Paying bills easier than ever in Erie County

PERKINS TWP. — In Erie County, there are several relatively new ways for customers to pay their water and sewer bills.Any of the 10,800 customers can take advantage of these programs.Among them:• Downloading a QR reader: Customers can install a machine-readable code onto their smartphones. Scanning the QR code found on a specific bill can load up that particular account, which the customer can pay with a few touches on a cellphone.There is now a QR code (bottom middle) on each Erie County-processed bill for water and sewer payments. Customers can download a machine-readable code onto their smartphones. Scanning the QR code found on a specific bill can load up that particular account, and the customer can pay the bill with a few touches on a cellphone. • Signing up online: People can visit the county's environmental service website, fill out a form and submit it to begin making payments online.• Dropping off payments: Crews recently installed a drive-thru drop-off box at the main billing office, located beside the Erie County Services Center on 2900 Columbus Ave. Without leaving their cars, people can toss their bills into the box payment inserted 24/7."We are trying to make this more convenient for the customer to pay his or her bill," Erie County commissioner Pat Shenigo said. "We are trying to make this as easy as possible for people to pay on time. This will ultimately help us control costs for rates."For questions on the program, contact Pete Jackson, the county environmental services fiscal officer at 419-627-7639 or pjackson@eriecounty.oh.gov.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.There are several new ways to pay a water or sewer bill in Erie County. Among them: placing a payment in a drive-thru drop-off box, open 24/7.