North Cook News

The village of Wheeling is moving to upgrade its program that will allow for broader electronic payments to be made for most village businesses.

“My staff is excited tonight to present you with a program that we think will significantly improve customer service for our residents and businesses,” village Finance Director Michael Kaplan said as he made a presentation to the village board. “I’d also like to point out that this program that we’re recommending, which is related to electronic payment processing, meets a goal of the strategic plan, which is to capitalize on opportunities to improve delivery of core services.” 

The village currently offers limited online payment options for water bills and compliance and red light tickets. Although more than a third of residents currently pay their water bills online through that system, it has been described as cumbersome and multiple complaints have been voiced about it. 

The new payment system would allow village residents and businesses to pay all types of fees to the village. Beyond utility bills, they could also pay parking fees, permit fees, rental inspection fees, and even adjudication fees. It would allow residents to pay by text, ACH, credit card, Venmo, Apple pay, or other forms of electronic service. They can make one-time payments or sign up for automatic payments. 

The village ultimately expects cost savings from this system as the cost of the new system is only slightly higher than the village’s current online payment system and it offers paperless billing, which will save the village an estimated $3,600 per year. 

The company has proposed a three-year contract with the village, after which they can terminate at any time with a 30-day notice. The village board voted to accept this program at its recent meeting.