Rome board approves Paymentus fee-schedule change after discussion about capped tax payments

The City of Rome Board of Investment and Contracts on an aye vote approved Resolution 21, authorizing an amendment to the citys agreement with Paymentus Corporation to adjust the online payment fee schedule and maximum transaction limit.

Board member Brian Adams explained the changes, saying the citys online payments go through Paymentus and then are processed by the tax office. "We had an issue in the past where there was a maximum cap on tax payments of $500," Adams said. "Anytime that someone tried to pay taxes over that amount, it would go through. They would think that they paid the full amount, even though we only received $500. And it would cause several issues."

Adams said the amendment raises the maximum single payment from $500 to $750,000 to eliminate partial payments that were unintentionally accepted. He also said the merchant fees were adjusted: the credit-card fee was reduced from 2.76% to 2.50%, while the debit-card fee changed from a flat $3.39 per transaction to 1.9%. "This was needed ... because it was the only way to guarantee theyre not losing money per transaction," Adams said.

The board moved and seconded the resolution and voted in favor; no dissenting votes were recorded in the meeting transcript. The amendment will change how the city accepts and records large online tax payments and alter the per-transaction fees residents encounter when paying with cards.