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Home My WebLink AboutOrd 1160 On-line Payments Convenience FeeREQUEST: SUBMITTED BY: DATE: CONTENTS: Recommendation: CITY OF PALM DESERT FINANCE DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 1160 ADDING A CONVENIENCE FEE OF $5.00 FOR ON-LINE PAYMENTS MADE THROUGH THE CITY'S WEBSITE FOR RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS CUSTOMERS AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE PAUL S. GIBSON, FINANCE DIRECTOR J U LY 10, 2008 ORDINANCE NO. 1160 ONLINE LICENSE RENEWAL PROCEDURE SCREEN PRINTS RIVERSIDE COUNTY PROPERTY TAX CONVENIENCE FEE RIVERSIDE COUNTY CITIATION CONVENIENCE FEE That the City Council: 1. Adopt Ordinance No. 1160 adding a convenience fee of $5.00 for online payments made through the City's website for residential and business customers; and 2. Authorize an appropriate effective date for charges to begin. Background: As technology has advanced, the ease and convenience of conducting business online has become valuable to many people. Currently, the City of Palm Desert does not allow for business license renewals to be processed online, and it is a convenience that is requested more frequently. Allowing people to renew their business license online would decrease the amount of trips to City hall to renew a license, reduce the number of mailed renewals, and save time for the renewing party and City staff, enabling staff to offer excellent customer service to citizens in person and on the telephone. Online services would be limited to business license renewals. New applications are required to be processed in person. The following permits will not be issued or renewable online: massage permits; landscape; contractors; adult entertainment; escort services; fortune tellers; birth control; babysitting; hypnotherapy; gunsmith/firearms G:\Finance\Niamh Ortega\Staff Reports\SR - Online Convenience Charge 062508.Docx Staff Report Ordinance No. 1160 - Online Convenience Charge Authorization July 10, 2008 Page 2 of 2 dealers; garage sale permits; film permits; and daily licenses. These licenses and permits are to be completed in person due to the additional checks that must be performed to issue these licenses. There is a cost associated with conducting such business online as credit card companies charge a percentage of the transaction fee to the City. The amount charged to the City of Palm Desert is 2.25%. Staff estimates that there are approximately 3,500 businesses that would be eligible to use the online renewal service. This would result in an annual fiscal outlay to the City of $17,500. Staff proposes a convenience charge in the form of a flat fee of $5.00 for each online credit card transaction conducted to alleviate the majority of the cost charged to the City of Palm Desert to offer this service, and should be effective thirty (30) days after adoption. Staff has found that the County of Riverside charges a convenience fee of $6.95 for citations paid online, plus an additional charge of 3.75% of the citation fee. Riverside County's Office of the Treasurer -Tax Collector charges a convenience fee of 2% of the online payment of property tax payments. Staff hereby requests that the City Council approve the ordinance and authorize a flat fee of $5.00 as a convenience charge for online credit card payments, and authorize this fee effective thirty (30) days after adoption. Submitted b •-c Paul S. bson FinanceJirector Approved by: Carlos L `Orteg City Manager nmo Douan Gelder Information Systems Director TY COUNCIL ACTION: APPROVED DENIED RECEIVED , OTH.ER,,.�_, �'MEETING .DATE U` U{ '3a.ea.e ZYL:t . - Pt J.sJ..