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Commissioners approve three-year lease for ATM at 500 West Main after debate over accessibility and card acceptance
Summary
The Wallowa County Board of Commissioners authorized a three-year lease for space inside 500 West Main for an automated teller machine (ATM), after discussion about placement, public convenience and whether accepting credit/debit could be expanded.
Wallowa County commissioners voted 3-0 on Feb. 10 to authorize a three-year lease for space inside 500 West Main for an automated teller machine and directed the clerk to work with the county attorney to prepare the lease.
The lease decision follows several weeks of discussion about where an ATM could be placed inside the building, whether an outdoor payment kiosk tied to county software could perform the same functions and how to avoid forcing customers — especially elderly residents — to go outside in winter to access cash.
Auditor Karen (County Auditor) told commissioners she prefers an interior location and stressed that the county has accepted cash-and-check-only for some services for years. Treasurer Gordon Heimbinger said a payroll-and-payments kiosk under consideration (using the Teller software) could function as an ATM and as an integrated payment kiosk if the county’s enterprise systems are integrated. Commissioner Clayton said he favored installing an interior machine near the assessor area that would be out of the main flow of foot traffic. Commissioner Kimball and Commissioner Fulmer also said they wanted to make county services easier for the public.
Discussion addressed several practical points raised by county staff: the interior location would not create an ADA barrier, it would avoid exposing customers to winter weather, signage could make accepted payment types clear, and an exterior kiosk under separate procurement could later offer 24-hour payment capability. Karen cautioned that even if the county added credit/debit acceptance for some transactions it would not, by itself, resolve the separate requirement that marriage license recordings still require cash or check.
The board approved the motion "to approve the request for lease of space of certain county owned property inside 500 West Main for an automated teller machine ATM and request the clerk of the board to work with the attorney's office to prepare a lease for a 3 year time period" with a roll call vote of 3 to 0.
The county will draft a standard lease through the clerk's office and county attorney and return the finalized document for signature. Staff said they will also continue conversations about a potential outdoor Teller payment kiosk that could accept some payments around the clock if integrated with the county’s enterprise systems.
No public comment was received during the agenda item.
