“Please check back.”
That’s the statement found after clicking the “Pay Online” button on the Belmont County Water & Sewer District’s website.
Fortunately, it doesn’t say “soon” as doing so would require a reworking of the definition of “soon” by the fine folks at Merriam-Webster.
Online bill pay is, or will be a beneficial feature for Belmont County water customers. It’s a feature that’s been a long-time coming. But there may finally be light, or in this case connectivity, at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s going through the testing phase and it’s getting closer to having it available,” said Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton when asked for a status update this week. “It’s been very close to having it in place, but there have been some delays. Naturally, some of that can be attributed to COVID.”
But COVID is the exact reason that now is the best time to get the system up and running. Dutton admitted as much.
This comes into greater focus now that the department office at 67711 Oakview Drive is once again closed to the public as of Dec. 1.
During the first round of coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the office closed to the public. There is still an after-hours drop box outside the office doors. There is also the option to mail in your payment.
But from a pure convenience aspect, and a socially distanced one, online payments are inherently beneficial.
At-Present Accommodations
Dutton noted that the closure of the office to the public could become a hinderance for those who generally pay their bill in person.
Not having to will likely disrupt their routine and lead to potential late payments. For now, the water department plans to exhibit some leniency.
“There will be some payment issues in getting payments in so we’re not going to immediately throw lay payment penalties on,” Dutton said. “We will wave or work with people in those types of matters.
“We definitely recognize once the (online) system is in place, it will be great for the system.”
But When?
St. Clairsville and Martins Ferry, two of the other larger water providers in the county, already utilize third-party platform Invoice Cloud to process their payments.
Bellaire uses a targeted site, ohiobillpay.com/Bellaire, a site utilized by a number of municipalities throughout Ohio.
So, when will the county water department join the club? Dutton didn’t have a firm date for when the online bill pay will finally be up and running. Full functionality by year’s end is the ideal scenario.
But that’s not likely to happen. The department has a lot of end-of-the-year activities and tasks to manage. Dutton did give an encouraging rough estimate though.
“I can’t imagine it’s not in place soon and we’re hoping no later than by the end of the first quarter,” Dutton said. “It could be sooner, but I don’t know the exact date.”
