For a long time the Town of Essex absorbed the fees that credit card companies charged but it got to the point that no longer made good business sense. Sometimes using Credit is the only option for some households but in order to be fair to all tax payers credit card users will be now paying for majority of the credit card fees.
Effective June 1, 2020, The Town of Essex stopped accepting credit card payments in person at Town Hall. In conjunction with this the Town went live with Virtual City Hall to allow residents with the ability to view their property taxation information and to pay by credit card. The credit card transaction fee was waived in 2020 to allow for a six month transition period; coming into effect January 1, 2021.
There are many different options available to residents to pay their property tax which are all advertised on the town website, tax insert, etc.
– Online banking or in person at your financial institution
– Via the Drop box with cash or cheque
– Mail a cheque
– A preauthorized payment plan
In 2017 the Town absorbed approximately $70,000 in credit card fees. These fees can increase depending on the type of credit card used (i.e. a high rewards card has a higher fee charged). Based on the 2017 data approximately 10% of property tax payments were paid by credit card with the $70,000 costs being subsidized by all property owners.
Check out Virtual City Hall on the Town of Essex Website. It is easy to get registered. I love it!
Virtual City Hall – Town of Essex
