MADISON TOWNSHIP — A contract for a credit card machine was approved at the Madison Township Trustees meeting Monday night.
Trustee Tom Brandt requested approval for the contract, which will allow the zoning department to process transactions through Elavon.
Elavon has more than 30 years of experience providing global payment solutions for businesses.
“A lot of people want to use a card. They don’t have cash on them,” Brandt said. “Or, we have to have exact change.”
He added that many companies assigned to projects are from out of town or out of state, making card payments a more efficient option.
“It’s more efficient for them to use a card rather than mail a check,” Brandt said. “Otherwise, we have to wait for the check to come in and then mail something back to them.”
The township will continue to operate through Park National Bank. There will be a 3-percent processing fee on transactions, which the cardholder will pay.
Brandt noted that fee is separated to avoid complications with accounting.
“They set that up for government purposes,” he said. “So we are not paying that — they are.”
The options for the card reader are $10 per month for renting or $270 for purchasing. If purchasing, Brandt said it would come with a one-year warranty.
However, Brandt explained that if the township purchases the machine, it would be responsible for paying for future updates. Renting the device would avoid those costs.
“So it is either $10 per month or pay $270 and hope we do not have any issues,” he said.
The trustees approved the $10-per-month rental option.
He added the company provides 24/7 customer service year-round.
Payments can also be entered manually over the phone if needed and transactions automatically batch out each night. This allows the funds to appear in the account the following morning.
Nation Opioid Settlement
Fiscal Officer Leanna Rhodes announced the township received an email regarding the National Opioid Settlements, asking whether Madison Township would like to participate in the next round of lawsuits involving eight manufacturers.
The companies named in this round include Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Indivior, Mylan, Sun and Zydus.
These settlements require the manufacturers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars toward addressing the opioid epidemic, providing up to $720 million in cash to participating states and subdivisions to help lessen the impacts of the crisis.
The board voted to approve Madison Township’s involvement in the settlement.
Public Comment
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Phyllis Woolley, of 161 Ford Road South, voiced concerns about recent tar-and-chip work completed a few months ago.
“A lot of that never sealed along the edge and it goes into our driveway,” she said.
Wolley asked if the township could do anything about it, explaining that she struggles to keep her driveway clean from the mess.
“When you back in and out of the driveway it is going into the driveway and when cars go by,” she said. “So I just didn’t know who is responsible for getting that cleaned up.”
The trustees informed her that, based on her address, she falls within Mifflin Township rather than Madison Township and she would need to reach out to that entity.