�u ., ABSTAIN: N.. ?riginal on wHh City VERIFIED BY 7 File Ir ty Clerks 4fficE. G:\Finance\Niamh Ortega\Staff Reports\SR - online convenience charge 062508.docx ORDINANCE NO. 1160 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA ADDING A CONVENIENCE FEE FOR ON-LINE PAYMENTS MADE THROUGH THE CITY'S WEBSITE OF $5.00 FOR RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS CUSTOMERS AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE WHEREAS, the City has had many requests from residents asking for the ability to pay for city services on-line with credit/debit cards, WHEREAS, the City believes that offering this services is good for Palm Desert citizens wishing to pay for city services on-line, WHEREAS, the City believes that a convenience fee should be charged to offset the cost of providing this service to City residents wishing to pay for city services on- line, NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA does hereby ordain as follows: SECTION 1: Findings Incorporated. The findings set forth above are incorporated into the body of this Ordinance as if fully set forth herein. SECTION 2: That Chapter 3.50 is hereby added to the Code of the City of Palm Desert, California to read as follows: "CHAPTER 3.50 CONVENIENCE FEE 3.50.010 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the ability for Business License payments to be made with credit cards on-line. 3.50.020 Fee Charged. A convenience fee of $5.00 per transaction will be collected at the point of sale for those individuals and businesses using credit -debit cards to purchase City services on-line through the City's website or otherwise." ORDINANCE NO. 1160 SECTION 3: The City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert, California, is hereby directed to publish this ordinance in the Desert Sun, a newspaper of general circulation, published and circulated in the city of Palm Desert, California, and shall be in full force and effective thirty (30) days after its adoption. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the Palm Desert City Council this day of , 2008, by the following vote to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: JEAN BENSON, Mayor ATTEST: RACHELLE D. KLASSEN, City Clerk City of Palm Desert, California G \Finance\Niamh Ortega\Ordinances\ORD-Online convenience fee 062308.docx I�he Friday I�lyer, May 23, 2008 - Article: Paying for traf�fic tickets online is a convenience Page 1 of� 1 _...,..r- � . ,, � r ,�,_: Edition: �` � ' � � May 23,2008 � � � • *-- . ' r��I �,��;-a rF., � � � �•� - `� y��.,f � � - . . - .. :,� �.. �� J,�. ' �z +i� M� -'; � � 5''t, ,� �- � " '' T n A'(I �� . .. ,. �1 � � r � V L I 1 w_ � ' Send � � Flowers « ��5^� 99 Puf�lic tioUccs-I)HA Inti�• ('ON'I A(`I l ti N�ti;I)cparumnt•I)ispla� Ad�crh�ing•C'lassiti�d�Wv�rUsing L4 Search For: ;N.�E.n,Y DEU1'F0.7 AVNIAPtE .sHuo rc� Paying for traffic tickets online is a convenience � Search If Canyon Lakers get a speeding ticket there is a speedy way to take care of it. The Riverside County Superior Court is taking advantage of the convenience the Internet offers by providing online services. � .r�,.,,,,, Z�- � Motorists who have been issued citations can pay their tickets online and obtain information on traffic �""� �g� S�h°°'S. � o00 Back To easily access the traffic court payment system, go to www.epay-it.com. Once on the site, residents � will need to select the county in which they received their ticket; Riverside County has an East or West �� option. Du��as C8�$ After selecting the county, they will be taken to a screen that asks for name, birth date and citation �� number and, from that point, can easily follow the instructions. A citation search option is offered if the citation number is not known. All citations must be paid with a credit card and there is a convenience fee of Free $6.95 plus an additional charge of 3.75 percent of the citation fee. "'�� Some restrictions do apply and noi all citations are eligible for online payment. For questions or more Shipping Format Story information, contact the Western Riverside County office at 341-8876 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. For �,�.r.,�.,��,,,�,,,,a� for Printing information on other online services offered by Riverside County visit www.countyofriverside.us �"'^°�^^�^�°�^�-�°^°•� ..r..