Oswego Common Council Passes Resolution To Allow For Online Payments Of Water, Sewer, Tax Bills

by Contributor | May 27, 2020 11:01 am

By: Shea O’Malley

OSWEGO – The Oswego Common Council held its second meeting of the month last night, May 26, via live stream when Mayor Billy Barlow touched on R145, a resolution which will allow residents to pay for their water, sewer and tax bills on the city website.

“It’s been a long time coming, something we’ve been talking about doing here for at least four years; probably more than that,” Barlow said. “Thank you to everyone who had a part in this.”

 The mayor mentioned that there will be online fee and is from the vendor itself, being similar to other types of payment systems. 

“The city does not collect that [fee], and we do not administer that and change that,” Barlow said.

The mayor also spoke about resolutions 146,147 and 148, all of which are related to the Combined Sewer Separation Project.

Barlow said that the change orders with Marcellus Construction Company for the Combined Sewer Separation Project are allowances put into the contract for unexpected work that may present itself throughout the job. 

“These change orders are either work that the city has requested to have done while the road is opened up, or work that was not predicted in the initial design and scope of the contact,” Barlow said.

Also mentioned in the agenda was R151. This resolution will provide a deep clean of City Hall over the course of the next three days in every room of the building. 

“I suspect that City Hall has never had a deep, thorough clean since 1870,” Barlow said. “It’s always been occupied, and there [have] always been people in it, and it’s always needed a function. So, [we’re] really doing a thorough clean for when people are here.”

The measures are being taken to ensure citizen and worker safety throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oswego City Hall will reopen June 8, utilizing services on the first for the general public.

Other items on the agenda[1] are as follows:

R143– Approval of minutes from Common Council meeting held on May 11, 2020 – Passed.

R144 – The Council approves use of public space at a single-family dwelling located at 40 East Mohawk Street. The owner requests use of a 75 to 80-foot space to install a four-foot high fence – Passed.

R145 – Authorizes the mayor to sign a merchant agreement with AllPaid, Inc. dba GovPayNet to process tax payments using credit cards online, in-person or over the telephone, providing easier service for residents and taxpayers – Passed.

R146 – Authorizes the mayor to sign Change Order No. 2 with Marcellus Construction Company, Inc. for project modifications to the Combined Sewer Separation Project – Third 25 percent. The amount of Change Order No. 2 is $14,712.02, with no increase to the total contract amount of $6,462,229. An allowance under BI-40 for Miscellaneous Additional Work approves funding –Passed.

R147 – Authorizes the mayor to sign Change Order No. 3 with Marcellus Construction Company, Inc. for Change Order No. 3 for the Combined Sewer Separation – Third 25 percent. The amount of Change Order No. 3 is $22,122.56, with no increase to the total contract amount of $6,462,229.00. An allowance under BI-40 for Miscellaneous Additional Work approves funding – Passed.

R148 – Authorizes the mayor to sign Change Order No. 4 with Marcellus Construction Company, Inc. for project modifications to the Combined Sewer Separation Project – Third 25 percent. The amount of Change Order No. 4 is $23,469.04, with no increase to the total contract amount of $6,462,229.00. An allowance under BI-40 for Miscellaneous Additional Work approves funding – Passed.

R149 – Authorizes purchasing agent for the City of Oswego to lock in pricing for electric and natural gas with Benchmark Services, Inc. The contract will revert back to National Grid upon expiration on Dec. 31, 2020. – Passed

R150 – Waive Rules of the Common Council to Present Resolution No. 151 from the Floor without Committee Consideration – Passed.

R151 – Mayor authorizes proposal by Sessler Environmental Services for disinfection and preventative maintenance at Oswego City Hall due to COVID-19. This will be done for the health, safety and welfare of the public. The amount is not to exceed $15,000 – Passed.

Common council meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of the every month.

The video of the meeting will be added to this article when the city posts it.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/oswego-common-council-passes-resolution-to-allow-for-online-payments-of-water-sewer-tax-bills/

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