Title
Debit Card and Credit Card Payments - Convenience Fees - For the purpose of modifying the procedure for assessing convenience fees for payment of City services by debit card or credit card; and generally relating to processing convenience fees.
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Ordinance 14-22
Introduced by: Mayor Buckley
Co-sponsored by: Alderman Gay
Referred to
Finance Committee
AN ORDINANCE concerning
Debit Card and Credit Card Payments - Convenience Fees
FOR the purpose of modifying the procedure for assessing convenience fees for payment of City services by debit card or credit card; and generally relating to processing convenience fees.
BY repealing and reenacting with amendments the following portions of the Code of the City of Annapolis, 2022 Edition
6.04.280
SECTION I: BE IT ESTABLISHED AND ORDAINED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the Code of the City of Annapolis shall be amended to read as follows:
Title 6 - REVENUE AND FINANCE
Chapter 6.04 - FINANCE AND TAXATION GENERALLY
Section 6.04.280 - Payment by phone or online DEBIT CARD OR CREDIT CARD - Convenience fee.
A. Applicability. This section applies to payment over the phone or online BY DEBIT CARD OR CREDIT CARD of any tax, charge, fee, assessment, or impost of any kind levied or imposed under any law, ordinance, rule, or regulation.
B. Authority. The Director of Finance is hereby authorized to accept payment over the phone or online of local taxes and other fees, fines, penalties, and interest by the use of a debit CARD or credit card. The Director of Finance, OR CITY AUTHORIZED THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER, shall add to such phone or online DEBIT CARD OR CREDIT CARD payment a convenience fee as established by this section.
C. Collection. If any phone or online DEBIT CARD OR CREDIT CARD transaction tendered for payment of any tax or other fee, fine, penalty, and interest due is not paid by the bank, debit card company, or credit card company, the individual for whom such phone or online transaction was tendered shall remain liable for the payment of the tax or other fee, fine, penalty, and interest, the same as if such phone or online transaction had not been tendered.
D. Amount of Fee. IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR, THEThe convenience fee shall be a flat and fixed amount established by resolution of the City Council for the acceptance of a phone or online payment. The convenience fee shall be the same amount regardless of the value of the payment dueEITHER AN AMOUNT REPRESENTING THE ACTUAL COSTS INCURRED BY THE CITY FOR PROCESSING THE REQUIRED PAYMENT TRANSACTION, INCLUDING THE DIRECT COSTS PAID BY THE CITY TO THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS, OR THE AMOUNT OF ANY THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER FEE ESTABLISHED FOR PROCESSING THE REQUIRED PAYMENT TRANSACTION.
E. Notification. The Director of Finance, OR THE CITY AUTHORIZED THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER, must provide advance notice of the convenience fee that will be applied to any phone or online DEBIT CARD OR CREDIT CARD payment with an opportunity to cancel the phone or online payment. The convenience fee must be included in the total transaction amount.
SECTION II: AND BE IT FURTHER ESTABLISHED AND ORDAINED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that this ordinance shall take effect from the date of its passage.
Explanation:
UPPERCASE indicates matter added to existing law.
Strikethrough indicates matter stricken from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments.