S’ton explores new utility payment system

A presentation about a new credit card system was the main focus of the Summerton Town Council meeting last Tuesday.

Ken Oliphant, a representative from South Carolina Interactive, was on hand to promote and give examples of a new credit card payment method for residents in and around the Summerton area.

Oliphant spoke about two types of payment methods that could be used.

One was called over-the-counter payment and the other was payment through the Internet.

Oliphant addressed the board and explained how payment methods could work and what it would allow in the future.

The system is offered to all entities and Summerton is a good fit for the new, potential system.

“One of the biggest things that we do offer local government, and it has  been my responsibility over the last three years to market and provide the services to local government,” Oliphant said. “That payment process includes online payment through debit or credit card, through over the counter or Internet.”

Credit cards accepted for the system are Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and electronic checks.

Because of negotiators with other companies and services, SCI was able to set acceptable rates.

The rate for the system would be 1.7 percent plus one dollar for debit and credit cards and a flat rate of $2.50 for electronic checking.

“I think if you check around, you’ll see that that’s very competitive,” Oliphant said.

In an effort to gain more customers, SCI will put their name on the statements received by the customer.

This means they can pay without having to create an account at the bank.

This is a self-funded operation and there is no funding required for installation or for the up-keep for the system.

“We charge nothing for set-up, there are no maintenance fees,” said Oliphant. “This is all part of our agreement with the state that we offer this through a self funded model. We get our money revenue from payments and applications.”

Across the state, SCI covers approximately 40 of the 46 counties.

They also cover 25 municipalities and 14 utility providers.

“You’ve got a pretty good footprint in terms of payment processes across the state,” said Oliphant.

Following a payment, a person will have the capability to see a receipt of sorts.

It will have payment reports and see that their payment was posted to the specific account.

“There’s an online reporting mechanism that whoever has access to it can go out and pull those reports,” Oliphant said. “As a payment is made, it is immediate so you can go and see that the payment was posted to what we call our payment engine. Immediately, they can pull up daily reports, monthly reports, that type of thing, as well as reconciliation reports that basically show what we’ve sent to them, that they can use as well.”