Evanston will begin passing credit card processing costs on to customers Monday, Nov. 2, starting with transactions handled by the Police and Fire departments and the City Clerk’s Office.

The surcharge will be a minimum of 2.23% or $1 per transaction, according to a city announcement posted Oct. 25. Residents who pay by check or cash at city facilities will not be charged.

The fee is not a new tax, the city said. It offsets what Evanston pays to credit card processors and financial institutions. Those costs hit $1.1 million in 2024 and rose to $1.3 million in 2025.

What's affected first

The first departments to add the fee are the Police and Fire departments and the City Clerk's Office. Credit card payments for birth and death certificates, FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests and city seal transactions will carry the surcharge starting Nov. 2.

Parking transactions already carry processing fees. Since July 1, sessions through the ParkEvanston app include a $0.47 convenience fee, and credit card payments at on-street pay stations include a $0.22 fee, according to the city's parking page. Pay stations still accept coins without a fee.

More departments coming

Additional departments will phase in the fee through spring 2027, according to the city's rollout schedule:

  • Law and Health departments: Liquor licensing and public health permits.
  • Public Works and Community Development: Building permits, contractor licenses and related trade permits.
  • City Manager's Office: General business licenses, special assessments and property transactions.
  • Water Bureau (January 2027): Utility billing, including water and sewer accounts.
  • Administrative Services and Human Resources: Administrative fees and internal service payments.
  • Administrative Adjudication: Municipal citations, ordinance violations and administrative hearings.
  • City Collector's Office: Centralized cashiering and front-desk collections.

The city has not announced specific start dates for those departments beyond the January 2027 target for the Water Bureau.

How it got here

The City Council directed the change during its fiscal year 2025 budget process. Deputy City Manager Carina Sanchez presented the plan at the council's July 13 meeting, describing it as a phased pass-through of credit card processing fees for all citywide services, including parking, according to meeting minutes. The goal was to recover approximately $1.3 million the city had been absorbing annually.

At that same meeting, Councilmember Burns moved to add the credit card fee item to the agenda. Councilmember Kelly seconded. The motion passed 9-0.

The fee was incorporated into both the adopted fiscal year 2025 budget and the fiscal year 2026 budget, with city staff noting implementation would take time.

The credit card surcharge arrives alongside other cost increases in City Manager Luke Stowe's proposed 2027 budget, which calls for an 8.9% property tax hike and a 25% water rate increase, as Evanston Now reported Oct. 5.

Residents with questions can call or text 847-448-4311 or dial 311 while in Evanston.