[0:00] Well, greetings everybody. This is Jim [0:02] Hland, your Adana Mayor, and this is the [0:04] mayor's minute for Wednesday, August [0:06] 20th, 2025. Beginning September 1st, [0:10] when you pay your city utility bill with [0:13] a credit card, a 3% convenience fee will [0:16] apply. The fee applies to any card [0:19] payment, whether set up as autopay, or [0:22] made as a one-time payment by phone, in [0:24] person, or through Invoice Cloud, the [0:27] city's online billing software for [0:29] utilities. This includes payments made [0:32] with a debit card as well. The city does [0:35] not make a profit from the convenience [0:37] fee. The fee has been implemented only [0:39] to offset the cost the city pays to card [0:42] payment processors on average and helps [0:45] maintain the city's overall city budget. [0:48] You can avoid the convenience fee by [0:49] paying by check or money order, setting [0:52] up automatic payments from your bank [0:54] account using Bank Pay or AC. Details on [0:58] payment options and instructions on how [0:59] to set up an invoice cloud account or [1:02] paying by available [1:04] online at adinaamn.gov/ gov/youutility [1:08] billing. The city is gradually [1:10] implementing convenience fees across all [1:12] departments to help recover the costs [1:14] associated with accepting credit card [1:16] payments. For example, in 2024, [1:20] utility billing processed more than [1:22] 24,500 [1:23] card payments, resulting in nearly [1:26] 77,000 in fees paid to card processors. [1:30] This is all money that's being paid [1:32] really by the taxpayers of the city of [1:33] Adina. So, you can see how important it [1:36] is that we recover these fees. $70,000 [1:39] alone just in the utility billing [1:41] department. You can see how important it [1:43] is that we recover these fees on behalf [1:45] of the taxpayers so that it doesn't [1:48] affect our city budget adversely. This [1:50] is Jim Hufflin and that's your mayor's [1:52] minute for Wednesday, August 20th, 2025. [1:55] I hope you have a great rest of the week [1:56] and thanks for your understanding on [1:58] these convenience fees.