Brewster adopts online invoice payment program

BREWSTER – Within the next 90 days, Brewster residents will be able to pay their utility bills and similar city invoices online thanks to a new program approved by the city council at its regular monthly GoTo meeting last Wednesday, Oct. 14.

At the urging of Mayor Art Smyth and two council members the city ratified the new Invoice Cloud Contract as both a convenience and added health safety measure by allowing an option to paying invoices in person at city hall or by mail.

In other council business, two public hearings were scheduled for the next regular council meetings in November and December. November’s meeting will include a public hearing on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy. December will include a public hearing concerning the construction of two additional farmworker housing units on Indian Avenue.

The city also ratified an additional services contract for city engineering firm J-U-B Engineers in Spokane for a six-year street plan.

“We already have a contract with them,” said city clerk/treasurer Misty Ruiz of J-U-B Engineers. “But the council has to approve every project we ask them to do for us.”

The council also approved an additional budget authorization requested by the FCS Group of Redmond for the city water and sewer rate study. The authorization is for $3,200 to address issues at the treatment plant.

Ruiz said the city also submitted a grant request to the state Department of Ecology for water and sewer work.

Application was also made to the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) for funds to complete additional street surface work on Main Street, Bridge Street, and a portion of old highway 97.

“We haven’t received any money from them yet,” said Ruiz, “but we keep applying.”