Due to Chenowith Water’s auditors not allowing Chenowith to accept Tooley Water District’s monies into its own bank accounts, Tooley must set up its own payment processing. The agenda proposes a motion to authorize Mr. Amery to sign the district up for merchant services and to purchase a credit card processing machine so customers can pay directly to Tooley’s account.This indicates an upcoming procurement of merchant services and associated point-of-sale equipment, but no provider or solution has been selected yet. Payment processors, banks, and billing technology vendors can help the district design a compliant, low-friction payment setup that integrates with its water billing operations and supports potential future online services.

Chenowith Water is the new system operator and will not handle funds in its own accounts because of auditor constraints, driving the need for Tooley’s own merchant setup.