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Treasurer cites rising card-processing fees, delinquent personal-property work and collection gains
Summary
Lee Fife, Cumberland County treasurer, reported increases in credit-card processing and described steps to improve delinquent personal-property collections, including DMV holds and turning accounts over to the Department of Taxation.
Lee Fife, Cumberland County Treasurer, briefed the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 about the treasurer’s FY2026 budget priorities, collection efforts and recent operational changes.
Fife said credit-card and processing fees have increased and the office added a QR code to the front of tax bills, which produced a noticeable uptick in card payments. He asked the board to consider whether the county should continue subsidizing credit-card fees to make online payments easier for residents who work outside normal office hours.
On delinquent collections, Fife described intensified efforts to pursue outstanding personal-property accounts: the office placed about 1,100 DMV holds last month and has been turning accounts over to the Virginia Department of Taxation for refund intercepts. He estimated total outstanding personal-property delinquency across several years at roughly $1.15 million (figure given as an estimate in discussion).
Fife said the office will continue to pursue outside collection turnovers, monitor card-processing options and seek modest increases for staff training and office expenses in the upcoming budget.
Board members emphasized the collection value of online payment convenience for residents who otherwise cannot come in during the workday and asked the treasurer to continue tracking fee impacts and collection results.
