Committee forwards credit card fee policy to board; fee to be set on schedule, not fixed amount

The Budget & Finance Committee voted unanimously to forward a village credit-card-fee policy to the full board that would allow the village to recoup credit card fees charged on public payments. The committee recommended the fee be stated in the village fee schedule as a percentage rather than a fixed dollar amount in the policy text.

Staff told the committee that including the amount in the fee schedule is preferable because the fee fluctuates with transaction costs; committee members agreed and recommended that the item go to the full board for final adoption. Committee members also noted that the credit-card fee policy will not apply to the municipal streetlight fee because the streetlight charge is reflected on the utility bill handled under the Public Service Commission’s framework and separating it would be complicated.

Why it matters: The committee’s action would authorize the village to recoup processing costs for credit-card payments on public bills and fees. Staff said the precise percentage rate will be reflected on the fee schedule the board adopts.

Discussion versus decision: The committee’s vote was to forward the policy and recommended approach to the full board; the committee approved the recommended policy language 3–0 at the committee level. The full board will consider final adoption and the exact percentage rate as part of the village fee schedule.

Next steps: Staff will present the policy and fee-schedule language to the village board for consideration.