The Danville Independent Schools will begin accepting credit and debit card payments sometime in early November.

The discussion to accept payment for taxes via credit cards had come about during a working session, said Paul Dean, director of finance for the Danville Independent Schools during a board meeting on Monday night. His office “did some investigating” and talked to the Boyle County Sheriff’s Office, which uses a program called GovTeller.

He looked at other programs too, but said it seems GovTeller is the best choice.

“This seems to be the best option, as far as the cost for us and the cost for taxpayers, if they wish to use this,” Dean said. “This is in no way telling them they have to … We’ve had some people request the ability to use a debit card or credit card.”

Using GovTeller will cost the district about $90, for a card reader.

“The bulk of the cost is passed on to the people who wish to use the service,” Dean said. “A lot of people, in order to accumulate points on their credit cards, would be willing to accept that.”

People will be able to go to the district office and pay or call the office and pay via phone. There will also be a secure online portal set up from the district’s office, which will allow people to pay with a bank draft or credit or debit cards — the same fees will apply.

People have already begun coming in to pay their tax bills, Dean said on Thursday. About $588,000 has been taken in already.

“I think if we can advertise and give them this option, a lot of people will take advantage of that,” he said.

By Thursday, Dean had clarified the rates with GovTeller. For Visa, MasterCard and Discover holders, any payment under $60 carries a flat fee of $1.50, while any payment of $60 and above carries a fee of 2.5 percent. For all American Express users, the fee will be 3.5 percent plus a $1.50 rate. The rates are determined by GovTeller, Dean said.

Dean said they were in the process of reviewing a contract. Once that is in place, the district office will begin accepting card payments.

“We’re trying to get this processed as soon as we can so we will be able to offer this to taxpayers,” he said.