersey.com
