The town of Bridgton is now offering Maine PayPort, a credit card processing service that enables the town to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit card payments at the counter. Residents of Bridgton can make payments with a credit or debit card for items such as vehicle registrations, licenses, recreation fees, permits and property taxes.

Maine PayPort is a third-party payment processor operated by InforME, the State of Maine’s e-government provider. A PayPort administrative cost is added to each payment made through the service. The administrative cost pays for the operation of the service so that there is no cost to the municipality to accept credit cards. All customers will be informed of the additional cost amount before their payment is processed, and may choose an alternate form of payment (check or cash) if they do not want to pay the additional cost.

While municipal participation in Maine PayPort is optional, the service is expanding rapidly as municipalities seek cost-effective solutions for accepting credit cards. Bridgton is pleased to be able to offer citizens the option of paying by credit card at the municipal office, as there have been many requests from residents to do so.

InforME has been processing electronic payments for Maine state and local government since 1999 and has processed more than 80 million payment transactions. All private customer data is handled securely according to the most up-to-date and stringent security standards. InforME is CyberTrust-certified, the industry gold standard for security, and PCI/DSS compliant.

Citizens who would like more information about the online services that are offered by Bridgton are encouraged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 647-8786.

Pay taxes, utilities, fees too

The Maine PayPort Online service will also allow residents to pay their Personal Property/Real Estate Tax, Utility Payments and General Fees online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by going to the town’s website at www.bridgtonmaine.org

The town is also participating in Maine PayPort OTC, an over the counter solution that allows individuals and organizations to be able to pay by debit or credit card for any service, fee, license, or product offered by the town. Over 100 Maine municipalities in Maine now use Maine PayPort Online.

The service, provided by InforME, is offered by a third party, working in partnership with the state and participating municipalities. As a part of the service, the designated portion of your payment will be remitted to Bridgton on your behalf. The balance funds the operation of this and other Maine.gov online services. Conducting business through Maine PayPort Online is voluntary, and the final cost may be higher than using other forms of payment.