ZANESVILLE – Zanesville officials are hoping to draw attention to a bill payment kiosk set up in front of the Secrest Auditorium.
The black kiosk is located in the alley next to the parking lot of the Auditorium Secrest at the corner of Shinnick and Fourth streets downtown. It was installed earlier this year in hopes of reducing person-to-person contact and reducing congestion in and around City Hall during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even as the pandemic begins to abate, Zanesville Mayor Don Mason has said the kiosk is a better bill-paying option for most of the city’s customers.
“Not everyone can easily get to the office between 8 am and 4:30 pm to pay their bill,†he said. The kiosk is available 24 hours a day.
“The fact that they can pay at any time on weekends I think gives people greater accessibility to our payment system,†said city budget and finance director Kade Haddox. . “This should decrease the amount of overdue bills.”
A scanner on the kiosk will read a customer account number, or they can type it in, Mason said. They can pay by credit card or cash, although Mason warns the machine will not give change, but will credit any overpayment in cash to the next month’s bill.
Currently, the kiosk can only be used to pay utility bills, but the city is working with software companies to add features, including the ability to pay for permits or court items such as speeding tickets. .
City officials hope the additional services will be available by the end of the year.
The city purchased the kiosk for $ 30,000 with funding from the CARES Act.
“I think where people really like it, they won’t have to risk their schedule to come and pay a bill, they can do it on time,†Mason said.
Online bill payment will not be affected by the kiosk. Glen Gregor, from the city’s IT department, said the kiosk was well-lit and secure.
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