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Williamsport switches merchant services to AllPaid, council approves phased cutover
Summary
Council approved a resolution to change the city’s merchant-services vendor to AllPaid Inc., aiming to enable in-office, phone and broader online payments; the move raises convenience fees for cardholders (online transaction rate cited from 2.45% to 2.95%).
Williamsport City Council voted unanimously to authorize a merchant agreement with AllPaid Inc. to replace the city’s existing payment vendor, a change designed to expand in-office and phone payment options and broaden online payment capabilities for multiple tax types.
The presenter said the current vendor, in place since 2015, could not meet in-office card processing needs. The new vendor will allow residents and business owners to pay in person, by phone and online for real-estate and mercantile business taxes and other future payments. Council was told the city will phase in the new vendor so billing cycles align and to avoid service gaps.
Costs and timing: Staff said the consumer-facing convenience fee for online transactions would move from 2.45% to 2.95% and cited increases to some card-not-present fees (examples given in staff comments moved from $2.50 to $3.99). The presenter said those fees are charged to cardholders, not to the city, and that the selected vendor offered the lowest rates among options that satisfied the city’s integration needs.
Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution and begin a phased implementation so the new vendor can be used for upcoming real-estate tax bills in July if contracts are signed and systems are integrated in time.
