Patrons at the Richland County courthouse building who need cash can now access an ATM available in the front lobby.
“It’s a community service to the general public,” said Richland County Commissioner Gary Utt.
The Advantage Credit Union approached Utt about the idea of possibly putting an ATM at the county building for the employees and people who visit the building. Utt is a member of the credit union’s board of directors.
“I checked with Bart Hamilton, the treasurer, Pat Dropsey, the auditor, and I even contacted Lynn Frary, the clerk of courts and talked to them about the advantage of having an ATM in this building,” Utt said. “Both Bart and Pat said it was a good idea. And Lynn said she has heard of other county buildings having an ATM at their building.”
Utt said he then went to the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office to make sure it was legal to have an ATM inside the building.
“We just want to cover all bases,” he said. “[The Prosecutor] gave me an opinion back that said he researched it and that through the Ohio Revised Code it was legal for us to put an ATM in.”
After finding out that all were on board for installing an ATM and it was legal, Utt said, officials from the Advantage Credit Union gave a presentation. Utt said there was, however, a concern about not including the other local banking institutions.
“If anyone would use their card from a different bank [other than Advantage Credit Union], their bank would get a portion of the fee,” he said. “And in the minds of the commissioners that made it seem fairer for everybody.”
Utt also mentioned that he abstained from voting on whether there should be an ATM in the courthouse or not.
Advantage Credit Union Chief Executive Officer Robert Grove Jr. said there is plenty of activity in the courthouse and the lobby.
“You’ve got the treasurer’s office and they do not accept credit cards,” he said. “You have the auditor’s office and the recorder’s office and they don’t accept checks so it’s really a community service to the people.”
Grove said the ATM will not only service the people who work and do business at the courthouse but it will also service the downtown Mansfield area.
“It is a full service ATM,” he said. “We just thought it was a great fit and feel it will be an asset to the community.”
The ATM was installed January 24 and was ready for transactions by January 27.
