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Clerk’s office stops accepting cash; council asks staff to study online-fee options
Summary
Council members were told the clerk’s office will no longer accept cash due to compliance burdens; staff will return with cost estimates for absorbing online bill-pay fees and confirmed alternatives for residents who rely on cash.
Council members questioned why the clerk’s office is no longer taking cash. The clerk said the change ‘‘started probably like three or four years ago’’ but was only now implemented, citing administrative complications and compliance rules around handling cash. "The reason for it was the complications that were added by the cash in the building because we have rules that we have to follow with cash," the clerk said.
Council discussed alternatives. Staff noted residents can pay bills with checks or cashier’s checks in the office without a fee, and that cash payments remain possible at external vendors (examples cited: ‘‘Lockers,’’ gas stations, Walmart). Council members asked staff to analyze the cost of absorbing online bill‑pay fees and to report back at the next meeting with numbers on what waiving or absorbing fees would cost.
Officials also clarified that some departments will continue to accept cash: the recreation department and the code office were explicitly identified as continuing cash handling for their functions.
The council asked staff to return with cost estimates and implementation options at the next meeting so members can decide whether to waive online fees or adopt other accommodations for cash‑dependent residents.
