Customers of the Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority can now pay their bills in person using a credit card.
Water authority director Gary McVey and controller Alicia Stewart discussed this recent change with water board members during a meeting last week.
The water authority has previously accepted credit card payments online, but not in person at its Industrial Boulevard office, he noted.
“We had never taken credit cards before. That was one of the hot topics and comments we’d been getting from our customers and folks moving in here,” said McVey.
Stewart said the utility is working on making other payment options available, such as paying by phone, and the different payment options will now be controlled by the same system.
The credit card payments are subject to a 3 percent or minimum $1.50 surcharge, noted Stewart. Credit cards can be used to pay for other charges, such as tap fees, which are also subject to the surcharge.
“We’ve already had (one person) pay for a tap fee with a credit card,” Stewart said.
Board member Billy Rowe asked if payment through banking billpay apps will also be among the changes. Stewart noted the water authority is also working on improving that option.
“Most customers don’t understand that when they pay online (using a bank billpay service), they’re still mailing a paper check to us. They have to give it time to get to us. If they pay before the due date, they don’t understand why they get a penalty,” she added.
In other news ...
﹣ McVey said the water authority has secured a permit from the EPD to withdraw more water per day from the Ellijay River. That permit increases the daily withdrawal limit from .45 million gallons to 1.5 million gallons.
“We are now able to withdraw 1.5 million gallons from the Ellijay, (along with) 4 million from the Cartecay. We’re now able to withdraw (a total of) up to 5.5 million if needed. In its last expansion, the water treatment plant was built to treat up to 6.2 million (gallons a day),” he added.
﹣ The water board welcomed new member Ricky Wimpey, who fills a vacancy created with the recent leaving of board member Don Callihan.
Callihan, who’d also been an East Ellijay City Councilmember, was recently sworn in as East Ellijay’s mayor following the death of longtime mayor Mack West.
Wimpey is a former co-owner of the Ellijay Dairy Queen and a current employee of Bernhardt Funeral Home.
An extensive water line replacement project that will involve South Main Street, Church Street and River Street in downtown Ellijay could get started as early as late April.
Hired contractor UWS is in the process of executing the contract, which will then have to be executed by the water authority and followed by a pre-construction meeting, noted McVey.
“We have ordered the pipe, and it’s here and ready,” he added.