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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteTigard is not charging utility customers a new credit-card fee yet. On September 8, 2026, the City Council unanimously directed staff to develop a process for adding fees to card payments, but a report published October 9 said no implementation timeline had been set. The proposed rate and the payment methods that would avoid it are not final.
What the council decided—and what it did not
The discussion centered on who should cover the cost of processing credit-card payments on utility bills. Finance staff presented three options: keep absorbing those costs through the utility system, charge customers who pay by card, or use a hybrid approach that charges card users while retaining a lower-cost no-fee payment option. The council unanimously directed staff to develop a process for adding card fees; it did not adopt a launch date or final fee terms. Tigard Life’s October 2026 report and the September 8 meeting transcript describe the proposal.
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How much might a card payment cost?
The available figures are proposals and examples, not an adopted rate. Tigard Life reported a proposed 3% fee on card payments. In the meeting transcript, staff used an illustrative service-fee rate of 2.95%. The sources do not establish a final percentage, minimum charge, or effective date.
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At the meeting, staff illustrated the 2.95% rate with a $163.81 payment, producing an estimated fee of about $4.83. Staff separately illustrated the processing cost on that payment as about $4.03, using a 2% interchange fee plus $0.75. These are staff examples, not a guaranteed fee or verified per-customer cost.
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The $163.81 amount is also the city’s estimated average residential utility bill after FY 2026–27 rates took effect July 1, 2026. Actual bills vary with the customer’s services and usage, so a percentage fee would vary too. Tigard’s utility billing information provides the city’s rate and billing context.
Why Tigard is considering the fee
Finance staff said the city currently pays about $600,000 a year in merchant fees, and estimated that the hybrid approach could reduce utility-system merchant costs by about $300,000 annually. That savings estimate is conditional: Finance Director Eric Kang told Tigard Life that it assumes every utility bill shifts away from card payment. The city would still incur some processing costs, including for e-checks.
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The policy choice is therefore about how to allocate payment costs. If the city absorbs card fees, they remain among utility-system costs; if it passes them through, customers choosing cards pay them directly. The hybrid proposal aims to preserve a no-fee electronic option while encouraging payment methods that cost less to process. Councilors expressed support for encouraging e-check use.
Discussion raised the possibility that recovered funds could support leak credits or emergency assistance, and that lower costs might reduce future rate pressure. Neither use has been confirmed as a commitment.
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Which payment methods could avoid the fee?
The reported hybrid proposal identifies checks, e-checks, and cash as ways to avoid the contemplated surcharge. Tigard currently offers several payment routes, including online quick pay, account sign-in, phone payment, in-person payment, mail, and a drop box. The city’s utility payment portal describes those current channels, but does not say which would be fee-free if a new policy takes effect. Do not assume that every online or phone payment route would avoid a fee; the final terms have not been reported.
What card-autopay customers should know
The proposed fee does not itself change current autopay instructions. Tigard’s portal says that customers changing a credit card on autopay must first cancel autopay, update the card information, and then enroll again. That guidance is about updating a card, not about the proposed surcharge or what will happen to card autopay if the policy is implemented.
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Refunds and customer notices remain unsettled
Mayor Yi-Kang Hu asked staff to refund fees without questions for customers who raised questions during the first “couple months.” That was a request during the council discussion, not a confirmed refund policy. Finance staff also floated an information campaign, but no start date or notice schedule was specified. Customers should wait for the city’s final terms and notice before assuming a fee, refund window, or transition arrangement.
How the three options differ
| Option | Who bears card-processing costs? | No-fee electronic route | Expected cost recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continue absorbing costs | Costs remain in the utility system. | No separate route is specified in the meeting materials. | No reduction from shifting card costs to card users. |
| Pass card costs to card users | Customers paying by card would pay the fee. | Not specified as part of this option. | Costs would be passed through for card payments. |
| Hybrid approach (staff recommendation) | Card users would pay a fee; customers using qualifying alternatives would not. | Staff described e-check as a no-fee electronic option; the report also names checks and cash. | Staff estimated about $300,000 in annual utility-system merchant-cost reduction, conditional on every bill moving away from card payments; some costs would remain. |
The city has not reported final rules for which channels qualify, the fee amount, or when any change would begin. The comparison reflects the choices described at the September 8 meeting, not an adopted fee schedule.
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