�e.�n�.o�a...oan a�i� � . Blinds.u:.m �o one else Erllail d COpy rnakes�t eas�er of This Story t. Top Sitc l)r�rl��pcd an�l I I��;lc�l h� }\'ch f:xcrllcncc http://www.thefridayflyer.com/FF-2008-5-23/FFS-9403.htm 6/24/2008 Welcome to the Ri��erside County 1'roperty Tax Web Application Page I oC 1 ;�-�"- Riverside County, California �� Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector Home Search Last Search Results Payment List FAQ Contact Us Property Tax Portal Welcome to the Riverside County Property Tax Web Application The Riverside County "�reasurer - Tax Collector is proud to offer ne�v online payment services. All tax bills paid online or by the automated phone system are due by midnight on the delinquent datc. We accept the following forms of'payment: ax.,�� v�sa ;_��r��1��: Discover, Mastercard, Visa, and e-Check Effective March 1, 2008 the convenience fee for Credit Card payments is 2%. �'here are 4 simple steps to pay your property taxes online: 1. Search for your property tax. 2. Add your property taxes to your Payment I.,ist. 3. Select your payment method and enter your account information and submit your payment. 4. Print a copy of your receipt f'or your records. � Start Search https://taxpayments.co.riverside.ca.us/ 6/24/2008 Palm l�esert Business License Page 1 of 1 - x.�_ a • ,�W . - i� � '� �� ,� _T \ -r 2 S_� `^?7�' ° ; _¥ �f�t J'�,tc�r ,�',I g � x` - I �l+�� ', �� .�'s� � . �--y ,s . � �' ' , . t�.�� . . } . . ri y�. � �:... _ ;�,. v'�. .... � . . . < Home Welcome to Business Licenses. License Information If you have a Master Account please log in. To create a Master Renew License Account, or perform an inqury please select an option on the left Explore a License Ci eate Mastei Ac�ount AccountlD: PIN: Sign-On ( Clear Phone The Cit}►of Palm Desert ?b'U-�46-i]h'11 Palrri De�ert Ci�,�ic Center Rl'C ltl'!1 Cl) t�1C Fax ?3-710FredVV'aringDriv� CICI' `�'tl? Sirc i t�i�-34i i-O�i 4 ' P.alm Desert,C,k.92?��p http://192.168.101.2/Click2GovOL/ 6/24/2008 Palm Desert E3usiness License Yage 1 of 1 < � .,,�, ,,,�•� .,. < : �c.� �.: . _��.-� iy�.<a' � °- '�'s� Y��i'4'Y� ,�� , �a��•� St-��a�Y x�y�'�:._ � � 6� � Sr� u • � [`' , - Y 4 � '- t F 3�]��'. F iS .l �,� 1 . I �;' „ _ , . ; , . � � ' -�,�� _ . _ � y�;'� ,- , . Hon�e Welcome to Business Licenses. License Information if you have a Master Account please Iog in. To create a Master Renew License Account, or perform an inqury please select an option on the left Explore a License Cieate lvlaste� Account AccountlD: 0700031186 PIN: Sign-On Clear Phone The City of Palm Desert ?60-�4E-i)611 � Falrri DFsert Civic Center ' jZ�rlll'll tt) t�1C s Fex ?3-710 Fred VVaring Dri•,�e (_irl' �,�'�l� �lr� '' i 60-34p-0��'4 P;ylm C�3ert, _�-.a1 � f ' r 2BU http://192.168.1 Ol.2/Click2GovOL/ 6/24/2008 Palm I�escrt Busincss I_icense Page 1 of 1 t. _� � ' - m YY.� r,�� -a" �h��,�, �r� r I� �;+�'tF. F �,�.'�''r-�' - ��'�.C�� ti-''�f f S+ ..,.1;F � ! ��$v�.�-�4 �x. �.-' � ,$"��+ r � *� i �� , .0�, '�_� ._ _ . __.....i5�.s�:�:=.. _ - . Ho�ne Search Results License Information ► Renew License Please select a License from list: Explore a License License Nbr Classification Status Cieate ldastei 06 00006636 DEPARTMENT STORE RENEWED Aecount 05 00031186 TOBACCO UCENSE RENEWED 05 00021109 SERVICE STATIONS - GASOLINE RENEWED 05 00006636 DEPARTMENT STORE RENEWED 04 00031186 TOBACCO LICENSE RENEWED Previous Next � Report :....,_._ .,._.