City of Farmington Goes High-Tech with Online Payments, Webcast Meetings

In less than two weeks, Farmington residents will be able to make their property tax and other payments to the city online. 

And that's just the start of what's in store for those who visit the city's website. 

City treasurer Chris Weber said Monday that online payments will be available starting Sept. 30. Residents can make their payments free of charge via electronic check, or by credit card, with a small fee attached. 

Property owners will also be able to log in and obtain information attached to the parcel or parcels of land they own. Weber said owners can create an account that will be tied to tax and other public information about their parcel, which they can view free of charge. 

"If you have five parcels, you'll have to pay for four," he added. 

The information will also be available to the general public, for a fee. 

"People will always be able to get the information from our office, too," Weber said. 

Council meeting webcast debut

Weber's announcement, made during Monday night's city council meeting, was broadcast live via a new, high-tech service officials approved earlier this year. New York-based IQM2 provides a web portal for real-time and archived meeting webcasts, agendas and supporting documentation. 

Pastue said the online move provides "a more transparent government". He believes the most useful feature of the site is the ability to click a live hyperlink for a specific agenda item and be taken to that discussion in the video. 

Monday's meeting broadcast, which is now online, comes through with clear video and audio, but the individual agenda item feature didn't appear to be working. Pastue noted during the meeting that the first night "may have a few hiccups". 

The direct link for the IQM2 service is farmingtoncitymi.iqm2.com