The city of Williston, North Dakota, announced Thursday that it will begin accepting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as a payment for utility bills.
Hercules Cummings, the finance director for the city, stated that the city has partnered with the crypto payment firm BitPay to help achieve this feat.
"We have partnered with BitPay, the largest virtual payment merchant whose partners include Microsoft and Facebook. We are the first municipality in the State of North Dakota, and the third in the nation, to offer this service," said Cummings.
Cummings stated that only utility bills will accept this alternative payment at first, but added that the city will do periodic quality assessments to potentially expand the payment alternative to other city associated bills like licenses, permits and landfill.
The new payment method follows the city's commitment to explore new payment methods and enable contactless methods.
"This payment diversification shows that Williston is highly interested, adaptable, and accepting to new and emerging technologies, driving value down to our citizens," said Cummings. "It delivers a statement that Williston embraces technological changes, transformation, and innovation."
"There are also a number of advantages to utilizing these online payment methods including security, convenience, and cost savings," Cummings noted. BitPay charges a 1% fee to pay utility bills online, as opposed to a 3% commission for payments using services like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal, the announcement states.
The city's announcement follows a growing trend across the US to utilize cryptocurrency. According to the Coin Telegraph, Nebraska lawmakers are favoring an initiative that would let state banks offer crypto. In Tennessee, the mayor announced a campaign that would pay public salaries in Bitcoin, and the mining of cryptocurrencies for the city, similarly to Miami, Florida proposals.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
