COLLECTION REGULATIONS; PAYMENT SUBSTATION AND PAYMENT SERVICE CONTRACTS.
Dallas City Code § 49-10
in effectSEC. 49-10. COLLECTION REGULATIONS; PAYMENT SUBSTATION AND PAYMENT SERVICE CONTRACTS.
(a) Collection regulations. The director is authorized to promulgate regulations and procedures, not in conflict with this code, the city charter, or applicable state or federal laws or regulations, concerning the collection of charges for service and the handling of customer accounts, receipts, and reports.
(b) Authority for payment service agents and payment processors. The director is authorized to allow payment service agents at convenient locations for the general public to pay charges, or the director may negotiate contracts with private persons for the operation of payment processors, including but not limited to, telephone (interactive voice response) payment services, and Internet (on-line) payment services.
(c) Terms of private contracts. A payment processor contract must be for a fixed term and must contain conditions agreed upon by the parties; except, that each contract must include the collection regulations and procedures promulgated by the director as a part of the conditions.
(d) Convenience charge for payment services. The director may collect a convenience charge to recover the cost of service associated with credit and debit card transaction fees in accordance with Chapter 132 of the Texas Local Government Code. The fee is designed to recover the actual costs incurred by the water utilities department in providing the payment service, including but not limited to credit and debit card transactions and interchange fees. The fee may be retained by the water utilities department or paid directly to the payment processor as a cost-of-service and must be clearly disclosed to the customer at the time of payment.
(e) Convenience charge for payment service agents. A payment service agent is authorized to collect a convenience charge, not to exceed $5.00, on each bill collected, which charge may be retained by the payment service agent as a cost of service.
(f) Applicability. The collection and payment regulations and procedures provided for in this section apply to:
(1) charges established under this chapter; and
(2) charges established under other city ordinances that the director has been authorized to collect by the city manager or the city council. (Ord. Nos. 19201; 25385; 26135; 33232; 33420)
Source: City of Dallas, Dallas City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-125107Fetched: 10/26/2026