City of Fairfield no longer accepts credit cards over phone

FAIRFIELD – The City of Fairfield wants residents to know that it is no longer taking credit card payments over the phone.

Fairfield City Administrator Doug Reinert said the city made the change about a month ago as a security measure to better protect residents’ private information. There are other ways residents have to pay their utility bills, such as by going onto the city’s website and paying with a credit card through its online portal. That way, the resident’s credit card information is not stored at city hall.

“You can also sign up for auto draft so the portal will draw [the money] out of your bank account every month,” Reinert said. “These controls protect citizens and the city so we don’t have any data breaches.”

Reinert said other cities have fallen victim to scams involving QR codes, where the scammers are able to steal residents’ banking information by accessing a city database.

“We’re doing everything we can to mitigate that,” he said.

Residents can still pay their utility bills in person at city hall, using cash, credit or check. Reinert said there’s a special fee for credit cards, since the credit card companies charge the city for the service. Residents can also mail a check to city hall at 118 S. Main St. in Fairfield, IA 52556.

To explore these and other payment options, visit the city’s website at cityoffairfieldiowa.com and select the tab “pay bills.” The phone number for city hall is 641-472-6193.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com