ELIZABETHTOWN — Customers of the town of Elizabethtown will soon be able to pay their municipal bills online.

At Tuesday’s monthly meeting, Elizabethtown Finance Director Jay Leatherman presented a DataTalk Revenue Agreement for Council’s consideration. The service, provided by Voice Data Solutions, allows customers to pay utility bill, taxes, and other fees to the town by utilizing online software.

“People call about this frequently,” Leatherman informed the board.

Town Manager Eddie Madden affirmed the public’s desire for the service, and added it’s “something people expect in this day and time.”

The service will cost the town $30 per year, and the program will be tied into existing accounting software.

“Do they have adequate safeguards to protect against people getting in?” questioned Councilman Howell Clark.

Leatherman affirmed they did.

Voice Data Solutions, the same service utilized by the county, takes care of transaction fees. Customers opting to use the online service will pay a “small fee,” according to Leatherman, each time they use the software.

“Every time they pay, they’ll acknowledge they were made aware of the fee,” Madden explained. “It’s all very transparent.”

“If they handle the fee, and we don’t have to do that, and it costs us only $30 per year, it sounds like a good program,” offered Councilman Ricky Leinwand.

Council approved the motion unanimously. Customers can expect the program to roll out sometime in the spring, according to Leatherman.

In other business, the board:

— Held a pinning and swearing-in ceremony for the promotion of Hollis Freeman and Chad Sholar to captains within the Elizabethtown Fire Department (see separate story and photos).

— Awarded Trigon of Whiteville, Inc. the $1,452,686 bid for construction of the taxiway at Curtis Brown Field. Trigon was the low bidder, but the cost was still higher than the town was hoping. The Department of Aviation, the Department of Commerce, and W.K. Dickson each agreed to help the town with the project by paying $265,000 apiece to bring the costs within the projected budget.

— Appointed Mark Gillespie and Clint Hester to the Recreation Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Ernest Bacote will not be returning for another term, and Council will vote on a replacement in February.

Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163 or emailing ccarroll@bladenjournal.com.

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Chrysta Carroll

Bladen Journal