�_...._,_. ....._._ ___ ...... ._ ..�._.. .. ... .. --.: . ...... . �. . _.. . .. . ..... _._...,_ _ .. . _ . . � ._ _.... , Phone The City of Paim Desert r'60-346-Ofi19 F�Im Uesert�.ivic Cerrter ; R�t u�'11 tu CI7� Fax ?3-510 FrEd'a`Varing Grive C.It)' �'�'C�) 51tC' : ?60_�,qp_�)5?4 Falrn DFsFrt,C.4 9;'2E;0 http://192.168.101.2/Click2GovOLBLINQDTRS.jsp?IsWhatIf=true&PagcN'lag=N&Contr... 6/24/2008 Palm Desert F3usiness I_icense Pa�e 1 of� 1 _ �w �ti.-,� .� �: T� ,r�.7-=? � . '' fi-� �f,�i�.c ��^ •�- � �`��.' I _a�''� s� x+F,.�! +` ; .F. r +- � s�,,.�. � � `,�.,� � � t.€�' � • ` h ' ��.� . _ ..�' � .-1.. .. . Home Public License Information Li�ense Information ► Renew License Explore a License License Number: 07-00006636 Cieate Master Business Control: 0006111 Location ID: 000224370 Account Business Name 8�Address Mailing Address COSTCO WHOLESALE #441 ATTN: LICENSING 72800 DINAH SHORE DR PLMD 999 LAKE DR PALM DESERT CA 92211 ISSAQUAH, WA 98027 Date Opened: 02/09/1993 Contractor Flag: Type of Ownership: C Business Phone: (760) 770-1010 Status: Active Owner Information COSTCO WHOLESALE License Information Classification: AR5311 DEPARTMENT STORE License Status, Date: ACTIVE , 02/08/2008 Appl, Issue Date: 02/05/2008, 02/05/2008 License Valid Thru Date: 01/31/2009 Additio.nal. Requirements DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT NUMBER EXPIRATION DATE INSURANCE WAIVER 0 SQUARE FOOTAGE OF OFFICE 147478 0 CERT OF SELF INSURANCE CERT#2060 EFF 9011986 RE-SALE NUMBER SYFH2567628935E 0 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 385 0 INSURANCE COMPANY NAME SELF INSURED 0 WORKERS COMP INSURANCE N/A 1312009 Phone The CRy ot Palm Desert � i 60-�46-Uti11 Palm Gesert��i��i�Cerrter � R�tl�1'll tt� t I7� Fax ?�-51UFn=dtii�,+arinyGriv� (:lrl•' `��C�> >lfC' ?f�0-�4i i-�J`74 F�alrr�D�=crt,C.+;92260 http://192.168.101.2/C1ick2Go��OL/BLINQINF.jsp?IsWhatIf=true&Century=l&Year=07... 6/24/2008 Palm Desert Business License Page 1 of 1 ; �;;�� ,� �-,; � �,f�-„��,� yy `�'�� '�"� r�-� �i � �� e � & ,:-.t � _i-. �� _,c�� .f_,. f�� , - ��. �� $t� �� `� ' ,`�`� � � N��.� r _ , '_ �.� '�f� - t��. ._ . �... Home License Information License InFormation Renew License � MSA CONSULTING INC License Number: 06 00005686 Exp(ore a License Create Master OUTSIDE CITY Business Control: 0005253 Account PALM DESERT, CA 92260 Renew to Year: 07 Owner: MSA CONSULTING INC Classification: CP87121 - License Status: FIRST RENEWAL MAILED Renew/Transfer Date: Issue Date: 06/27/2007 Renew Thru Date: 06/30/2008 Outstanding Balance: $0.00 Renew License Phone The City of Palm Desert ?60-34t�-p61 1 � F�alm De=.ert Ci•s�ic C?nter P��C U 1'll Ct� C�ll' � Fax "-=1 il Fr?d t11�:,rinq Dr r,.e 76�1_?AI I.OS?1 F':ylrn De�ett,�_�.'?:.'�P��l �.IC1� " l'll Slil' http://192.168.101.2/Click2GovOI./BI.RCNLINF.jsp 6/24/2008 I'alm Desert Business License Page 1 of 1 _ .isr -�� •, --',$ � -i - . . . .- ��1�'" 'et',....- tt �' 4s - � �' �` .�� ' � ��=.�'..�.��.;�`-�.��- � t � ��,�' � �� . :�` :� . ._.. . Home MSA CONSULTING INC License Number: 06 00005686 OUTSIDE C1TY Business Control: 0005253 License Information PALM DESERT, CA Renew License ► g2260 Renew to Year: 07 Explore a License Classification: CP87121 - G eate Mastei Account Please carefully review and adjust the Renewal Date and Gross Receipts below for this License Renewal Date: 06/24/2008 (MM/DD/YYYY) Gross Receipts: $� Continue Phone The City of Palm Desert i60_346-Ci611 Fairr�D-rsYrt Ci��ic C:er�tcr Rl'IU1'll Cl� Cill' Fax '--51=iFr�,��1`:'�•�annqr�,;•.;�- (`IC1' �t l'�� liC' ?hll_j$�I-t!�:•v �''y41T!i!r_�.QFtt,'-�� ia��F,-_� . http://l 92.168.101.2/C1ick2GovOLBLREN"1'YP.jsp?I.icenseYear=Q6&I.icenseNumber=0... 6/24/2008