Paying certain Woodland Park municipal bills or charges online could soon come with an added charge. The borough's Mayor and Council have introduced an ordinance that would let the municipality tack processing fees onto credit card, debit card, electronic check and other electronic payments, though exactly how much residents would pay still hasn't been decided.
The ordinance, introduced unanimously, sets up a system for recovering the costs of handling electronic transactions rather than creating a new revenue stream, according to TAPinto. Under the proposal, credit and debit card payments could carry a fee of up to 4.5% of the transaction amount, plus a minimum charge of up to $1 where applicable. Electronic check payments could cost up to $3 per transaction, while ACH payments and electronic funds transfers could be charged either up to 2% of the transaction amount with a minimum fee of up to $1, or a flat fee of up to $3.
Those numbers represent ceilings, not a finalized fee schedule. The borough could instead opt for something lower, such as a percentage fee below 4.5% paired with a fixed processing charge of up to 50 cents per transaction. On a $1,000 electronic payment, a 4.5% fee would translate to $45 — but the ordinance does not say that is what residents will actually pay, only what the borough is permitted to charge.
What the Ordinance Does and Doesn't Allow
The measure limits any fee to the actual allowable cost of handling and processing electronic payments, and it applies across municipal departments without specifying which individual payment processors or offices would be affected first. It explicitly does not authorize new taxes, penalties, technology fees or other revenue-generating charges — the goal, per the ordinance, is cost recovery rather than padding the municipal budget.
Residents would also keep access to non-electronic ways to pay, such as cash or check, as required by law. Before any fee is charged, the ordinance requires that it be disclosed to the payer before the transaction is completed, and that it appear as a separately identified line item in transaction records. The borough would also need to maintain proper accounting procedures and, if required under state law, set up a dedicated electronic receipt fees trust fund.
Woodland Park Mayor Tracy Kallert framed the change as a customer-service upgrade. She said electronic card payments improve convenience and processing efficiency for registrations and certain services, and called the proposal a practical step toward better customer service and more accessible local government.
State Law and a Pending Bill in Trenton
The proposal falls under New Jersey's Government Electronic Payment Acceptance Act, and it still needs a public hearing and final approval before taking effect — meaning the fee structure could still change before residents see any charges show up at checkout.
The timing lines up with activity at the state level. New Jersey Assembly Bill 4829, introduced in May, would authorize local governments statewide to impose a convenience fee of up to $3 for each obligation paid electronically, according to the New Jersey Legislature. That bill states its fees are meant to offset the administrative expenses local government units bear, and it would still require towns to offer traditional or non-electronic payment options. The bill specifies it would take effect immediately if enacted, though there's no evidence yet confirming whether it has actually passed into law.
That $3 cap echoes an earlier, separate effort. A 2021 proposal was described by New Jersey 101.5 as capping any electronic-payment convenience fee at $3 per transaction rather than allowing a percentage-based system — a notably different approach than the percentage fees Woodland Park and the new Assembly bill both contemplate. Separately, a New Jersey Department of Community Affairs notice suggests that state administrative rules under N.J.A.C. 5:30-9.9 may bar local units from charging users more than the actual cost of handling and processing a transaction.
How Other New Jersey Towns Handle the Fee
Woodland Park wouldn't be breaking new ground among nearby municipalities. Paramus authorized credit card payments for municipal fees effective April 1, 2026.
Caldwell takes a different approach depending on payment type: residents paying online by ACH or e-check face a $1.95 convenience fee, while debit and credit card payments carry a fee of roughly 2.95% of the total bill. Montclair similarly lists a 2.95% convenience fee for debit and credit card payments made through its water and sewer bill-payment portal. Woodland Park's actual rate remains undetermined until the ordinance clears a public hearing and final vote.
