By JOSH NEWTON
Press Staff Writer
TAHLEQUAH —
Tahlequah Public Works Authority customers can now pay their bills and keep up with their accounts online, free of charge.
For about a month now, TPWA has contracted with Xpress Bill Pay, a simple-to-use service linked right to the authority’s website.
“It gives our customers an easier, more efficient way to pay their bills online,” said Gail Dotson, office manager for TPWA, “to make their lives easier and less stressful.”
Dotson said customers can go online, set up their free accounts, and then not only can they pay their bills with a debit card, electronic check or Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card, but also view a history of their accounts.
“Right now, the history only goes back to Jan. 1, but as we go along, it is set up to hold three years’ worth [of information],” said Dotson.
TPWA is absorbing the cost for its customers. Dotson said of the first 100 customers who signed up the first 20 days TPWA used Xpress Bill Pay, about 30 have opted to “go green” and stop having paper bills sent to them.
“That will help us offset the cost,” said Dotson.
Cities similar in size to Tahlequah have seen as much as 35 percent of customers switch to paperless billing with Xpress Bill Pay, said Dotson.
“We hope being a ‘college town,’ we can also reach that 35 percent,” she said.
Dotson said the authority sends out 13,000 paper bills each month.
“Now, online, you can set it up where it will automatically pay your bill on the due date, or where you will receive an e-mail when your bill is online, is due, or has been paid,” Dotson said.
TPWA had been offering online bill pay to customers for about eight months using Paymentus, but customers were charged an additional $4.95 for each bill they paid, with a new charge for each $300 increment.
Through the new Xpress Bill Pay program, credit cards can also be used at the drive-up window, and Dotson said TPWA hopes to expand that service by creating two lanes.
“We’re excited about it, and we hope our customers all take advantage of it,” said Dotson. “It’s going to save some money for TPWA, and for customers, as well.”
Customers who sign up for Xpress Bill Pay receive a unique password used to access their personal account. Bills can be paid from anyplace an Internet connection is available through a web browser.
After completing a transaction, customers can receive an e-mail receipt to confirm payment.
