City of Lawrence, Indiana, Announces Next-Generation Payment Kiosks with CityBase
24/7 Contactless, In-Person Payment Options to be Available to Lawrence Residents
View more on the City of Lawrence website
July 14, 2020 (Chicago, IL) – CityBase, a government technology company, today announced that the City of Lawrence, IN, will offer its residents the opportunity to pay bills in person using new secure, self-service kiosk technology. CityBase is a business unit of GTY Technology Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: GTYH) (“GTY”), a leading provider of SaaS/Cloud solutions for the public sector.
“This is a new opportunity to help our constituents and employees to stay safe by using CityBase kiosks for bill payment,” said Jason Fenwick, Deputy Mayor/Controller/Utility CFO at the City of Lawrence. “It has always been our priority to equally serve every Lawrence resident. We are partnering with CityBase because their technology provides a 24/7 secure, convenient way for the City to serve customers who pay their bills in person, even as the nature of in-person interactions evolve during a pandemic.”
Photo courtesy the City of Lawrence
The City of Lawrence will deploy two payment kiosks beginning in August 2020, including one that will offer 24/7 service. Both kiosks will be located at the City of Lawrence Government Center at 9001 E. 59th Street, Lawrence, IN.
This implementation was initiated to increase payment choice while reducing risks for Lawrence employees and residents. Before COVID-19 stay-at-home measures, on average 2,000 Lawrence residents paid water bills in person via cashier each month, including 500 cash transactions. By making in-person payments contactless, the City is providing a safe and affordable alternative for its constituents, particularly those who must pay bills in person using cash. Lawrence residents will be able to use the kiosks with a 24/7 self-service option, and pay their bills using cash, card, or check without any added service fees.
Many customers who pay their utility bills in person make payments in cash due to preference or need. Some don’t have access to banking services like credit cards and bank accounts. Following the closure of many payment centers across the U.S. due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, CityBase saw an increase in kiosk usage in April 2020, demonstrating the consistent demand for safe and convenient ways to pay city and utility bills in person.
“Payment technology should work for everyone, including for households that want or need to pay their bills in person. Lawrence’s new kiosk program will make those transactions easier, so walk-in customers can pay in the way that’s most convenient to them,” said Mike Duffy, CEO and founder of CityBase. “It’s very expensive to be low-income — from needing to take time off from work to make regular utility payments in person during business hours, to dealing with predatory check-cashing stores that charge huge fees for the privilege of being able to pay your bills on time. We applaud the City of Lawrence and other communities like it, for investing in solutions that drastically reduce the burden on low-income residents to maintain essential services like water for their households.”
The new kiosks will enable customers to look up their account information and make full or partial payments toward their city water bill using cash, check, or credit and debit cards. Payments will post instantly via real-time integration with the City’s utility billing system, ensuring that account balances are up to date at all times, including for after-hours payments. Customers will have the option to print their receipt, or have it sent via email or SMS text. All kiosk functionality will be available in English and Spanish.
Lawrence staff will manage all kiosk transactions through the CityBase Revenue Management Dashboard, which will allow them to see payment trends and other reports, as well as search for a specific customer transaction in real time to provide customer support.
