STERLING - Sterling residents may soon have a new option for monetary transactions with the town: credit cards.

A credit card acceptance machine could be incorporated into the town's daily operations for convenience and efficiency.

Bob McLean, a representative of Nationwide Payment Solutions, said Monday, that his company's credit card acceptance services would be to the town but not to the credit card user, who would pay a 2.5 to 3 percent convenience fee when paying for town services with a credit card.

“Most towns haven't accepted credit cards,” McLean told the town board, “but the credit card companies have changed their rules.”

He noted that after having looked at the size of the market that they could tap into, that companies are broadening their scope to include municipalities.

MasterCard and American Express made the change in 2007 and 2008, respectively, while Discover always permitted such use. Visa, on the other hand, will only allow its card to be used for tax payments in a municipal context.

Town clerk Lisa Cooper said credit card use would be an advantage for hunting licenses.

“Nationwide Payment Solutions is a link between the credit card companies and the municipalities,” McLean said.

He described the payment process as a swipe through the machine's portal to MasterCard, for example and then a double signature, one for the credit card company and one for the convenience fee to Nationwide. It allows two transactions per swipe.

“At night the funds are transferred from his bank to the town's account,” McLean said.

His firm does all the reconciling and transfers the figures to the town's computer system.

“There is a large demand out there,” McLean said. “Ninety percent of the consumers are willing to pay the fee.”

He pointed out that a customer could change their mind in the middle of a transaction and cancel the process if they wished.

While the convenience fee might not seem like much when paying for a license, it could be a substantial sum when property taxes are on the card.

McLean said he had several municipalities interested and at various stages in the process.

“Ninety-eight percent of the town's functions are applicable,” he said. “If it's not working, all the town has to do is give 60 days' notice with no cost included.”

Board members said they are interested in exploring this addition to the town's services and will consult with their attorney before approving any contract with the company. They will decide at the next regular board meeting, Nov. 17.