A city in the U.S. state of North Dakota has begun accepting cryptocurrencies for utility bill payments. The city’s finance director says, “We are the first municipality in the state of North Dakota, and the third in the nation, to offer this service.”
City Government Accepts Crypto Payments
The city of Williston in the U.S. state of North Dakota announced Thursday that “it now accepts digital cryptocurrency payments for utility bills.”
The city’s finance director, Hercules Cummings, explained that Williston has partnered with Bitpay to accept cryptocurrencies, elaborating:
We are the first municipality in the state of North Dakota, and the third in the nation, to offer this service.
The announcement clarifies: “Currently, utility bill payments are the only bills eligible to be paid with cryptocurrency. Quality assessments will be conducted, and volumes evaluated, before migrating other bills such as landfill, permits, and licenses.”
Bitpay currently supports payments made in “bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), ethereum (ETH), wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), dogecoin (DOGE), and 5 USD-pegged stablecoins (GUSD, USDC, PAX, DAI, and BUSD),” the company’s website details. These cryptocurrencies are accepted by the city alongside traditional payment methods, including cash, checks, credit cards, and automatic payment plans (ACH).
Furthermore, Williston city’s announcement adds:
There is a cost savings to paying via cryptocurrency as well, with Bitpay charging a one percent fee to pay online, versus a three percent fee for Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Paypal.
Recently, two other cities in the U.S. have been working on some bitcoin initiatives. The city of Miami, Florida, has passed a resolution that would allow employees to get paid in bitcoin, residents to pay for fees in bitcoin, and for the city to have BTC on its balance sheet. Meanwhile, the city of Jackson, Tennessee, is exploring payroll conversions for employees in BTC as well as bitcoin mining to add to its balance sheet.
Do you think all cities should accept cryptocurrencies for payments? Let us know in the comments section below.
