Online Payments New For 2020

February 25, 2020 - The City of Perkins will continue to accept merchant cards for payments; however, a 2.25% service fee will apply to any payments made via a merchant (debit or credit) card.

Due to increasing operational challenges, a desire to provide a high level of security of personal information, and the increasing costs to process merchant cards, the City is utilizing a third party, NIC Oklahoma, to provide its platform, PayPort, through which all merchant card payments are processed. NIC Oklahoma, the contract provider for the State of Oklahoma, assesses an additional fee of $2.00 per transaction.

MUNICIPAL COURT PAYMENTS: Click HERE to make a merchant (debit or credit) card payment for Municipal Court

UTILITY BILLING AND OTHER PAYMENTS: Click HERE to make a merchant (debit or credit) card payment for Utilities and Other Charges

The City of Perkins has traditionally accepted merchant cards (credit and debit cards) for utility and court payments and has absorbed the associated processing charges imposed by the merchant card companies on these transactions. As the use of credit and debit cards for making payments has increased significantly, the cumulative cost of these transaction fees assessed has become a burden on City resources.

Service fees that go directly to the merchant card processors today cost the citizens of Perkins approximately $10,000 annually. The City Commission has determined that, in order to continue providing effective services for the public welfare, the City must establish fees on each manual or online transaction made to the City through any authorized bill pay program. These transactions include payment of utility bills, fines, costs, interest, penalty assessments, special assessments, collections, fees, rates, charges, donations, or money due the City or public trusts. Service fees will help to offset the City’s true cost in providing such services.

Click to read Resolution 20-2019, “A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE FOR DEBIT OR CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS.”

Click to read Ordinance Number 481, "AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 2-5-5 OF CHAPTER 2 OF THE PERKINS CITY CODE PROVIDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE FOR DEBIT OR CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY."

To avoid any additional fees, the City of Perkins accepts cash, personal or business checks, money orders, and traveler's checks.

Mail your payment to PO Box 9, Perkins, OK 74059, or pay your bill in person at City Hall, 110 N. Main Street. Business hours are 8 a.m. to noon, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A drop box, located to the north of the front door to City Hall, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please do not put cash in the drop box.

You may also enroll in automatic bank draft, or ACH, and your bill will be debited from your bank account on the due date each month. To enroll in ACH, please fill out the ACH Authorization Form (PDF) and return it to City Hall with a voided check.

Online Payment FAQ’s

Can I make a credit or debit card payment over the phone?

No. Credit or debit card payments cannot be made over the phone or via mail. This is a security measure to ensure confidentiality of your payment information.

Can I make a credit or debit card payment in person?

Yes. Credit or debit cards can be accepted at City Hall during regular business hours.

What credit cards does the City of Perkins accept?

VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express

What should I consider before making the decision to pay by credit/debit card?

The service fee of 2.25% will almost invariably be a greater cost than any benefit (points, cash back) that is awarded by your card company. The service fee is not the rate at which you will pay interest on the balance due to your credit card. It is a onetime charge on top of the payment amount that will be added to your balance

Can you give me an example of the cost of using a credit or debit card?

Of course. If you make a payment of $100 to the City, your total charge will look as follows:

$100 + $2.25 + $2.00 = $104.25

payment due + service fee + transaction fee = total amount paid

What is the service fee and how is the rate established?

Credit or debit card companies assess service fees on every purchase made by consumers. They use these fees to cover the costs of their expenses for reward programs and other consumer incentives. Our payment processor, NIC, determines the service fee rate based in large part on the current fee structure set by the various credit card companies.

What is the transaction fee and how is the rate established?

$2.00 is the amount established by our third-party processor, Oklahoma Interactive, to cover their costs in developing and maintaining the software used to process merchant card payments.

If I decide to use the credit/debit card option to make a payment, how will I know what the service fee will cost?

When you submit an online credit or debit card payment, you receive a message that a service fee (calculated dollar amount displays in message) will be assessed for the service of using your credit or debit card. This service fee will not appear on your City of Perkins account balance. The service fee will be calculated at the current established rate (2.25%) based on the amount paid with the credit or debit card.