PITTSFIELD — Online bill payment users in the city can now pay for as many as 10 different services by text message.
The move is not necessarily designed to boost revenue, City Finance Director Matt Kerwood said, adding the city's collection rate is nearly 98 percent.
"It's more about convenience than it is about looking for a boost in collection rate," he said.
The service is hosted by Invoice Cloud, which administers the city's online payment system.
The text notifications alerting customers that a bill is due include the bill amount, account number, and the last four digits of the credit card linked to the online bill payment account.
"There is no financial data going back and forth on text message," Kerwood said.
Bills must be paid in full and payments via text message are subject to the same 3 percent surcharge as online payments.
Bills for real estate, personal property, delinquent and current motor vehicle excise taxes, and water and sewer can be paid via text. Dog licenses and certificates for birth, death and marriage are also eligible for the service.
Registration is required for pay-by-text, even if residents or property owners currently pay their bills from the city online.
Reach staff writer Carrie Saldo at 496-6221 or @carriesaldo.