Spring Hill residents who pay their monthly utility bills or other City financial transactions using a credit or debit card may soon be asked to pay a small fee to cover the cost of that convenience.

Currently, the City of Spring Hill absorbs the costs of convenience fees charged to the City by credit card companies for the processing of each transaction, a subsidy that costs taxpayers at least $125,000 a year in the City budget. Requiring the public to begin paying these transaction fees would allow the City to apply the additional $125,000 toward other needed projects within both the Water/Sewer and General Funds of the budget.

The fee will be charged on credit/debit payments for utility bills, permits, business licenses, property taxes, and any other transactions using a credit or debit card. This includes paying with a card online, in person, or by phone.

 The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) voted at its budget meeting on Tuesday, June 13, to begin charging the fee some time during the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. The board’s final vote on the 2017-18 Budget, which includes the proposed fee, is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 30, at City Hall.