G-07-10-25-10D1 - 10/25/2007 ORDINANCE NO. 0"L 1- ! C J -, 5 - I Ci D '
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES (1995
EDITION), CITY OF ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, CHAPTER 1, SECTION
1.1103 AMENDING CONVENIENCE FEE CHARGES; AND
PROVIDING FOR A SAVINGS CLAUSE AND REPEALING
CONFLICTING ORDINANCES OR RESOLUTIONS.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROUND
ROCK, TEXAS:
I.
That Chapter 1, Section 1 . 1103 , Code of Ordinances (1995
Edition) , City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended to read as
follows :
1.1103 MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES
(1) Returned Item Charges
Where payment for any fine, fee, permit, license, service, or other item is required by this
Code or other ordinance or resolution of the city and such payment is made by check,
credit card, debit card, electronic funds transfer, or other payment method, a fee in an
amount not exceeding the maximum allowed by applicable law shall be charged if the item
is returned or the item is not paid for any reason by the issuer's bank or other financial
institution.
(2) Convenience Charges
Where payment of any fine, fee, permit, license, service or other item is required by this
Code or other ordinance or resolution of the city and such payment is made through a
customer initiated on-line payment system available through the City's web page or
through the City's Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, an additional fee in the
amount of$1.50 shall be paid for the use of said systems.
II.
A. All ordinances, parts of ordinances, or resolutions in
conflict herewith are expressly repealed.
0:\wdox\ORDZNANC\0l1�25D1.WPD/sls
B. The invalidity of any section or provision of this
ordinance shall not invalidate other sections or provisions
thereof .
C. The City Council hereby finds and declares that written
notice of the date, hour, place and subject of the meeting at which
this Ordinance was adopted was posted and that such meeting was
open to the public as required by law at all times during which
this Ordinance and the subject matter hereof were discussed,
considered and formally acted upon, all as required by the Open
Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, as amended.
Alternative 1 .
By motion duly made, seconded and passed with an affirmative
vote of all the Council members present, the requirement for
reading this ordinance on two separate days was dispensed with.
READ, PASSED, and ADOPTED on first reading thisday
of C2007 .
Alternative 2 .
READ and APPROVED on first reading this the day of
, 2007 .
READ, APPROVED and ADOPTED on second reading this the
day of 2007 .
NY E Mayo
City of Round Rock, Texas
A S T:
CHRISTINE R. MARTINEZ, City Secretaly
2
DATE: October 18, 2007
SUBJECT: City Council Meeting — October 25, 2007
ITEM: 10D1. Consider an ordinance amending Chapter 1, Section 1.1103,
Code of Ordinances to reduce the fee for customer initiated
on-line and telephone payments. (First Reading)
Department• Finance
Staff Person: Cindy Demers, Finance Director
Justification:
In 2006 the City implemented on-line and telephone payment options for payment of
City utility bills. At that time the convenience fee set for the service was based on
bank fees and estimated customer usage. After review of the usage and the fees
over the past year, staff recommends that the City maintain the convenience fee to
offset costs of the service and reduce the fee from $2.50 to $1.50.
Funding•
Cost: N/A
Source of funds: N/A
Outside Resources: N/A
Background Information:
A fee is collected when a customer selects to pay for utility bills through the City's
webpage or through an interactive voice response telephone system. These feels are
collected to offset the additional merchant costs and bank fees associated with
providing these payment systems. This program is a convenience for the customer
and costs the City considerably more than other electronic payment options available
to the customer.
Public Comment: N/A