County approves online payment option for community corrections fees; participants to pay card-processing fee

The Vanderburgh County Council approved a request from Community Corrections to open bank accounts at Old National Bank and to implement an online payment option that allows participants and their family members to pay program fees by card or online.

Wayne Trotman introduced the request and said the plan would create separate bank accounts for electronic home detention, treatment court and work release so online payments route directly into program accounts. "What we'll do is we will offer an online option for them to make their payments," Community Corrections director James Aiken said. He added that the county would use a vendor already used by other Indiana counties.

Officials said comparable programs saw immediate increases in collections after adopting online payments. "In Vigo County that immediately increased their fee collection 5%," Aiken said. Council members asked whether the payment vendor and bank would charge fees and whether those fees would be borne by participants. Aiken said the credit-card fee is 3.5% and that, as in other counties, participants would incur the fee.

The council also discussed procedures for handling delinquent accounts; staff said unpaid balances can be reduced to civil judgments, which can affect future asset purchases. Council members asked finance staff to confirm there would be no hidden bank fees for the county. Staff indicated they would follow up with the bank contact and reported confidence that fees could be eliminated or negotiated.

After motions and a second, the council approved the change. The newly authorized online option will supplement existing payment methods (money orders and in-person payments) and staff will adopt policies to administrate the new accounts and online receipts.