Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Board approves ordinance to allow reimbursement of electronic transaction fees
Loading...
Summary
The board adopted Ordinance 865-2026 to add fees that offset electronic receipt/credit-card processing costs; the county manager said the measure allows the county to recoup credit-card fees and the motion passed 9-0. A public commenter asked for clarity about what fees changed and how much they are.
The Union County Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance 865-2026, amending the county administrative code to allow fees to offset costs associated with electronic receipt and credit-card transactions.
At the public hearing for Ordinance 865-2026, Bruce Patterson of Garwood asked for a clear explanation of what fees were changing and their amounts, saying he found it unusual that taxpayers would be charged extra for electronic convenience.
County Manager Ed Oatman responded that the ordinance standardizes a prior practice to allow reimbursement of credit-card fees charged to the county. "It's essentially a reimbursement for the credit card fees that are charged to the county. So this allows us to, to get reimbursements for those fees," Oatman said.
Vice Chair Williams moved the ordinance for final reading; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call. The clerk recorded nine votes in the affirmative; the ordinance was adopted that evening.
Why it matters
The ordinance permits the county to recover transaction-processing costs tied to credit-card and other electronic payments. Implementation will affect any county service that accepts electronic payments and chooses to pass the processing fee on to payers.
Next steps
The clerk will advertise the ordinance in accordance with statutory requirements and post the adopted ordinance in county records.
